GET READY, GET SET, SHOP!For some women, the love of shopping is strictly a family affair
The numbers are in and, yes, women still love to shop. Data from the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM reveals a near 15% increase from 32% to 37.5% — the number of female respondents who view shopping as a pleasurable experience. This information also shows is that the enjoyment extends to purchases made for spouses and children. While recent Monitor data shows that more women prefer shopping for their children than for their spouse (71% compared to 67% for women aged 16-55), the number of women respondents which claimed to enjoy shopping for their spouses rose two points over the prior year. In the 25-34-year-old category, this statistic rose to 74%, and in the middle to upper household income ranges, $50,000 to $75,000 per anum, the percentage was greater still at 78%. With regard to shopping for children, the change was even more dramatic: 72% of women reported enjoying taking the trek to the local mall or store, a dramatic six point increase over the same period in 1998. But why the increased desire to shop? Why the heightened interest in shopping for their families? Industry observers cite a number of reasons: The high level of consumer confidence means they have a positive outlook, which could result in in creased purchasing. Brick-and-mortar retailers are defending their territory against the upstart e-tailers by making their channels more customer-friendly. And, perhaps most importantly, retailers are offering consumers fashions they really want. “Fashion has changed significantly for the better over the past couple of seasons,” says Paula Rosario, Cotton Incorporated’s senior director of retail marketing. “ There are many more wearable fashions for women, and those fashions are trickling down into the children’s wear area.” “She’ll buy a coat for herself, but also stop for the shirt for her husband and the skirt for her young daughter. And she’s doing it with a smile on her face,” remarks Evan Cohen, merchandiser for Atlanta-based retailer Gladwyne’s. “Because many of their husbands now have casual days in the office, more women want to select that clothing. She doesn’t want him wearing ill-fitting or mismatched ensembles to work on Friday.” After discussing the subject with several consumers, however, we found that not only do some women enjoy shopping for their family members, but they actually prefer it to shopping for themselves. According to Linda, 38, of Cleveland, Ohio, shopping for her husband, Jim, and three year-old son, Eric, is “just more fun than shopping for myself,” although she claims to spend much less time on her husband’s clothes. “I’d say I spend about 10% of my apparel shopping time on Jim, half of which is for gifts.” She says that buying for her husband is pretty clear cut for a variety of reasons. “Jim’s totally business casual at work, which really helps, plus, he’s an easy fit, and seems to like whatever I get – at least that’s what he says.” As for her son Eric, Linda is the exclusive shopper for his clothing. “I keep Eric’s wardrobe pretty small simply because he grows out of things too quickly. As a result, I do laundry very often.” Linda adds that she tends to find a limited amount of merchandise available for boys. “For example,” she explains, “I really had trouble finding a good selection of high quality winter coats in the retail stores, so I went the catalogue route and paid premium price. But with a coat, you can buy pretty big so it will last a few seasons.” Meredith, 35, also an Ohio resident, loves to shop with her two daughters, ages eight and six, but, she says, “my husband prefers to shop for himself.” Since both girls attend Catholic school (where they wear uniforms), Meredith says, “I allow them to choose their play clothes, but I’m pretty functional. They don’t need that much, and their wardrobes are not elaborate, but they’re happy with what they have.” Like Meredith, Susan, 37, a stay-at-home mom living in California’s Orange County, usually passes on personal apparel shopping. According to Susan, “My wardrobe is pretty simple, and I’m not much into clothes shopping anymore. I would rather shop for things for the house.” But Susan enjoys shopping for her husband Rick and five year-old daughter Erin. “Rick doesn’t like to shop,” she says, “so I buy most of his casual clothes, like blue jeans and button-down shirts. He wears suits to work almost every day, and he does prefer to shop for those himself, but he likes to get my opinion before buying.” According to Susan, shopping for her husband is fairly easy since they share similar tastes. “Sometimes I’ll just pick up a bunch of shirts and ties and bring them home and he’ll choose what he likes. Usually, he likes most of them.” So husbands, next time your wife tells you she’s going shopping, you may be surprised. There could be something in one of those bags for you.
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This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.
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