The purchasing behaviors of consumers based on gender stereotypes are mixed based on the results from our recent Gender Stereotypes Survey. There is a notable segment of consumers that will sometimes buy men’s products and sometimes buy women’s products, regardless of their gender.
However, there are also segments that will only buy products for their own gender and will never buy those made for a gender different than their own. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men are less likely to buy women’s products than women are to buy men’s products.
Out of the 500 people who took the survey, most said they sometimes prefer to buy products that are made for their gender (e.g. hair care, skin care, clothing, etc.), but 42% also said they sometimes prefer to buy products made for a different gender than their own. There is not a big difference between men and women’s preferences to buy products for their own gender, but there is a bigger difference between men and women’s willingness to buy products made for a gender other than their own.
About a quarter of respondents said they always buy products made for their own gender. Thoughts on this issue were reflected in respondents’ final thoughts on the issue of gender stereotypes in advertising:
The consensus—respondents do not feel excluded when a brand doesn’t target their gender in an advertising campaign. In fact, most respondents agreed that advertisements influence the products they buy.
