What Men Buy Online in 2026: Trends & Top Categories

TL/DR summary

Men buy online across a wide range of categories, led by clothing & shoes, electronics, and entertainment. Secondary strength in grooming, groceries, and hobbies shows stable repeat behavior. Emerging demand in auto parts, wellness, and home improvement benefits from specs, reviews, and fit tools.

Key pointers

• Focus on the big three for volume; keep sneakers, t-shirts, and jeans easy to choose and exchange.

• Use email marketing and back‑in‑stock alerts to convert interest into purchase.

• Publish shipping cutoffs and returns; reliability beats a short‑term deal.

Answer the question ‘what do men buy online’ with category depth, clean UX, and dependable delivery. The result is fewer abandoned carts and more long‑term customers across categories and seasons.

Summarizing men’s online shopping trends

Introduction

What Do Men Buy Online? That is a practical question for retailers, not a curiosity. We are looking at men’s online shopping habits across categories and channels to understand where demand concentrates and why. The segment here is adult male shoppers making purchases via online shopping on ecommerce stores and marketplaces.

The lens is simple: which categories see the most male shoppers, how they shop online, what influences the purchase, and where steady growth is likely. This helps businesses set category bets, shipping promises, and merchandising that holds up through season and sale.

Category leaders in 2025

A category view answers the core query: what do men buy online most often?

Top Three

• Clothing & shoes: 43% of male shoppers purchased online. Core items include shirts, t-shirts, sneakers, and coats. Tailored suits and suits see selective demand when fit, size charts, and alterations are clear.

• Electronics: 41% purchased online. Phones, accessories, gaming consoles, and headphones dominate, with fast shipping and warranty clarity shaping conversion.

• Entertainment: 38% purchased online, from streaming add‑ons to collectibles and games.

Fashion is the acquisition engine; electronics is the ticket driver; entertainment is the habit builder. To win, balance new arrivals with basics and keep inventory data tight to avoid stockout mistakes.

Strong secondary categories

These categories show depth and repeat behavior among male shoppers.

• Leisure, sports, and hobbies: 32% purchased online, covering outdoor gear and tools for training.

• Grooming and beauty products: 27% purchased online. Men buy online for skincare and beard care when instructions and ingredients are clear.

• Groceries: 25% purchased online. Convenience and free or low‑fee delivery windows matter.

Product pages must include use cases, sizing, and bundle options. Subscriptions lift lifetime value when pause and skip are easy.

Emerging and specialist demand

The next tier reflects problem‑solving behavior and willingness to research.

• Health and wellness: 24% purchased online, ranging from supplements to trackers.

• Automobile parts: 23% purchased online. Fitment tools and verified guides reduce returns.

• Home improvement: 22% purchased online across tools and fixtures.

• Jewelry and accessories: 17% purchased online, with personalization often closing the sale.

For categories that require specs, invest in comparison tables and size‑fit logic. Clear ETA and shipping options protect customer experience.

How men shop and decide

Understanding men’s online shopping habits improves conversion across categories.

• Men purchase products for everyday wear and workwear first; utility drives the basket; style refines it. Denim, shirts, sweaters, and dress shoes lead repeats; leather jackets and tailored suits are occasional upgrades.

• Convenience and delivery certainty drive channel choice. Male shoppers look for free returns, transparent shipping, and on‑site advice to avoid the wrong purchase.

• Email marketing and timely notifications nudge reorders; social proof shapes brand lists and brands' shortlists.

• On electronics, warranty visibility and fast support matter more than deals alone.

Use size‑fit tools on apparel, set up back‑in‑stock alerts, and surface service SLAs on categories like electronics and automobile parts. Keep PDPs clean, with quality imagery and a precise pay flow.

Retailers’ playbook: From click to keep

Turn category insights into execution.

• Assortment: Keep a balance of essentials and limited‑run items; spotlight sneakers, jeans, and shirts with strong photography and fit notes. Maintain accessories depth across sunglasses, belts, and watches.

• Pricing & promos: Use price ladders and bundles. Do not train on perpetual discounts; reserve sharper deals for season changes.

• Logistics: Promise realistic delivery; publish cutoff times; track exceptions. Shipping reliability is a critical trust builder.

• Service: Offer quick exchanges for the wrong size; add live chat for fit and compatibility questions; include clear returns in the site footer.

Chart: Category shares

A practical conclusion: From preferences to performance

Men’s online shopping is broad and predictable enough to plan against. The path forward is to align categories to intent: make fashion easy to wear, electronics easy to trust, and entertainment easy to repeat. Keep the site fast, the copy clear, and the delivery promise honest.

If you pair a sharp assortment with reliable shipping and empathetic service, what they buy online turns into what they return to your store for—again and again.