{"id":4374203,"date":"2022-03-02T18:29:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T16:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/how-think-about-shopping-experiences-non-binary-world\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:21:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:21:33","slug":"how-think-about-shopping-experiences-non-binary-world","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-in\/insight\/how-think-about-shopping-experiences-non-binary-world\/","title":{"rendered":"How to think about shopping experiences in a non-binary world"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tHow to think about shopping experiences in a non-binary world\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tMarc Weinreich\t\t
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\n\t\t\tWalk into basically any clothing store and you\u2019ll find the men\u2019s section on one side and women\u2019s on another.\t<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Sometimes, they\u2019re on separate floors altogether.\u00a0

It\u2019s an entirely familiar experience – but does the familiar make sense for tomorrow\u2019s shopper?\u00a0

When clothing stores opened a few hundred years ago, we operated in a mostly binary world. Men wore men\u2019s clothes; women wore women\u2019s clothes. The lines blur with each passing decade, but layouts of mainstream clothing stores remain binary to this day. They continue to reflect the labels that most people use to identify themselves.

The distinctions also help with wayfinding.

Regardless of how you identify, if you\u2019re looking for men\u2019s jeans, head to your left.

Need a dress? To your right.

Giving shoppers the confidence to find an item leads to a higher rate of conversion.

It\u2019s no different online.<\/strong> The drop-down menu gives you two options: men or women. A unisex option that\u2019s \u201cinclusive\u201d often excludes everything from both sections and instead feels like a random collection of hats, long sleeve shirts, and tote bags.

It\u2019s a little murky right now in the world of apparel as brands look for ways to create a more inclusive in-store experience. The pandemic only complicates matters, of course, but the blurring of lines is a great sign that change is happening.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n\t\t\tWhen clothing is organized by gender, shops are hiding half of their inventory from half the population.\t<\/h2>\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\n\t\tWhat non-binary users want in a shopping experience\u00a0\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\tGen Z-ers are the next generation of shoppers with a disposable income, and according to a February 2021 Gallup poll<\/a>, 1 in 6 Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+.\u00a0

Tuesday Denekas, 17, lives in California and identifies as non-binary or trans, and subsequently prefers they\/them pronouns. They\u2019re in a band, The Inflorescence, and work as a server at a chain restaurant.

\u201cI don\u2019t want a they\/them category in stores,\u201d Denekas said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to contribute to that.\u201d\u00a0

Instead, Denekas wants sectionless shopping, a shopping experience where gender does not dictate where you navigate.\u00a0

\u201cThe best thing a brand can do is not categorize,\u201d they added. \u201cIt would be the opposite of progress for a brand to introduce a they\/them category of clothing. It would be a patch.\u201d

Alli Rowenna, 27, is a designer based in Seattle, Washington. Like Denekas, Rowenna identifies as non-binary and prefers they\/them pronouns.\u00a0

\u201cBrands say they\u2019re genderless, but the men\u2019s section is basically suits or typical menswear,\u201d Rowenna said. \u201cThey\u2019re not reimagining the boundaries of clothes.\u201d\u00a0

Rowenna and Denekas are part of a growing segment of shoppers who make decisions based on personal values instead of focusing only on things like aesthetics or texture. Gen Z, which is anyone born between 1997 and 2012, surpassed 2.5 billion people globally in 2020. According to a report from McKinsey<\/a>, 9 out of 10 Gen Z-ers believe a brand has the responsibility to address social issues.\u00a0

Gen Z is also more likely to \u201cclosely examine the level of continuity across campaigns and the nature of [a brand\u2019s] strategic and operational decisions, as well as their tone.\u201d

The study underscores the need for brands to not only be more inclusive but also to be consistent with an omnichannel approach.\u00a0
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