Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Men’s apparel market poised for growth
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- Figure 1: Fan chart forecast of total U.S. retail sales of men’s clothing, 2006-16
- Market factors
- Male population growth will help drive market for men’s clothing
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- Figure 2: Percent change in male population, by age, 2011-16
- Hispanic population grows, offers significant buying power
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- Figure 3: Numbers of Hispanic men, by age, 2006-16
- Fluctuating consumer confidence may impact spending on clothing
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- Figure 4: University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment, 2007-January 2012
- Levels of obesity may create demand for plus-size men’s clothing
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- Figure 5: Prevalence of obesity among U.S. males aged 20 and over, by race/Hispanic origin, for selected years 1988-94 through 2007-08
- Retail channels
- Many options when shopping for men’s clothing
- The consumer
- Jeans and t-shirts favored over suits
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- Figure 6: Men's clothing purchases by type and how acquired, December 2011
- Men typically buy clothing as replacement for old/worn out items
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- Figure 7: Reasons for buying men's clothing, December 2011
- Most men dress for comfort
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- Figure 8: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, December 2011
- Most men experience frustrations when clothes shopping
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- Figure 9: Men’s frustrations when shopping for clothing, December 2011
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- Will younger men’s interest in fashion and style drive growth in the market?
- How will high levels of obesity in the U.S. impact men’s clothing?
- How is technology impacting the way men shop for clothing?
- What are the primary reasons men buy clothing?
- Who shops for men’s clothing?
Insights and Opportunities
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- Use sizing technology to help men find their best fit
- Partner shopping with sporting events, liquor tastings, create lounge
- Create a showroom to showcase additional sizes
Inspire Insights
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- Inspire Trend: The Big Issue
- Inspire Trend: Boomerang Generation
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Positive outlook for men’s clothing market
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- Figure 10: Total retail sales and forecast of men’s clothing at current prices, 2006-16
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- Figure 11: Total retail sales and forecast of men’s clothing at inflation-adjusted prices, 2006-16
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 12: Fan chart forecast of total U.S. retail sales of men’s clothing, 2006-16
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Sales of men’s clothing, by segment
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- Figure 13: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of men’s clothing, at current prices, by segment, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Tops
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- Key points
- Tops to remain largest segment of men’s clothing
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- Figure 14: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of men’s tops, at current prices, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Bottoms
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- Key points
- Bottoms expected to grow over the next 5 years
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- Figure 15: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of men’s bottoms, at current prices, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Suits and Sportcoats
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- Key points
- Suits and sportcoats likely to experience sales declines
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- Figure 16: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of men’s suits and sportcoats, at current prices, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Other
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- Key points
- “Other” clothing sees fluctuations in sales
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- Figure 17: Total U.S. retail sales and forecast of other men’s clothing, at current prices, 2006-16
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Male population growth will help drive market for men’s clothing
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- Figure 18: Male population, by age, 2006-16
- Hispanic population grows, has significant buying power
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- Figure 19: Hispanic men, by age, 2006-16
- Fluctuating consumer confidence may impact spending on clothing
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- Figure 20: University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment, January 2007-January 2012
- Men staying single longer, shopping for themselves
- Levels of obesity may create demand for plus-size men’s clothing
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- Figure 21: Age-adjusted prevalence of being overweight, obese, or extremely obese, among adults aged 20 or older, 1988-2006
- Figure 22: Prevalence of obesity among U.S. males aged 20 and over, by race/Hispanic origin, for selected years 1988-94 through 2007-08
- Proliferation of smartphones, tablets make it easier, more convenient for men to shop
Retailer Overview
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- Department stores
- Macy’s Inc.
- Nordstrom
- Kohl’s
- JC Penney
- Sears
- Neiman Marcus
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Market threats and possibilities for department stores
- Mass merchandisers
- Target
- Walmart
- Kmart
- Market threats and possibilities for mass merchandisers
- Specialty apparel stores
- J. Crew
- Gap Inc.
