Behind today's men's grooming trend is a demanding woman

Drug Store News, June 26, 2006 by Antoinette Alexander

It's long been said that behind every successful man is a strong woman. Certainly, that would help explain the metrosexual myth that many believe has been behind the stellar growth in men's grooming. Despite the increase in sales in recent years, many of today's men still lack the fashion sense or even just the simple drive to move beyond the bare grooming essentials they already know, like soap and shampoo. Most assuredly, behind the rise of today's metrosexual consumer is most a woman. Call her Marlena Makeover.

She is high-fashion, accustomed to buying quality skin care, cosmeceuticals, hair care, cosmetics and fragrance for herself and wants her significant other to look and smell just as good.

"Because [these women] are more tapped into fashion and trends they want their partner to be equally as hip as they are," said Nicole Green, senior strategic planner for Frank About Women, a marketing-to-women consultancy firm.

A recent study conducted by BizRate.com, a division of comparison shopping search site Shopzilla, found that while men surveyed said they'd be open to the idea of receiving grooming products as a gift, the findings indicate that they are not likely to purchase these products themselves. Women agreed, as 92 percent of women who buy men's grooming products buy them for their husbands or boyfriends.

"Men want to look and feel attractive, but the average guy is just not as proactive as the average gal when it comes to researching and buying skin care products. Most men get set in their ways when it comes to a grooming routine," stated Helen Malani, Shopzilla's chief shopping expert.

The study was based on a point-of-sale survey of 1,301 online buyers from March 27 to 29.

The men's skin care segment, while still relatively small, has seen major growth in recent years and is likely to see further expansion as brands she is familiar with (e.g., L'Oreal and Nivea) continue to develop skin care products for him. According to a beauty trend report by Information Resources Inc., sales in the men's mass market facial skin care segment have increased from $25.1 million in 2001 to $76.5 million in 2005.

The Shopzilla study also found that more than half (53 percent) of the men surveyed said they do not pay attention to products marketed to them and simply stick to what they already know.

Despite the findings of the Shopzilla survey (which classified the metrosexual as a "rare species"), that is not to say that men can't change--after Marlena has had her way with him, that is.

"Once my boyfriend saw how people at work were noticing him more after shaving, using a nice cologne and wearing a crisp dress shirt, he started adding new elements to his regimen like matching socks," stated a 30-year-old marketing specialist who was quoted in the Shopzilla study findings.

In speaking with several female co-workers, Green at Frank About Women had similar findings.

"I asked them to tell me if he was always a metrosexual and what I found is that she most definitely had a hand in cleaning the guy up and he was receptive to it," said Green, who learned from these women that behind closed doors there is a lot of plucking, shaving, waxing and tweezing going on, in addition to the use of skin care products and higher-end hair care products.

"With the metrosexual male, she is actually the one bringing the products home," added Green. "She is heavily influencing this."

Added one co-worker Green spoke with, "I had a huge influence [on him]. When I met my husband, he was a soap and water guy really into the grunge look with ripped jeans and flannel shirts. Now, he wouldn't be caught dead in an outfit like that. He's much more particular and brand conscious."

When asked how his metrosexuality influences how she shops one woman said, "When we first started dating he was much more of surfer California guy--ratty t-shirt, shorts and a visor. However, today he is much more open to more stylish clothing and trusts my judgment. If I buy it for him he will at least try it out."

Another woman added, "I'm always on the lookout for some new product he might like or a shirt he'll look good in. He's a reflection of my good taste, but he enjoys it when I bring something home that makes him look good or feel good."

According to Green, Marlena is likely to be a Zealot or a Feel Good shopper, as defined by a recent Frank About Women study, "Retail Rituals II: Understanding Women's Changing Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Shopping," which identifies five basic shopping mind-sets.

The 2005 study found that Feel Good shoppers love affordable luxury and variety, so retailers would benefit by offering her an indulgent, almost luxurious shopping experience that is personalized, inviting and a feast for the senses. She loves eye catching displays and colors, scents and samples, so those retailers that have created such in-store departments as a spa section or an easily accessible fragrance area with testers will win the heart of this shopper.

Similar to the Feel Good shopper is the Zealot shopper, who simply loves to shop. She never needs a reason to shop and relishes it in any and all forms and formats whether she is at the drug store, a mass merchandiser like Wal-Mart or Target or a department store. Because she loves to shop--and does a lot of it--it is critical that retailers carry the latest and greatest in beauty, offer good values and elevate the mundane by perhaps offering product samples and intriguing merchandising displays. To best reach the zealot shopper, retailers should remember to: refresh, refresh, refresh; stay current; and be original.