Men's Skincare Consumption Behaviour

This assignment delves into the evolving landscape of men's skincare consumption behavior. It investigates various influencing factors, including social media trends, consumer perceptions of skincare brands, and the motivations driving purchasing decisions. The research draws upon academic literature and potentially case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of this growing market segment.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Consumer Behavior
Name of the Student:
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Abstract
The study throws light on how the marketers face trouble in marketing men’s skin
care products. There are specific factors which impact the consumers buying
behavior and pattern. A critical analysis is done on the factors of men’s buying
behavior on purchasing the skin care products. In addition to this, some strategies
are also recommended on how the marketers can influence these factors.
Furthermore, the concepts of brand awareness, loyalty of the customers and sales’
motivation are also discussed. The study will prove beneficial for the future
researchers for gaining an understanding of the purchasing behavior of men. Further
researches can also be carried out in accordance with the study.
Key words: Consumer behavior, Marketing, Brand loyalty, Brand awareness.

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Table of Contents
Assessment 1: Essay...................................................................................................3
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
Objective of the essay..................................................................................................3
Discussion....................................................................................................................3
Current debates and critical analysis...........................................................................4
Marketing strategies.....................................................................................................4
Brand building.............................................................................................................. 5
Conclusion and Recommendations.............................................................................6
Assessment 2: Case Study..........................................................................................6
Rationale......................................................................................................................6
Literature Review.........................................................................................................6
Discussion....................................................................................................................8
Conclusion and Recommendations.............................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................10

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Assessment 1: Essay
Introduction
In this era of globalization, improvement of science, technology, society,
education and economy has provided people with better living standards and styles.
In relation to the purchasing power of the consumers as well as market trends,
people have become more concerned about beauty and hygiene. It highly impacts
the rapid growth of the beauty care industry, among modern generation. There are
various multinational companies who try to enter the market of beauty industry in
order to gain as much benefits as possible (Eng, 2015).
Objective of the essay
The essay discusses about how the marketers face difficulties in
understanding the behaviors and attitudes of men over forty years of age, who might
not be interested in the men’s skin care products. The objective of the essay is to
discuss about how the marketers of men’s skin care products alter the attitudes
among men of over 40 years of age, who feels that using the products will question
their masculinity. The overall aim is to develop awareness among the consumers,
build brand image and loyalty and motivate sales as well.
Discussion
There is an intensive competition among the beauty care marketers as many
companies pay attention in investing in this highly demanding market. Most of the
people love to look pretty, beautiful, good looking and healthy. The world in which we
are living is full of stereotypical thoughts and patriarchy. The stereotypes exists
everywhere, starting from our daily life’s activities to television, commercials,
magazines, billboards, at the fashion shows, on the streets and most importantly at
schools or workplaces. There is a common belief which plays a major role in every
man’s life, that is, using beauty products or men’s skin care products can question
their masculinity. This belief has however, affected the market of men’s skin care
products to a huge extent (Fischer & Sunduk, 2017).

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Current debates and critical analysis
It is not a secret that famous personalities like male politicians, business
leaders, celebrities and actors often depend on their make-up artists in order to look
best and presentable, especially in front of camera. Many male artists stilxl finds
make-up belonging to the female section of the society. In this globalized world, it is
acts as a major taboo, which prevents the marketers in promoting men’s products in
an efficient manner. The whole concept of make-up as well as skincare freaks out
men. Marketers find it pretty hard to convince men with such mentality, to try and buy
men’s skincare products. However, men seem pretty uncomfortable in dolling up
themselves; the beauty industry of men is growing day by day. There have been
several debates related to this. Some argued that over forty four percent of the
Americans use men skincare items which go beyond the common shaving kit. They
use moisturizers, eye gels, grooming kits, concealers, anti aging creams and others
(Bano & Sharif, 2016).
However, some marketers feel that, there still exist some sections where
stereotypical thoughts come in between and change the purchasing behavior of men.
The marketers face huge problem on convincing them, therefore, a certain amount of
change is needed in their marketing procedure. Marketers need a strong team
around them so that they can understand the importance of internet or digital
marketing strategy. Professional experts of this genre can help is this field as they
know how to deliver the content in a creative and innovative manner. Their
knowledge in the technical aspects will help them in generating effective results. In
addition to this, they need a team of advisers and capable individuals who have
sound knowledge in the field of trading (Anuar et al., 2017).
Marketing strategies
Taking the concept into consideration, a capable team of internet marketing
can assist in working towards the marketing vision. It is important to set up a goal and
ensure how to accomplish the targets. An efficient marketing manager should look
into more leads and sales which will help them reach the marketing goals and
strategies. A marketing agency will help in functioning as strategic advisors. This will
help them in filling in the internet team of marketing. Moreover, working within the
marketing schedule will help them keep their clients involved in the whole process.

