Men spend more money online than women; Shoes, clothes preferred products

Well, it looks like the tables have turned! The general trend that is observed at leading fashion marketplaces is that men are spending more on fashion purchases, according to Priyanka Bhargav, who heads the consumer research team at Myntra.

The figures at Abof are not too different. CEO Prashant Gupta notes,

“We have observed that male shoppers have a larger basket size compared to women. Even among the first time shoppers at Abof, women tend to buy a single item in their first purchase compared to men.”

Gupta notes that men spend lesser time shopping and therefore tend to decide their purchases quicker.

Men pick more expensive products

According to the observations at Jabong, women are regular shoppers, but men choose the pricier goods. Women spend at all fashion categories, plus their options are more. CEO Sanjeev Mahanty observes,

“Women’s loyalty to the platform is higher and hence the larger assortment.”

At Flipkart, the buying behaviour is similar, with men choosing the more expensive branded products than women. A company spokesperson said,

“Men shop for higher-value items than women, about 40 per cent higher in footwear and 10 per cent higher in clothing. This is because men are more inclined towards buying branded products compared to women where purchases are higher in non-branded section.”

The rise of the metro sexual male

Men are increasingly getting conscious about what they wear. This coupled with a greater buying power results in men splurging on the big brands. According to a recent American Express and Nielsen survey (covering Jaipur, Bangalore, Delhi Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai) the products that fly right off the shelves are men’s clothing and footwear.

According to a MasterCard study , 97% of male respondents have shopped in the last three months compared to 95.50% of female respondents.

It looks like it is time to start wooing male shoppers equally. Are the leading brands listening?