The effectiveness of a male grooming solution to improve male shopper behaviour towards the purchase of personal care products.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
The cosmetic industry over the years has proven to be one of the fastest growing and most
profitable industries globally. In the male cosmetic industry, male grooming and metrosexual
trends have rapidly expanded across global communities, and in recent years have become a
leading trend amongst South African men who are looking after their health as well as their
physical appearance. The advent of the metrosexual trend has captured enormous attention for
men to be more alert and mindful of their self-image, how to enhance their external appearance
and how to uphold their own handsomeness no matter what challenges they may be facing.
These emerging trends subsequently shaped the way businesses and companies expanded
product lines and developed strategies to influence the shopping behaviour of men. Therefore,
this study - to influence and improve male shopper behaviour towards the purchase of personal
care products, investigated the effectiveness of a male grooming solution. This was a quasiexperimental
study conducted among male shoppers at the Pavillion Shopping Centre in
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire between
pre- and post-installation of the male grooming zone. Results indicated that pre installation of
the male zone, shampoo, face care and body lotion were the highest consumed products while
post installation results indicated that deodorant had the highest consumption rate followed by
body lotion; while the face care and the perfume/cologne/aftershave segment were purchased
at the same rate. It was also found that the intervention of the male grooming zone, post
installation, had a perceived positive impact on self-image, self-esteem, lifestyle and celebrity
association. The study revealed that emotional value, epistemic value and social value of the
male shoppers were also perceived to have improved significantly post the installation of the
male grooming zone. More than three quarters of male shoppers indicated that they preferred
the new shopping environment. The outlook of male shoppers towards shopping for personal
care products was also favourable and the amount of money spent on personal care products
almost doubled. The study recommends that male grooming merchandise solutions be
conceptualized and implemented for the improvement of male shopper behaviour towards the
purchase of personal care products.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.