Secrets of the Male Shopper

Traditionally, men made the money and women spent it. Marketers figured this out a long time ago and since then, the stage was set for how businesses sold their wares to consumers. Appeal to the women, and the guys would inevitably follow. Society has been changing since the 1960s however, with the dawn of the sexual revolution. The line separating gender identity have not only been shifting, but they've also been fading -- at least in the first world nations -- let's not even go to some of the jurrasic societies out there.

This has left many guys confused -- and I know some of them. The traditional refuges of the male have been dwindling as women have muscled their way in. Women are acting more like men, and it's becoming more acceptable for men to partake in the roles once reserved entirely for women. This isn't a change that is necessarily happening in individuals, so much as it's an evolution of society. The older generations continue to wallow in the traditional roles, however today's generation is growing up in a new norm, where women have more equality, and men have no problems with it.

Marketers have been waking up to this shift in gender identity -- realizing that there's a huge untapped market of fresh meat that hasn't yet been assaulted. Wake up to the assault. BusinessWeek has identified five types of male shoppers that marketers are now focusing on, fielding attributes of those types to help you figure out just where you fit.

• The Metrosexual -- an affulent, enfeminate, urbanite, betweek 20-50 years old. These men value products with deeper meaning, quality and beauty. They tend to be very superficial.
• The Maturiteen -- a techno-savvy teen, who is at ease with his elders. These teens do a lot of research on family purchases and their influence far outweight their purchasing power in the family.
• The Modern Man -- a sophisticated consumer that dabbles in a little luxury, feels comfortable around women, but doesn't go too far, as it might threaten his masculinity.
• The Dad -- the male consumer that is probably least understood and least marketed to. Dads are usually portrayed goofy and not having a clue about cool.
• The Retrosexual -- he is the antithesis of the Metrosexual. He wallows in the traditional male confines and rejects feminism. These men love beer, burgers and women in skimpy clothing that don't talk too much. They probably burp and fart a lot and find it hilarious.

If you're a male, you probably don't really know where you figure in these profiles. Like women, we're just as complex and hard to reach. More and more, it's coming down to context. Regardless, expect marketers to continue to fine tune their focus in an attempt to reach you.