We chose to focus on men's relationship with shopping and fashion. In 2016, we are a long way from the old image of men completely disinterested in their appearance and fashion. On the contrary, today's men are showing increasing enthusiasm for this activity, which was long reserved for women...
Sociologists generally perceive men as seeking quality and durability. When they buy a product, it may not be "for life," but almost. Many analyses on the subject use jeans to demonstrate that men think long-term: they claim that when a man buys a pair of jeans, he still hopes to wear them 10 years later.
The typical man is therefore looking for a quality product that will last, unlike women who, according to some studies, are mostly more inclined to buy immediately, to buy on impulse. The man's approach seems more reasoned: he will inform himself, prepare himself before buying; he will seek to know the material, its origin; he will check the finishes.
Thus, 77% of men going to the store know exactly which products they intend to buy (Observatoire du Shopping Comportement Consommateur Homme, 2014).
Men also seem to be looking for efficient shopping, without wasting time. They like stores where they can quickly find what they are looking for. 59% of men prefer to complete their shopping in less than an hour (Observatoire du Shopping Comportement Consommateur Homme, 2014).
Women, on the other hand, think about fashion 91 times a day. This explains a very different approach. Unlike men's purchases, which are "as needed" or "as needed," women's purchases are more impulsive, based on impulse. Shopping for women is a means of relaxation, a moment of pleasure (Chea, 2011).
Fashion is also a quantitative thing for a woman. This would explain the success of the mass market among women.
This gap between men's and women's purchasing behavior is particularly evident when comparing men's and women's fashion blogs.
What emerges from men's blogs is that men are interested in the product itself: its manufacturing, its history, etc. They like product tests and prefer to learn more about brands. They need advice, tutorials, assistance, etc., at least according to Remy Oudghiri, Director of the Trends and Forecasts department at Ipsos.
Women and their blogs focus more on aesthetics, image, consumption, how to recreate or buy a look.
Recent years have seen a real shift in men's fashion behavior. Men are becoming increasingly stylish and are buying much more than before. Indeed, according to the IFM (French Fashion Institute), male consumption has held up better during the crisis than female consumption.
This translates into an explosion of high-end men's ready-to-wear brands.
Men have become "fashion victims" just like women. It even seems, according to the IFM, that young men are even more fashion-conscious than young women. Those aged 15-29 spend 539 euros per year, compared to 511 euros for women! However, women take the lead from the age of 30, the age at which men apparently begin to lose interest in fashion.
What is certain, however, is that men don't like shopping, which remains a purely feminine leisure activity. According to a study conducted by CCM Benchmark and Chictypes, 1 in 2 men don't like shopping. The reasons: the crowds in stores, the difficulty of finding what you're looking for, and having to travel to buy...
We can therefore conclude from this whole story that man is going against the grain of a consumer society that encourages us to always buy more. Indeed, he wants to buy the product he needs, which is of good quality and above all, which lasts over time.
So when it comes to your pants, you know who to contact 😉
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