Grocery stores try to alter the tastes and preferences of men

One of the factors that can shift (increase or decrease) demand is tastes and preferences. If tastes increase, demand shifts to the right. It is not easy to make this happen, but businesses always try.

See Supermarkets Deploy Sausage Stations, Dad Jokes to Lure Male Shoppers: Many men shop as if on a search-and-retrieve mission, but they are less price-sensitive and health-conscious in stores than women, a study found by Anne Marie Chaker of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"As more men do the grocery shopping, supermarkets are taking note.

Lowes Foods, a chain in North and South Carolina, introduced gourmet sausage stations and “beer dens,” where customers can drink while they shop or get a half-gallon jug filled with a craft beer, in 14 locations four years ago. After they were launched, “there was an immediate, noticeable increase in the number of men shopping in our stores,” says Heather George, senior vice president of brand strategy. The male-focused amenities are now featured in 61 stores."

"Mega Meat sales, where customers earn gas discounts, are particularly popular, Hy-Vee says. “We have found that is a very strong incentive for men,” says Donna Tweeten, Hy-Vee executive vice president and chief marketing officer. The July flier promoting the Mega Meat event suggests beer pairings."

"men like when they can see the exit, even when they are deep in the middle of the store. He is minimizing visual clutter, creating more straight corridors and lowering shelves by 2.5 feet so shoppers can see around them more clearly."

"Signs point to man-centric sections—men’s heart health or men’s facial care—in the beauty aisles, which carry products like beard salves and protein supplements. The meat department offers butchery classes. Stores have even had requests for more-masculine floral arrangements. “Our floral designer has been doing more with willow branches, bark and wood,” Mr. Wall says."

"Men are less price-sensitive and less health-conscious while shopping than women, the Hartman study found. They often conduct “search-and-retrieve missions,” getting in and out of the store as quickly as possible. They tend to load up on treats the household’s main shopper avoids and often buy too much or too little, or forget items."

"At Lucky’s Market, a Boulder, Colo.-based grocery-store chain, co-owner Bo Sharon says stores use traces of Dad humor that resonate with women and men. A sign over the kombucha section reads, “We thought it was weird at first, too.”"

"“I enjoy it way too much,” Mr. Schoenberg says. “Most supermarkets are pastel colors and sell tons of flowers, and the language is merry-merry, happy-happy,” he says. Lucky’s “feels like a hardware store with groceries.”"