A report from independent market analyst Datamonitor has identified that the male grooming market is continuing to expand, but overall there is still a lot of potential for the category.
Matthew Taylor, consumer analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report, commented on how the male grooming category needs to take a different approach in order to succeed and reach the same levels as the women’s market.
“Much of the market continues to rely on products that are viewed as essential, while the indulgent and emotional nature often seen in the women’s personal care industry is rare among men. There are substantial differences in attitudes and behaviours that exist across genders,” he said.
Taylor also expressed that the success of the women’s category is achieved through high levels of engagement with the consumer, something which the men’s category has not achieved.
“Men see personal care products in a more essential and necessary nature, therefore creating a lower level of engagement.”
“High-engagement brands will obviously be more successful in achieving a sense of loyalty with consumers and marketers must strive to ensure that men feel a strong attachment to their male grooming products and brands,” said Taylor.
The results of Datamonitor’s 2008 consumer survey demonstrated that price was the biggest influence on men’s purchasing habits in the category, with over half claiming it to be of high or very high importance. Habit/preferred brand and ease of use were also fairly important.
The survey also highlighted the fact that many men will stick with the brands they know, and won’t go out looking for new products.
“Most men did not pay much attention to new products in the field of personal care, over half of respondents claimed to not even notice when new products became available,” Taylor said.
According to Datamonitor there is also huge potential in the skin care category for men, in particular the area of anti-ageing, which is yet to be fully exploited by the industry.
The most lucrative area of the market is said to be in oral hygiene, due to the fact that it is a necessity. But Taylor remains adamant that even this area has potential to grow.