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The main aim is the spread awareness about the men’s skincare products, which can
be achieved if and only if the marketing team is efficient and effective (Goh et al.,
2013).
Brand building
Brand building can be done only after gaining an understanding of the target
consumers’ attitudes and purchasing behavior. This can be done through setting up
of advertising campaigns and referral programs. Free samples can be given to the
customers in order to build a strong customer base. Happy and satisfied customers
will spread the word of the products to others. In this way of smart referral program, a
strong chain of customer building procedure will be created. Many of them will
become aware of the brand too. In addition this, blogs and features can be uploaded
on the social networking sites, which will contain the benefits of using men’s products
(Kapadia, 2016).
Men need to become more concerned regarding their health. Marketers can
choose that segment to promote the skin care products. Skin cancer can be a major
issue and moreover, melanoma can cause serious consequences to an individual’s
health. Therefore, men should start applying sunscreen before going out. Protecting
one’s skin from harmful sunrays is a major reason for men to start thinking about skin
care. In addition to this, they should also contact professional dermatologist in order
to examine the skin for any kind of suspicious wounds or moles. The concept of
men’s skin care products is not a new thing. Many of them hate spending time and
money for shopping products that are made for men and also wander if they can use
the women’s products. However, the marketers should use this concept of
differentiating men’s and women’s products in order to hit the market (Preetha,
Kattankulathur & Kumar, 2015).
This strategy of differentiation can help them on the long run. Furthermore,
many of the male customers are also concerned about their appearances. The
marketers can promote on how good skin can reflect an individual’s personality.
Creating awareness can also help in motivating the sales and thus, the marketers will
be able to achieve their targets and build brand loyalty. It is important to engage the
customers, in order to build a brand image and recognition (Safari, 2014). Moreover,
feedback forms can be circulated which will help in understanding how much the

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customer is finding the product useful. This will also assist in gaining an
understanding of their purchasing behaviors and the factors which affect their buying
behavior (Otterbring, 2016).
Conclusion and Recommendations
To conclude, marketers need to be more active in building brand loyalty
among the target customers. In this era of digital marketing, the social networking
sites can be used in an extensive manner to promote the men’s products. Moreover,
social media contests can be organized, which will help in building awareness. On
advertising men’s products, male actors can be used, which will be more impactful for
the removal of existing stereotypical thoughts. In addition to this, marketers should
also keep a track of their competitors in order to check their strategies. Furthermore,
the marketers should always implement new and innovative technology to track their
consumers’ attitudes. Building a strong strategy can also benefit in solving the
behavioral issues of the consumers. However, further research can be done on how
the consumer’s psychological and social factors affect their buying behaviors.
Assessment 2: Case Study
Rationale
Consumer behavior deals with the study of individuals, groups and
organizations that are associated with the usage, purchase and disposal of products
and services. The research deals with the impact of social media upon men buying
skin care products. The consumer’s decision making processes vary with the nature
and importance of the products. Moreover, men have the habit of not using skin care
products as they feel that this will question their masculinity (Bashar, Ahmad &
Wasiq, 2012). The overall aim of the study is to develop awareness among the
consumers, build brand image, loyalty and sales motivation as well, with the help of
social media.
Literature Review
According to Fitore (2017), social media has a major impact in the individual’s
daily life. It affects their decision making procedures and purchasing behavior as well.

