What does it mean to market to men, specifically? Oftentimes, marketing of this sort for an ecommerce business isn’t really necessary. There are some products, yes, which are pretty gendered and likely to remain so. There are many more, however, which are naturally unisex. There is no need, for example, to be targeting men specifically if you are selling electronics, pet food, toothbrushes, whatever….
Sometimes though it makes a great deal of sense to orientate your marketing and products towards men. This can be for two reasons. The first is that you are selling gendered items – with fashion items being the most well-known examples here – and the second is if your customer base research has revealed that it is mainly men buying your products.
There are many ecommerce sites, for example, which are marketed exclusively at men. Half the population is such a big niche that it isn’t really a niche, but many ecommerce ventures find success this way anyway.
Bulk Orders vs Specific
Another thing that might have a strong bearing on whether you sell specifically to men is whether your products are bespoke or expensive individual items, or if most of your inventory comes through bulk orders. Nevertheless, there is a common misconception here.
When you are selling a specific brand item, then it should be clear whether the market for it is gendered or not; this simple fact will inform your decision. However, if you are selling bulk items, you might think that these are always too general to be gendered. This is not so, and for two reasons.
The first of these is that some very gender-specific items do indeed come in bulk orders – consider feminine grooming or hygiene products – and the second is that there can actually be diversity within a single bulk order – i.e., a single bulk order can contain both men’s and women’s versions of the same product.
These types of products are normally fashion items, with bulk sunglasses being a good example. A bulk order does not mean lots of identical units. To take the example of sunglasses, companies like Olympic Eyewear out of Utah offer assorted batches containing all manner of sunglasses styles – some for men and some for women.
Best Products for Men
Based on market data showing what men are actually buying online, here follows some top product ideas for the male market:
Designer Sunglasses
We mentioned this above so there isn’t much else to say here besides that sunglasses are one of those fashion products which often have a clear “men’s” style. Obviously, these sunglasses will sell well among men.
Camping Backpacks
Of course, women go camping, but it has been revealed that camping backpacks are very often bought as gifts for men. They are practical, can include exciting innovations, and they can have a broad range in unit price – you can go bulk or not.
Toolboxes
Well, it is a real cliché at this point, but toolboxes are perennially marketed towards men, and purchased by men. You can make them just as appealing to women too though because there isn’t much about marketing toolboxes which is male-specific beyond the fact that you are marketing, well, a toolbox!
Motorcycle Gear
Motorcycles themselves might be a bit out of your range, but motorcycle accouterments such as helmets, gloves, and jackets have a clear market niche and sell well among men.
Male Grooming Products.
Razors, mustache combs, and deodorant? Well, of course!
There is no need to limit yourself to specifically male items, but they make for a solid inventory choice nonetheless – with a very wide potential customer base.
