Merchants who sell products that are gender specific are off the hook. You don’t have to say “Women’s nail polish” or “Women’s bikini”. The same thing applies to men’s products like cumberbunds, neck ties, and boxer briefs. The gender for those products is inferred. Merchants who sell products that are not explicitly unisex should always specify which sex the product is intended for. If the product is unisex, mention it.

Examples:

Shoes: I see this happen a lot. Whether it’s Birkenstock Sandals, Nike running shoes, or Converse chucks  – It appears most “birks” are unisex. There are also sandals that are for men or women only. It wouldn’t make sense when a male visitor lands on a product page to know ahead of time what gender of shoe/sandal he’s looking. If I landed on a page and the available sizes ranged from 4-7 I’d bounce from the page and search elsewhere since it’s not evident these shoes are for me based on size options. In some cases Converse Chuck Taylor shoes are unisex, other times they are for men, or women based on size or style or color.

Clothing: Most retailers do a good job at this and specify who the item is for. Try a search for “v neck cardigan” and you’ll find results that don’t specify. Target,  Alloy, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue are all guilty for not telling the shopper if the item is men’s or women’s in the title. Try another search for “levi jeans” and you’ll see Macy’s, Target, and Nordstrom’s all forgetting to include gender.