Branding the man: why men are the next frontier in fashion retail

IT’S NOT THAT MEN DON’T LIKE TO SHOP;
IT’S JUST THAT SO MANY STORES ARE NOT
“EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RETAILERS.”
IN OTHER WORDS, THE STORES ARE
DESIGNED FOR WOMEN.
~ Bertrand Pellegrin

Men are purchasing more clothes, shoes, health and beauty products, and personal care services than ever before, yet the world of men’s retail has remained a kind of bug in amber, frozen in time, with the same century-old style of merchandising and selling. To better attract this new wave of interested consumers, merchandiser and retailers must approach selling to this new man in a completely different manner. The design and branding of a man’s store ought to make men want to go shopping. In Branding the Man, Bertrand Pellegrin offers retailers, buyers, and marketers strategic solutions to revolutionize men’s retail via some relatively simple conceptual strategies.

If the male customer understands the need for style—that what is offered will provide a quantifiable change to his life—he will buy. The key, then, is to create the right combination of ambiance, service, and merchandise to make that happen. The stage once set, the atmosphere once established, the result is almost predictable: he will buy. And, under such conditions, he will return… again and again…Branding the man comes down to a holistic approach to menswear retailing, focusing firmly on a richly textured experience that offers both the tangible and intangible. The customer discovers style in a place that simultaneously entertains and enlightens and that gives him a sense of community and self-confidence. When he leaves, it is with a feeling of having been understood and valued. Will he want to return? In all probability, yes. Can a men’s store really cast such a seductive spell? Read on.

—from the chapter, Why the Men’s Store Must Change

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