- Brooks Brothers
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Jos. A. Bank
- Men’s Wearhouse
- L.L. Bean
- Market threats and possibilities for specialty apparel stores
- Sporting goods stores/outdoor retailers
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
- REI
- Market threats and possibilities for sporting goods/outdoor stores
- Internet-only retailers
- Amazon.com
- Piperlime
- Market threats and possibilities for online-only retailers
Innovations and Innovators
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- Trunk Club offers convenient, personalized shopping for men
- Gilt Groupe shifts from discounts to upscale
- Bonobos rewards loyal shoppers with special sales
- Frank & Oak helps men curate looks
Marketing Strategies
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- Television advertising
- J.C. Penney
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- Figure 23: J.C. Penney TV ad, “Hot in Here,” May 2011
- Jos. A. Bank
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- Figure 24: Jos. A. Bank TV ad, “Huge Sale,” July 2011
- Kohl’s
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- Figure 25: Kohl’s TV ad, “Upgrade Your Look,” October 2011
- Macy’s
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- Figure 26: Macy’s TV ad, “Gifts for Dad,” June 2011
- Men’s Wearhouse
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- Figure 27: Men’s Wearhouse TV ad, “Distinctive,” February 2011
- Sears
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- Figure 28: Sears TV ad, “Wardrobe Boost,” February 2011
- Social media trends
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- Figure 29: Profiled companies retail stores and social media reach, Feb. 7, 2012
- Other marketing activity
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- Figure 30: Piperlime.com’s men’s clothing email advertisement, August 2011
How Men’s Clothing is Acquired
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- Key points
- Most men purchase clothing for themselves
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- Figure 31: How men's clothing is acquired, December 2011
- Others buy clothing for younger men, older men not buying new clothes
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- Figure 32: How men's clothing is acquired, by age, December 2011
- Men living in lower-income households limit spending on clothes
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- Figure 33: How men's clothing is acquired, by household income, December 2011
- Married men most likely to have others shop for them
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- Figure 34: How men's clothing is acquired, by marital/relationship status, December 2011
Men’s Clothing Purchase by Type
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- Key points
- Jeans and t-shirts favored over suits
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- Figure 35: Men's clothing purchase, by type and how acquired, December 2011
- Less than one quarter of all men purchase suits and sport coats for themselves
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- Figure 36: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, December 2011
- Younger men more likely to buy t-shirts, workout clothes
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- Figure 37: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by age, December 2011
- Men with lower household incomes likely to purchase suits, sport coats
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- Figure 38: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by household income, December 2011
- Unmarried more likely than married men to buy clothing for themselves
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- Figure 39: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by marital status, December 2011
Retailers Shopped For Men’s Clothing (Physical Stores)
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- Key points
- Department stores, mass merchandisers favored among men
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- Figure 40: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), December 2011
- Older men stick to same few retailers, younger men shop across channels
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- Figure 41: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by age, December 2011
- Men with higher household incomes more likely to shop at upscale department stores
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- Figure 42: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by household income, December 2011
- Unmarried men more likely to shop at discount stores, manufacturers’ stores
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- Figure 43: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by marital status, December 2011
Retailers Shopped For Men’s Clothing (Online Stores)
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- Key points
- Online shopping preferences mirror offline preferences
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- Figure 44: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), December 2011
- Younger men most likely to shop across a variety of online channels
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- Figure 45: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by age, December 2011
- Men with higher incomes less likely to shop at mass merchandisers
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- Figure 46: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by household income, December 2011
- Married men prefer department stores, mass; unmarried men shop specialty
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- Figure 47: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by marital status, December 2011
Reasons for Purchasing Men’s Clothing
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- Key points
- Most men buy clothing as replacement for old/worn out items
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- Figure 48: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, December 2011
- Older men least likely to update their wardrobes
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- Figure 49: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by age, December 2011
- Men with lower incomes buy clothing for special occasions
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- Figure 50: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by household income, December 2011
- Married men buy clothes as replacement, unmarried men buy to update look
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- Figure 51: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by marital status, December 2011
Who Shops for Men’s Clothing
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- Key points
- Spouses/partners shop for and influence nearly half of all men
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- Figure 52: Men's clothing—who shops for, and who influences men, December 2011
- Spouse/partners or girlfriends shop for men across all age groups
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- Figure 53: Men's clothing—who shops for men, by age, December 2011
- Men living in lower-income households have parents who shop for them
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- Figure 54: Men's clothing—who shops for men, by household income, December 2011
- Unmarried men acquire clothing purchased by parents, girlfriends, friends
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- Figure 55: Men's clothing—who shops for men, by marital status, December 2011
Men’s Clothing Shopping Behaviors
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- Key points
- Most men remain loyal to the same few stores
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- Figure 56: Men's clothing shopping behavior, December 2011
- Younger men influenced by social media, blogs when shopping for clothes
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- Figure 57: Men's clothing shopping behavior, by age, December 2011
- Lower-income shoppers influenced by magazines
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- Figure 58: Men's clothing shopping behavior, by household income, December 2011
- Unmarried men prefer to shop online
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- Figure 59: Men's clothing shopping behavior, by marital status, December 2011
What Would Encourage Men to Shop For Clothing?
