Men are top consumers in online supermarkets

São Paulo – A new analysis of the Kantar Media research company indicates that men buy more in online supermarkets than women. The survey was conducted in 14 countries, analyzing more than 100,000 acts of purchases and the behavior of 27000 online shoppers, the so-called e-shoppers. The result? 47% of men made grocery purchases online, against 39% of women. High male adherence lights up an alert for brands that work with gender stereotypes. Many of the advertisements of categories related to going to the supermarket are directed only to women. A shot in the foot. According to AdReaction – Getting Gender Right, another study by Kantar, women are the target of 89% of communications in cleaning products, 88% in food, 76% in personal hygiene. In practice, however, 80% of men participate in grocery buying decisions, along with 91% of women. As you close your eyes to the new reality of society, brands lose business opportunities. On the other hand, the brands that balance the attention in both genders drive a higher value, according to the analysis. For Luciana Piedemonte, director and leader of Commerce at Kantar Brasil, the brands need to act differently in each case, understand the profile of the buyers, who have different needs and motivations, and deliver specific solutions. Is there any explanation for the greater male adherence to this model of purchase? What opportunities does that bring? Luciana Piedemonte: There is no specific explanation, but the barriers to the supermarket e-commerce itself can be felt in different ways and levels by the two genres. Men tend not to want to spend energy with the grocery shopping process, and e-commerce is an alternative to a stressful process for them. That is, the opportunity is in creating an even more enjoyable experience for this audience who already chooses e-commerce as a shopping channel, with fewer friction. What insights can brands take from this movement? Luciana Piedemonte: Technology still leads to the decisions of many companies, when we should actually use the shopper's needs as a guide. Our research shows that consumers take into account three important currencies at the time of buying online: money, time and energy. Which is more important varies according to category, occasion, Mission, channel and can also vary between genres. Brands need to act differently in each case, as buyers have different needs and motivations. What it means to understand the profile of each and deliver specific solutions. The profile of those who buy in supermarkets online, for example, is different from people who usually buy fashion or technology devices. And how to attract more women to this trend? Luciana Piedemonte: The first essential step is to understand the specific needs and motivations of its consumers. And after that, create strategies to eliminate real and mental barriers to foster e-commerce. This can be done through efficient communication and mainly an excellent experience. One of the barriers that most drew our attention was related to selecting the product, something very important for the experience of buying women. It is important to work this aspect by bringing an experience that reinforces the perception that the woman is choosing the products, whether showing product details and validity with quality photos. In addition, other contact points such as packaging and delivery organization can help overcome a possible negative perception of the online grocery shopping experience for women.