What the guys want

From apparel to accessories and special sauce, beach-loving blokes are going for coastal and nautical finds that speak to how they spend time by the water.

Country singer Brad Paisley sung about it, “When you see a deer you see Bambi, and I see antlers up on the wall. When you see a lake you think picnics, and I see a large mouth up under that log … Remember I’m still a guy.”

Paisley’s song reminds us of the differences between men and women in his song, “Honey, I’m Still a Guy,” and in the coastal and nautical gift industry, there are certainly mainstays for men — keep-it-simple styles, toned-down colors, practical gear, products that celebrate hobbies and just the basics.

“For men, we don’t do a whole lot of ‘trending,’” says Cory Higgins, co-founder of Jetty, a skate and surf apparel brand based in Manahawkin, New Jersey.

“Men are pretty simple: board shorts, hats, T-shirts,” Higgins explains. “We are not reinventing the category.” Jetty’s appeal is in the story of embracing the outdoors, community and creativity, and this has universal appeal, he says.

For men, tried-and-true caps, shirts and shorts are “a no brainer,” says James Melley, sales manager of Impulse Souvenirs, a Kent, Washington-based wholesaler that provides retail-ready and custom-named products. “We do sell a lot of koozies, and there are the bottle openers, key chains and other more masculine products.”

But is there more to men’s products than beach shirts, beer holders and baseball caps? (Well, don’t forget the hot sauce.)

Definitely. “The sky is the limit with men’s products, and as brands, the more we create the more the products will be appreciated, purchased and consumed,” says Holly Daniels Christensen, founder and CEO of Boston-based experiential jewelry and gift company Dune Jewelry & Co. “There is definitely a want for fashion out there, and men are traveling just as much as women.”

The male customer might “still be a guy,” but Christensen says a younger generation is going after masculine jewelry and “men seem to be just as sentimental as women when it comes to what they are wearing from Dune and personalization, in general. “They are appreciating it just as much,” she says.

Appealing accessories

Dune’s travel tag and Cresting Wave beaded bracelets are a guy favorite.

Location is also a driving factor for what type of jewelry men will buy. “The coastal man likes to wear jewelry that represents hobbies,” says Pam Duke, owner and designer of Nau-T-Girl Jewelry, Venice, Florida. “The boater will wear an anchor, propellor or compass. The fisherman takes pride in wearing the fish he catches. The top seller out of my available fish is the Mahi.”

Expect more jewelry to land in the market. Christensen says the men’s line is “curated” now but will expand. “We want to add more bracelets and necklaces, and I’m working on a secondary line completely made of stainless steel because it is so durable and infinitely recyclable.”

Dune also will add a signet ring to its lineup, and the company already offers cuff links.
Overall, there’s buzz over adding more products for men, Christensen notices. “When we’re at trade shows, I’m hearing, ‘What do you have for men, is there anything new coming for men?’”

Dressing down

Motifs for apparel will depend on the region. “When we are talking about lakeside, it’s about fishing motifs as opposed to true beach,” Melley notes. “And there are color, pattern and style differences based on where stores are located. Lake Tahoe is going to be more of your brown and earthy tones, not the pinks, greens and beach hues.”

The Tori Richard resortwear company notes men’s preference for its Tradewind Technology collection of styles that feature added stretch, sun protection, antimicrobial properties and are quick drying. “Comfort and performance, especially in humid climates, are always in for men,” says Susie Hill, director of mainland sales and concept shops.

At Jetty, regionality can dictate which swim trunks sell the best. For instance, the elastic-waist swim trunk with a 15- or 16-inch out-seam flies off the racks in Southern California while Florida shoppers are more likely to go for a longer, 19-inch out-seam and drawstring trunk.

“The same goes with graphic designs,” Higgins adds. “We make a really cool graphic with a crab on it that will crush it in Maryland and New Jersey, where there’s a big culture of crabbing and eating crabs. Whereas that shirt doesn’t sell in Florida. But if you throw in a shirt with an alligator on it, that destroys it in Florida. It will barely move the needle in New Jersey.”

Across the board, male Jetty customers like its proprietary Oystex fabric made from a blend of pulverized oyster shells and recyclable polyester to create a recyclable, sustainable performance material. “In our men’s clothing, at least 50% of the line is made from Oystex. It has some really cool properties: antistatic, antimicrobial and quick-dry,” Higgins says.

Pampering products

Lanikai’s Pohaku bath and body products provide a masculine way to pamper.

“The emphasis on health and wellness has helped with the sales of the men’s skincare category in our retail shop, Lanikai Bath and Body, and in our wholesale business, too.”

Aloe Up sales in the men’s category are also up, says spokesperson Kjell Ellefson. The wholesaler offers sport sunscreen lotion and spray, along with sport lip balms.

“We are seeing more and more men starting to take their skincare seriously,” Ellefson says. “From facial moisturizers with SPF to applying sunscreen daily, habitual use of sun care products as part of a daily routine is important as one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.”

While sunscreen is a unisex product, the fragrance-free Aloe Up Sport Collection is especially appealing to men. “It’s a great option for those who are not used to items with a scent,” Ellefson says. Plus, the recyclable packaging is reef-safe, biodegradable and plant based. “These are all earth conscious features the modern man can get behind.”

While not a pampering item per se, high-quality marine-grade towels are attractive to men, says Yuni Schneider, co-owner of A to Z Towels in Doral, Florida. And men tend to prefer less busy and more subtle prints. “They like the earthier tones rather than flamboyant colors,” she says. “The colorful tie-dies tend to attract women while the blue tie-dies attract men. We also have sharks, anchors and simple stripes that are more masculine patterns.”

Special sauce

Regionally branded food products go over big, such as Lighthouse Pantry’s Cape Cod Cranberry Lime Hot Sauce. Not only are men picking up the small-batch condiments, women purchase them as gifts for guys. “A lot of the women don’t even care to try it, they just know their husbands will like the interesting flavors,” O’Connell says.

Lighthouse Keeper’s Pantry operates a cafe in Yarmouthport that serves coffee, sandwiches and other goodies featuring its products. “The concept for our shop is to provide our wholesale food products on menu items, so we glaze muffins with our jams and put our condiments on sandwiches,” she says. “It builds in a sampling opportunity.”

Cafe customers try the selections and ask about carrying products in their retail stores.
O’Connell suggests pairing the condiments with products like the company’s handmade knives, cookbooks or soft textiles like kitchen cloths.

Buying for him

Special branded sauces by Lighthouse Keepers Pantry appeal to the guys.

For example, “A lot of stores have magnets mixed in with bottle openers, but that won’t necessarily draw you to that area if you are looking for a gift for a man,” he says.

As for displays, men are less likely to sort through stacked shirts or a rack of apparel to find what they want. “Actually, most consumers are drawn to that physical, ‘I can see myself in that shirt or cap,’ so it’s about making sure there is a balance between shelving items that are folded,” he says. “Women are more inclined to go through a pile to select a shirt while a guy will see something that is at his height and usually on a mannequin or more physical display.”

And rather than piecemeal purchasing to fill a men’s display, think programmatically and focus on pairing. “You want to make that upsell, so when mom says to the kids, ‘Go pick out something for your dad,’ they purchase more than one thing,” Melley says. “The more you can create a program around each audience, the more opportunity there is to purchase more than one item.”

Your male customer may still be a guy, but with a variety of options, you can help him embrace his coastal side.