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- Key points
- Most men experience frustrations when clothes shopping
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- Figure 60: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? December 2011
- Older men less engaged in shopping process overall
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- Figure 61: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? by age, December 2011
- Little differences across various household income groups
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- Figure 62: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? by household income, December 2011
Men’s Attitudes Toward Fashion/Style
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- Key points
- Majority of all men surveyed dress for comfort
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- Figure 63: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, December 2011
- Older men dress for comfort, younger men want to stand out
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- Figure 64: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by age, December 2011
- Men with lower incomes more interested in style, seek to stand out
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- Figure 65: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by household income, December 2011
- Unmarried men more style conscious than married men
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- Figure 66: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by marital status, December 2011
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Others choose clothing for white and black men
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- Figure 67: How men's clothing is acquired, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Black and Hispanic men most likely to have purchased suits
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- Figure 68: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Hispanic men shop at a variety of channels when buying clothes
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- Figure 69: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Black and Hispanic men active online shoppers
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- Figure 70: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Hispanic and black men buy clothing on impulse
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- Figure 71: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Parents, children, friends likely to shop for black men
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- Figure 72: Men's clothing—who shops for men, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- White men less likely to be influenced by magazines, blogs, social media
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- Figure 73: Men's clothing shopping behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Hispanic men have difficulty finding styles they like
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- Figure 74: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Hispanic and black men are style conscious
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- Figure 75: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
Cluster Analysis
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- Fashion Forward
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Comfort Seekers
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Indifferent Independents
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Cluster characteristic tables
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- Figure 76: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 77: Men's clothing purchase by type – Bought for myself, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 78: Men's clothing purchase by type – Bought for me by someone else, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
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- Figure 79: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 80: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
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- Figure 81: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 82: Men's clothing – who shops for men, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
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- Figure 83: Men's clothing – who influences men, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 84: Men's clothing shopping behavior, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
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- Figure 85: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Figure 86: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, December 2011
- Cluster demographic tables
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- Figure 87: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by age, December 2011
- Figure 88: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 89: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by race, December 2011
- Figure 90: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by Hispanic origin, December 2011
- Figure 91: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by marital status, December 2011
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- Figure 92: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by employment, December 2011
- Figure 93: Clusters based on men’s attitudes to clothing, by urban area, December 2011
- Cluster methodology
Appendix—Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- How men’s clothing is acquired
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- Figure 94: How men's clothing is acquired, by presence of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 95: How men's clothing is acquired, by employment, December 2011
- Men’s clothing purchase by type
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- Figure 96: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by household size, December 2011
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- Figure 97: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by presence of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 98: Men's clothing purchase by type—bought for myself, by employment, December 2011
- Retailers shopped for men’s clothing (physical stores)
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- Figure 99: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by household size, December 2011
- Retailers shopped for men’s clothing (online stores)
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- Figure 100: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (physical stores), by employment, December 2011
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- Figure 101: Retailers shopped for men's clothing (online), by employment, December 2011
- Reasons for purchasing men’s clothing
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- Figure 102: Reasons for purchasing men's clothing, by employment, December 2011
- Who shops for men’s clothing
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- Figure 103: Men's clothing – who shops for men, by household size, December 2011
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- Figure 104: Men's clothing —who shops for men, by presence of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 105: Men's clothing—who shops for men, by employment, December 2011
- Who influences men’s clothing purchases
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- Figure 106: Men's clothing – who influences men, by age, December 2011
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- Figure 107: Men's clothing – who influences men, by household income, December 2011
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- Figure 108: Men's clothing – who influences men, by race/Hispanic origin, December 2011
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- Figure 109: Men's clothing – who influences men, by marital status, December 2011
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- Figure 110: Men's clothing - who influences men, by household size, December 2011
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- Figure 111: Men's clothing – who influences men, by presence of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 112: Men's clothing – who influences men, by employment, December 2011
- What would encourage men to shop for clothing?
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- Figure 113: What would encourage men to shop for clothing? by marital status, December 2011
- Men’s attitudes toward fashion/style
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- Figure 114: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by presence of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 115: Men's attitudes toward fashion/style, by employment, December 2011
Appendix—Trade Associations
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