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In modern days, a website or a web page can be considered as a major platform for
marketing the products and goods. The social media contents are regarded as the
king. With the usage of social media platforms, viral marketing can be developed in a
huge way. This refers to the strategies of luring the visitors for sharing information
that are published on the digital media, to their relatives, friends and others. This acts
as a way of referring and informing more people about a particular event or product,
through the usage of videos or images.
In Kapadia’s (2016) opinion, there are several social networking sites like,
microblog, twitter, facebook, linkedin, YouTube and others which help in a huge way
on influencing the purchasing decisions of the consumers. With the help of these
sites, marketers can promote their products on the global platform. In addition to this
using social media sites can also help in saving the time of the consumers, informing
them better with more reliable information, reducing the costs, better communication
with the companies and reduces price. Today, almost everyone uses Internet as well
as social media, in order to gain information about other countries, products, services
and more. Marketers can use this segment for advertising the products which will
yield better outcome.
According to Ioanăs & Stoica (2014), the beauty industry of women has been
growing since a long time, whereas men’s market has flourished off lately. This can
be due to the lack of awareness regarding men’s skin care products. Most of the men
find it very hard to accept the fact that they will be using skin care products. They feel
that it will question their masculinity. The advancement of the men’s fashion
magazines have however, emphasized on the importance of skin care. Leading a
healthy lifestyle not just only means eating good food or doing good exercise. It also
covers the aspect of taking good care of skin and body. Physical appearance adds to
an individual’s personality. In addition to this, it also helps in fighting against several
skin diseases.
The concept of men using skincare products is not a new thing. According to
Hajli (2014), skin care products are not just only for women. There are male
celebrities who use make-up to look and feel good. It is not about beauty products,
taking proper care of skin can help in leading and maintaining a healthy life style.
However, the impact of social media in marketing activities can play a huge role in

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Problem or Need Recognition
Information Search
Evaluation of Product
Alternatives
Making a Purchase Decision
changing consumer’s decisions. Social media can be regarded as one of the most
efficient marketing methods in terms of time and cost effectiveness. With its creative
content, it helps in increasing the visibility of the business and in turn, creates a
strong customer base of the particular product.
Hudson & Thal (2013) have surveyed that most of the men who uses skin care
products got convinced from social media advertisements. It is because of its creative
and innovative content. Social media implements innovative and modern strategies
which hugely increases the brand recognition and thus, engages them with the
product. In order to get started, the marketers must set up profiles or pages of the
products and services on the social media websites. This would also help in
interacting with the consumers, where they can share their feedbacks. Furthermore,
the customers can also share their reaction regarding certain products by liking,
sharing and commenting on the pages. This will increase the brand’s awareness and
help in building a reputation in the business.
Discussion
As per the findings, it can be said that men needs to be more concerned
regarding their skin care. However, the social media can provide assistance in this by
proper marketing and promotional activities. Building brand awareness is a major
activity performed by the marketers. Convincing the customers is not an easy task.
Many a times, men feel that the products which are advertised are all fake and thus,
they may end up not buying that product (Hildebrand et al., 2013). Marketers need to
convince them in an effective manner. They must identify the problems and
recognize the customers’ needs and desires. In accordance with that evaluation of
the product must be done. On the basis of that customers will make a decision of
purchasing that item. The task does not end here. The marketers must conduct a
post purchase evaluation on the basis of the purchasing behavior, which will help
them identify the behaviors of the customers (Luo & Zhang, 2013).

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Figure: Consumer Decision Making Process
(Source: Created by Author)
This differentiation strategy can prove beneficial for the marketers on the long
run. Moreover, many male customers are also concerned about their appearances
and good skin. The marketers can promote on social media the importance good skin
can and its relation to an individual’s personality. Creating awareness through social
media websites can assist in the sales’ motivation (Hildebrand et al., 2013).
Therefore, the marketers will be able to achieve their targets and build brand loyalty.
It is important to engage the customers, in order to build a brand image as well as
recognition. The social media websites can be used for circulating feedback forms,
which will help in understanding men’s perception about skin care products
(Balakrishnan, Dahnil & Yi, 2014).
With increased visibility and awareness, marketers get benefitted and gain
more opportunities for promotional activities. Each and every blog post, video,
comment or images will help the male section of the society gain an understanding
regarding the men’ skin care brands and products. Digital marketing will allow the
marketers impart a positive impression about a brand, through the help of
humanization factor (Bashar, Ahmad & Wasiq, 2012). At times, when the marketers
become interactive by sharing comments, replying to the viewer’s feedbacks,
customers tend to buy more. Therefore, it is evident from the fact that the impact of
social media is higher in case of men buying skin care products (Kim & Ko, 2012).
Conclusion and Recommendations
To conclude, the study presents a brief idea regarding the men’s purchasing
behavior of skin care products. Relevant literatures and journals are reviewed in
order to support the statements made. However, it is seen that the usage of social
media websites can prove beneficial for the marketers on the long run. It will help in
building awareness among the male consumers. In addition to this, it will help the
marketers directly interact with the male consumers and answer to their queries.
Furthermore, the consumers will also build a bond or relationship with the brand,
which will benefit the marketers in promoting the brand.

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