SURVEY: MEN MORE INCLINED TO SHOP IN-STORE AFTER VACCINATION

As vaccines roll out across America, a recent survey by First Insight found that across every generation, men are more inclined to head in-store after being vaccinated than women.

According to the survey, while 64 percent of Millennial men planned to shop for apparel in-store more or the same amount after being vaccinated, only 45 percent of Millennial women said the same. This trend is consistent across every other generation as well, with 61 percent of Baby Boomer men and 47 percent of Baby Boomer women planning to shop for apparel in-store more or the same amount post-vaccination. While Generation Z showed 56 percent of men heading in-store post-vaccine, this generation represented the widest gap when compared to Generation Z women (36 percent).

The survey found that apparel was not the only category where men are more comfortable heading in-store.  A higher percentage of men are planning to shop more or the same in-store for footwear and beauty after being vaccinated compared to women across generations. The single exception was Baby Boomers shopping for beauty products, where 50 percent of women in this generation plan to shop more or the same in-store compared to 43 percent of men.

“The fact that more men than women across every generation are planning to head in-store after being vaccinated should be a wake-up call for retailers,” said Greg Petro, CEO of First Insight. “As retailers consider how to create better connections with consumers through marketing messages, product assortments, pricing, and experiences, our data found that they should set aside any preconceived notions about who will be heading in-store first, and be ready for a higher percentage of male shoppers of all ages. As we look ahead to a post-pandemic world, every retailer and brand should be tapping into Voice of Consumer data right now to gather insights that can inform business decisions and ensure they are targeting customers at the channels in which they prefer to shop.”