How to Market to the Male e-Shopper, Part 2

If the male consumer values speed and simplicity in any shopping experience, he may value even more the one benefit that only e-commerce based shopping can give him: complete privacy and confidentiality.

Writing to Bloomberg Business Week, reader Ashkan Karbasfrooshan of Montreal explained in 2006, "The Web has given men a private and confidential medium to get information about products they might otherwise be too shy or embarrassed simply too lazy get (offline.)"

Ashkan was convinced it was the Internet that 'revolutionized' men's consumerism. "Few men would walk into a store and inquire about a 'below-the-neck razor,'" he added, "but online, they will gladly interact with the product." Ashkan said further, grooming is one beneficiary of this privacy; although health, further said, was a more important one.

If the seeds of emancipation of the long underserved male consumer were planted in the Internet, brick and mortar retailers and manufacturers were quick to note the emerging growth areas in men's personal care products.

As baby boomers grew older, sales of moisturizers, wrinkle reducers, and age spot reducers also grew. But Clairol and L'Oreal thought to introduce hair dyes and highlighting kits geared toward men. In 2004, L'Oreal launched Men's Expert, the first-ever anti-aging skincare line aimed at the men's market.

Meanwhile, surveys have indicated there is a need among men in the 30s to look attractive to remain professionally competitive. Grooming and attractiveness are believed to be important factors in getting a promotion or a raise.

In addition, younger men, aged 15-34, no longer have any qualms about buying grooming products. The advent of men's lifestyle magazines, like Maxim and FHM, has spawned the appearance- conscious young male who wants to date the appearance-conscious young female. It's a retailers' paradise.

Marketing remains a critical step. Phil Williams, marketing director for the XCD skincare line, explains: If women respond to adwords like 'enhance' and 'beautify,' men shoppers need to see words like 'defend' or 'camouflage,' or they're simply going to walk out that door (or leave the page). Products have also to be named accordingly--no nonsense, now--like Circle Eraser and Stop Lines, Williams said.

Packaged Facts, which has yet to release 2010 figures, reported that men's spending on grooming products was $31.3 billion worldwide in 2009. They project sales to reach $84.9 billion by 2014.

Certainly, e-commerce companies are in the best position to dominate this growth area.

How to Market to the Male e-Shopper, Part 1

In 2006, a Madison Avenue advertising executive confessed to Bloomberg Business Week that they couldn't seem to 'get it right' when targeting the masculine side of consumer demographics. It's a relevant issue for e-commerce retailers even today.

In 2006, sales in men's apparel and grooming products were growing at a comfortable trot. Nothing exciting but promising; and so retailers, as is their wont, wanted things to proceed at a faster clip. Ostensibly by trial and error, they started 'exploring what worked and didn't work' with the mysterious, elusive, oh so indefinable male consumer.

But a slew of readers' responses was enlightening. Dennis Wong of Westport, Conn. said he was more than gratified that marketers were finally paying him his fair share of attention. But as a result, he complained, he was now buying stuff that he had not known he even needed. "I have been transformed," he added, "from a 'fat, dumb, and happy' man to a lighter, smarter, and insecure one."

Enter Joe Brooks (of Holland, Pennsylvania) who, you will find, certainly knew what he was talking about. He advised the good men and women of Madison Avenue that "if you want to score big with the guys, you have to market to them almost as if they were children."

Simplicity, it will be recalled, has long been a code word among behavioural scientists when they are asked what they believe men expect and want from any shopping experience.

Yes, simplicity. What the heck does that mean, you might ask. Minimalist is simple, you explain while trying not to roll your eyes, but so is dumb. Well, e-marketing experts far and wide, it may very well be closer to the latter.

Joe Brooks, bless his heart, broke it down for us. Remember, he said, men hate to shop. Remember, he added, they don't like to ask for directions when they are lostÖ AND, he concluded triumphantly, THEY CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN THEY SHOP!

And so, added Joe, "we need to be able to walk into a store with a satisfying level of confidence and grab a No. 7 suit, a No. 7 shirt, a No. 7 tie, etc., and walk out."

I can hear the e-commerce website owners of the world cry in one voice, "Done!"

What is Commercial Mold Remediation?

Few people understand what commercial mold remediation is, in regard to what mold removal Atlanta firms do. We can define it as being really important in all workplaces due to the fact that a spore outbreak will cause a lot of problems in the future. Any business owner has to think about both customers and employers and needs to make sure that the quality of the air that is breathed is as high as possible.

Any mold remediation requires the building of a mold recovery plan. It will be different based on the personal needs of the client and if you think that you need it you should always work with a high quality mold removal Atlanta firm and not do it yourself. This is because the firms are going to be able to do many things that a regular person cannot due to lack of equipment and experience. Mold remediation is not just about cleaning the mold that appears. It is also about making sure that mold will not develop for as long as possible.

The companies need to first analyze the entire building in order to make sure water sources are isolated. Then the molds are tested and the aim is to make sure that mold contamination is found and pinpointed. Hot spots are determined and there might even be a need to use infrared technology in order to achieve this.

The areas that are not affected need to be protected so that spores will not reach them and all the materials that are contaminated will need to be removed properly and safely. Microbial growth will need to be reality and drying has to happen as fast as possible. Spores will be eliminated and all surfaces should be decontaminated so that mold reappearance is prevented. If at any point in time you feel like you do not know what should be done you should contact a professional company.