• by December 11, 2012

Most men grind it out five days a week in their office cranking out TPS Reports but apparently, they spend a ton of time doing other things, too -- like shopping. 

A New York Times article from last week talked about the fact that since more dads are the ones buying the toys, legendary toys like Barbie are getting makeovers. A Barbie construction set? If they want to sell more toys, Mattel is playing to the new segment of parents doing the shopping for the kids this season -- dads.

The article says consumer surveys show that men are increasingly making the buying decisions for families, reflecting the growth in two-income households and those in which the women work and the men stay home. One-fifth of fathers with preschool-age children and working wives said they were the primary caretaker in 2010, according to the latest Census Bureau data. And 37.6% of working wives earned more than their working husbands in 2011, up from 30.7% 10 years earlier.

From our proprietary research panel, we polled our group and found some interesting stats as well. We found that 93% of men who live with a spouse or partner are responsible for holiday activities like shopping for Christmas trees and decorating the home.

Since mobile activity has been off the charts this holiday season, here are some things to think about from a recent uSamp study: 

• Men are more engaged with the mobile shopping experience compared to women. 
  
  
• Men scan barcodes more often (91% of men vs. 85% of women), write reviews of purchases (26% vs. 16%), and use mobile payment methods (46% vs. 32%). 
  
  
• Men also purchase items over their mobile devices more often (45% vs. 34%), with relatively high purchase rates for consumer electronics (27% of men), movie and event tickets (23% of men), and digital content (30% of men).
  
  
• The only areas where women have stronger engagement are the uses of mobile coupons (35% of men vs. 44% of women) and taking photographs of clothing (22% of men vs. 34% of women).

A recent Pew report shows that 31% of men use their phones to look up product prices while they are in the store, compared to just 20% of women. Among those who looked up prices in the store, 35% purchased the product at that store, 27% purchased the product elsewhere, and 37% decided not to purchase the product anywhere. 

So what does this all mean?  It’s not all about the power of the purse this holiday season. Men are becoming more integrated into their family’s home lives, and it is leading to men becoming more connected to the products that end up in their households. We’ve seen this trend across the board, not just for the holidays. We have the opportunity to talk with brands throughout the year, and it is amazing how few are segmenting men with holiday campaigns. Truth is, the numbers represent a shift, and brands need to reach and target men as much as, if not more than, women this holiday season and beyond. Those that do will find a little extra in their stockings.