Stationary Upholstery: Gender Differences, Part II: Purchase Drivers, Research Strategies and Eco-Attitudes

Published: April, 09 2008

By Thomas A. Prais

This is the second installment of a two-part analysis of differences between male and female stationary upholstery shoppers. During the last installment, we examined what the genders look for in their seating and the sorts of stores at which they shop. Here, we examine the life events that precipitate a stationary upholstery purchase, how men and women go about researching a purchase and how committed they are to eco-friendly seating.

Surveyed men and women made their stationary upholstery purchases for different reasons. Only 35 percent of men made a stationary upholstery purchase as the consequence of a major life event, such as beginning a family or empty nesting, compared to 53 percent of women.

Which life events moved men and women to make a purchase also differed. Men were more likely to buy new stationary upholstery upon getting married (though one can’t help but wonder whether the groom was really the primary purchase driver). Women were almost twice as likely to have made a stationary upholstery purchase upon taking up a new primary residence. (Men were, however, slightly more likely to make such a purchase upon coming into some money—but the margins were thin.)

Contrary to popular stereotypes of the tech-savvy man, among surveyed stationary upholstery shoppers it was the women who were more likely to have done research online prior to purchase. Whereas men were more likely to have done their research by actually going to a brick-and-mortar store.

Among those who researched online, 73 percent of men and 85 percent of women used retailer sites, 33 percent of men and 51 percent of women used manufacturer sites, 37 percent of men and 20 percent of women used Consumer Reports-type sites, and 7 percent of men and 2 percent of women went to blogs. It is those last two statistics that should command the attention of retailers and manufacturers that want to increase their male customer base—men, more than women, are seeking independent reviews to help guide their purchase decision. This data supports data from Part I of this analysis that showed male stationary upholstery shoppers were more interested in quality than female shoppers were.

While this year’s The Retail Experience survey showed that, among furniture shoppers generally, men tended to be more committed to eco-friendly products than women, the disparity was even more pronounced among stationary upholstery shoppers. The Retail Experience divides respondents into three groups based on their eco-attitudes: The Eco-Committed, the Eco-Interested and the Eco-Indifferent (see “The Green Dollar” in the print edition of The Retail Experience for more information).

Twenty-eight percent of surveyed male stationary upholstery shoppers were what The Retail Experience considers to be Eco-Committed consumers, compared to 19 percent of female stationary upholstery shoppers. (Across surveyed furniture categories, 26 percent of men and 23 percent of women were Eco-Committed.) At the same time, male stationary upholstery shoppers were less likely than other men in the survey to belong to the Eco-Indifferent group. Female stationary upholstery shoppers were more likely to be Eco-Indifferent than female shoppers in other furniture categories.

That does not mean women are disinterested in greener stationary upholstery. The Eco-Committed are those who actively seek green products. However, the Eco-Interested, while they may not make green their primary purchase consideration, are nonetheless receptive to green messages. The percentage of stationary upholstery shoppers who were either Eco-Committed or Eco-Interested was 72 percent for men and 61 percent for women.

Overall, findings from The Retail Experience survey suggest that, when dealing with male stationary upholstery shoppers, retailers should talk about style and quality (and be ready to cite any objective, third-party reviews that endorse their products)—even better if the salesperson can discuss a product’s green features in a way that emphasizes the craftsmanship that went into the manufacturing process. Retailers also should be ready to help men feel more at ease with the purchasing process, and to spot nonverbal cues that communicate their unease. Men are about as likely to come out and say they don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to buying furniture as they are to stop and ask for directions when lost.

With women, on the other hand, retailers should emphasize style above all else. And just as retailers should be familiar, before they hit the salesfloor, with product reviews that might carry weight with men, they should ensure their merchandising and vignettes have the pop and pizzazz necessary to help women make a décor choice that they will feel confident about. Lastly, while men are more likely to seek out green products, a majority of both genders will nonetheless be receptive to a green product message when making their stationary upholstery choice.