Shopping has been always related to women but there is an increasing tendency among men to go for shopping with the household grocery list. World over, and now in India, it is the male consumer segment that is fast becoming the target for modern retailers who continue to seize the psyche of Indian men, pulling them out of their shells. A study conducted states that the modern man is fast ascending to a level of ‘gender-role transcendence’. The term implies that an individual has developed the sophistication to apply gender-related rules with flexibility, permitting the adaptation to a world that demands feminine behavior for success in some situations and masculine behavior for success in others.

With increasing urbanization and changing lifestyles that results in working couples starved of quality time, the priorities for both men and women have changed. Thus, it is not only the men but also women, who are undergoing gender-role transcendence. Consumer Socialization is the latest form of socializing that men are being exposed to. Those having working mothers already grow up being trained to shop for grocery at the nearby supermarket. The rest acquire it as they choose to assist their wives, postpone their marriage or, even treat a supermarket jaunt as a leisure activity.

Shopping now is also being recognized as means to the creation of self-identity with international terms like ‘Ubersexual’ which is more complex, more thoughtful, more culinary and better groomed than macho man, but more traditionally masculine than the metro sexual. Supermarkets should merchandise more of men’s products. There is a need for more informed customer service representatives at the grocery stores, who could help men on products such as spices, vegetables. There are more opportunities in this regard as the frequency of grocery shopping by men has increased, but they still find the stores inadequately equipped for the male segment. The supermarkets still do not display enough products for the image-conscious man of today.

Men often make additional impulse purchases when grocery shopping but they also forego buying rather than risk purchasing a substitute for an item their partners have listed. Many men have difficulty finding items, especially when their partners compile the grocery list. Men forego buying rather than risk purchasing a substitute for an item their partners have listed. They circle back through aisles multiple times in their searches, hesitate to ask for help and don't admit to not finding items when the cashier asks them whether they found everything they were looking for. According to estimates, the market for male grooming products are expected to boom as consumers adapt to modern lifestyles. A sound consumer insight needs to be developed, which would efficiently mine and analyze consumer optimism. Moreover, greater sourcing of men’s personal care products and an even superior product display is the immediate need. With gender roles continues and heightened gender transcendence becomes apparent, expectations from modern retailers would surge and seek them to deliver. Evolved markets retailers have yet to devise ways to demystify the grocery shopping experience for men.