Men account for 48.6% of the adult population in the United States, generate 62% of total personal income, and will earn an additional 19% of the aggregate adult income by 2012, reaching $6.0 trillion, according to The U.S. Men's Market.

Although women remain in charge of many aspects of household spending, many men-especially those under the age of 35-are serious shoppers. Young shoppers, men between ages 18 and 34, are more likely to be the first in their peer group to try new styles, new electronic equipment, and new health food. They also are more likely to enjoy shopping even when they don't purchase something, and they watch for special offers and shop for bargains.

Although young men generally are more avid shoppers, the pattern shifts when men take on responsibilities for home and family. Men between the ages of 35 and 59 are more likely than their younger and older counterparts to go to strip malls, and they are much more likely to shop at home furnishings and home improvement stores.

"Married men, especially married men with children, form the dominant segment in the men's market. However, as a result of the declining educational achievement of men and the long-term loss of stable, high-paying jobs for men without a college degree, the focal position of the family man in the men's market will continue to erode," notes Tatjana Meerman, the publisher of Packaged Facts. "It is likely that single men, including those who have never married as well as those who are divorced and separated, will become a more prominent aspect of the men's market."