What will drive male teenagers buying habits in the near future?
Airey: In many ways, male and female teens behave alike. Both genders shop in packs, spend a significant amount of their time browsing malls and are influenced by friends, family and celebrities. However, empirical evidence shows some general differences. Male teen shoppers are believed to buy brands, while female teens tend to buy styles. Store layouts used by apparel retailers often reflect that distinction. Teen boys rely on stores and their brands to pre-edit their style choices. For boys, overt displays of clothing brands are the norm. Teen girls, on the other hand, are more comfortable mixing and matching different pieces and styles to create a desired look, which they may have seen in school, on TV or in a magazine. Shopping behavior is also different in terms of frequency and duration of the shopping trip. Females also tend to buy more on impulse and are more susceptible to the appeal of in-store promotional activities. Males are usually more task-driven, list-based shoppers. W
