Man the Shopper

In 1966 Richard Lee and Irven DeVore hosted a symposium titled “Man the Hunter.” The
symposium resulted in a book of the same title and attempted to bring together, for the
first time, a comprehensive look at recent ethnographic research on hunter gatherers.
The concepts that came out of the work (and work by archaeologists) were streamlined,
simplified and led to one of the most endearing myths of the modern age: Men hunt,
women gather. Men are driven by the need to complete a job, and that’s about it. Over
time, this basic tenet has found its way into how we think about men’s consumption and
shopping habits – men are driven by the need to shop (i.e. to perform tasks) in the
simplest, most efficient way. Simple, tidy theory. The only problem with this simple, tidy
formula is that it’s flat wrong.

From a purely biological standpoint it might make sense. The theory goes that over the
bulk of human prehistory gender roles were established wherein men, due to sheer size
and strength, hunted large game and therefore were less inclined to use environmental
cues and linguistic subtlety to hunt down and kill animals. Meanwhile, given the task of
rearing the young and gathering the bulk of the food that was actually consumed on a
daily basis, women became hardwired for language, cooperation and the ability to tease
out subtleties in the environment. No doubt there is a shred of truth in all this, but
unfortunately it overlooks some major flaws in logic. The problem is that cooperative
hunting is extremely complex and relies on interacting intimately with the environment
and other members of the hunting party. On top of that, while men were out hunting for
large animals, it might take a damn long time to track it, kill it and get it back home.
Consequently, men foraged and hunted small game along the way. In other words, they
were doing the same tasks as women. But the real key is the linguistic element.

Bear with me for a moment, because this talk about language is where the myth of male
shopping patters as an extension of “Man the Hunter” breaks down. Human beings are
the only animal with the capacity for language, equipped with wonderfully large areas of
the brain devoted to it and a general physiology that allows us to create the sounds we
do (e.g. the hyoid bone). Why does it matter? Because language is inherently symbolic.
The sounds in the word “tree” have nothing to do with the object itself, for example. The
human brain and the ways in which we understand the world are hardwired to make use
of symbolism. And shopping is a highly symbolic act. Overlook the underlying behavioral
structures and you miss tremendous opportunities. It’s all rather heady stuff, but the
result is simple.

Context shapes everything, and whether hunting or shopping, there is more to our
behavior than meets the eye.

First of all, men will always say they dislike shopping and that they treat it like a task.
Shopping is a job and all about efficiency and finding the best deal (this is the point at
which all of us men are supposed to eat a steak and thump our chests).
Men say it, but is it true? No, it is not. We say it because as a culture we have been
trained to say we hunt, we solve problems and we see shopping as a task. It is a cultural
norm we use to define our masculinity, not a reflection of reality. As with all shopping,
there is an element of performing a task – we shop for groceries because we die if we
don’t eat. Men, and marketers, like to think that’s the end of the discussion, but it is not.
Shopping, unlike consuming, involves a series of subconscious, symbolic interactions
and men, just like women, respond to these symbols. So what are the examples?

1. Men often use shopping as a tool to teach values and cultural norms. It is
most obvious when you see a father and son in a sporting goods store. It isn’t enough to
track down a new baseball glove. Fathers use this time, this shopping time, to teach the
boy how to select a good glove, how to be a good sport and how to bond with the child.
Watch a father shop with his daughter and you see similar teaching moments emerge.
The retail environment becomes a stage on which he can impart wisdom and reinforce
his role as father.

2. Men use shopping to establish and reinforce gender and marital roles. For
example, when husbands and wives shop for groceries together, there is more going on
than simple provisioning of the household. Men frequently slip items into the cart that
are not on the list. The catch is that they do this when their wives can see them. It isn’t
about sneaking a treat into the cart. It is about using shopping as a means by which
playfulness and sexuality are rekindled. In terms of the general shopping process, men
defer to their wives’ expertise in all things domestic, even when they are perfectly
capable of selecting the right foods. Body language becomes more timid and responses
to question take on more hedges and/or apologies. The shopping becomes a platform for
defining household roles.

3. Men use shopping to display skills and mastery. Men become more likely to
make random purchases when in a retail setting where they feel comfortable articulating
their knowledge and skill to the world. Watch men in hardware stores or when buying a
car. They tend to exhibit more non-verbal cues of strength (standing straighter, more
use of the precision grip, etc.) and tend to spend more time examining objects in detail
than they would in other settings. The catch is that they frequently have no more
expertise than anyone else. In this instance, shopping is a way of establishing status
and self-worth.

4. Men use shopping as play time. The retail experience is a playground, plain and
simple. The catch is that the space needs to make men feel like they have license to
play and explore.

So, “Man the Hunter” is a myth - but what does it mean for you? Quit thinking about
Man the Shopper as if he is exclusively task driven. Take advantage of the symbolic and
subconscious triggers that will get him to buy more products and become an advocate
for your store.

• 60% of men are using mobile apps when shopping1. Do more than provide deals.
Use language that reinforces his role as a good hunter, teacher and/or spouse.
Design interfaces as games. Provide outlets for displaying his skills to the world.
He needs more than just 10% off his purchase.
 • Develop retail environments and signage that reinforce his need to show his
prowess and intelligence. Use language and imagery that can be used as tools for
teaching his children, not just as points of information throughout the store.

• Use signage and displays that make him feel comfortable in a seemingly non-male
setting. Signage should be used as part of the overarching retail design strategy.
Incorporate “hidden” treasures in the retail setting that make him want to explore.

• Incorporate male-focused elements into your general media strategy. If you sell
candles (a traditionally female target audience), consider partnering to set up a
display at the meat counter of a grocery (men, after all, are the “expert” grillers in
most homes).

Stop thinking about men as hunters and you will sell more merchandise. Keep thinking
of them in this tired, old cliché and watch an overlooked opportunity pass you by.

- Gavin Johnston, chief anthropologist at Two West, Inc.

1
Insight Express, Mobile Shopping Study. July, 2010.