With the help of experts dedicated to the science of shopping, retailers better understand a shopper's mind, behavior and, ultimately, what makes her part with her cash. Men and women think differently, and they shop differently, too. Since the dawn of time, men have been hunters and women have gathered. It's still a perfect metaphor for the shopping experience.
Most men enter a store with a purpose, hunt it down, pay for it, and go home.
And rather than ask for directions, they leave if they don't find what they're looking for. Women, on the other hand, gather. They take a cart. They walk slowly up and down the aisles. They ask questions.