New | Male spending on grooming products on the rise as men take more pride in their appearance
Sales of male grooming products in China grew 7 per cent in the past year, retails analysts said.
Sales of male grooming products in China grew 7 per cent in the past year, retails analysts said.
And the majority of men in the world’s second-largest economy care about their appearance, Kantar Worldpanel, a consumer market research company reported yesterday.
A study of 2,000 men in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu showed that 85 per cent of men pay attention to their appearance and 88 per cent access beauty and fashion information online.
Jason Yu, general manager of China for Kantar Worldpanel, said higher incomes and a greater interest in health and well-being are pushing the increase in sales for men’s grooming products.
The company said the 7 per cent growth in males grooming products surpassed the growth of the whole personal care sector which saw a 5 per cent rise.
Like their female counterparts, men are brand-conscious, with 60 per cent believing that foreign personal care labels are of higher quality than their domestic rivals.
“I only buy international brands, they are more expensive but better in quality. I feel safer,” Alex Wang, a 26-year-old teacher from Beijing, said.
Wang added that his female friends buy more than men due to the lack of selection of male products.
“The choices are getting better now, but females have more to choose from,” he said.
Of the 2,000 men surveyed, 83 per cent said they are receptive to in-store marketing.
“Brands need to understand male consumers’ needs and preferences, and find innovative ways to meet them,” Yu said.
But Elliot Ma, a 28-year-old business manager from Beijing, who spent less than 1,000 yuan (HK$1,270) on grooming products last year, is not convinced.
“I don’t need to groom myself like a girl, I only need products to keep me clean,” Ma said.
