Apparently men have gotten off the couch. A recent Yahoo! study says:

• 51% of men consider themselves to be the household’s primary grocery shopper – which I can relate to
• 41% are in charge of the cooking – I certainly take my turns in the kitchen
• 39% percent handle most of the laundry at home – I am laundry king in my household

Where did all these guys come from? We’ve been half the population forever, but we’re rarely found in the grocery aisles with a shopping list. Here is what we know:

• The increase of women in the workforce has impacted gender roles in big ways. Grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, taking care of the kids are now on Dad’s to-do list, too.
• Since the recent recession and market downturn, men now have more free time. Why? The construction and manufacturing industries have felt the effect of the recession big time – two traditionally male-dominated trades.
• Mature and Boomer men are living longer and many are living alone. Gen X and Millennial men are also marrying and starting families later.
• Many young men today grew up with a single parent or gay parents, which has taught these young men to be less focused on older, traditional roles of men as breadwinners and women as domestic homemakers.

Ok, so more guys buy now, but this didn’t just happen yesterday. It’s been trending for a while. What’s the big deal? Well, if we remember that men are from Mars and women from Venus, then it shouldn’t surprise us that men shop differently than do women.

• Women “shop,” men “buy.” Here’s the difference: Men are very focused shoppers. They want to get in and get out. For them, it’s all about convenience and efficiency.
• Men are more brand loyal and less driven by the lowest price or promotion than women. This is most likely because of their need to be efficient.
• Men tend to buy less on impulse, keeping to their list, unless it pertains to their needs and desires. (And if that’s the case, then they’ll load up the cart!)
• Men are visual shoppers who desire functional organization, whether it is in the store or on the product packaging.

Marketers need to stop portraying the male species as invisible shopping buffoons if they want men to recognize and relate to their brand. Stores need to think like a guy when laying out planograms and designing packaging. It’s time to make buying more efficient for men who bring home the bacon.