Case Study: Brooks Brothers on the Cutting Edge

Friedman admits prospecting is tough—that men are not as comfortable buying by mail as women. Where women are able to imagine how clothing might look based on a catalog illustration, men seem to be more hands-on, needing to go to a store—often with a wife or significant other—and try the garment on before buying it. Of course, once a male customer has purchased shirts by mail, he has no problem reordering. Friedman calls the shirt business “one of Brooks Brothers’ annuities.”