Since the relationship between a company and the end consumer is especially close in retail, sales volume depends on the brand’s ability to win them over. That’s why it’s so important to understand their habits, desires, and expectations in order to build a consumer profile that can guide the company’s actions and improve the customer experience.
With that in mind, we’ve put together valuable information on why you should study your consumers and how they tend to behave today, along with examples of brands that have successfully built this knowledge into their products, services, and marketing strategies. Check it out!
Why understanding the consumer profile matters
Whatever the industry, new companies are always emerging to compete for their share of the market. Some of them catch established players off guard by showing up with innovative ideas and introducing changes to stages of the purchase journey that hadn’t been explored before.
That’s why your company can’t afford to get complacent. To stand out from the competition, in addition to offering quality products and services, it’s essential to pay attention to consumer behavior and figure out how to better meet customer expectations.
This way, your team will be able to offer a shopping experience that matches the customer’s consumer profile, making them feel more comfortable. This will translate into larger baskets and greater customer loyalty.
Many factors influence this behavior: social class, age, values and beliefs, lifestyle, and even previous shopping experiences with other brands. Since different combinations of these factors produce different consumer profiles, the more you know about each one, the better.
Consumer behavior trends
As time goes by and society evolves, people’s relationship with consumption and what they expect from the experience change as well. So it’s important to keep an eye on how the world is changing in order to keep your brand up to date.
We’ve summarized four trends that have been reshaping consumer profiles and that you should keep in mind when planning your next marketing strategies. Take a look.
Mobility
We may not have turned into the cyborgs of science fiction movies just yet, but we’re already completely dependent on mobile devices, especially smartphones, to carry out basic everyday activities.
In a way, these devices expand the uses and power of our senses. They not only enable remote communication but also broaden the possibilities for face-to-face interaction with our surroundings — as in the case of augmented reality.
That’s why giving customers the option to buy or interact with the brand and its products via smartphone is a more than welcome innovation at the point of sale.
Authenticity
Twenty-first-century consumers want to buy into not just products and services, but also the brand’s values and personality. So it’s very important to have a strong presence on social media and communicate with your customers.
With that in mind, it’s crucial to think carefully about what you say. Values, convictions, and political stances should be chosen and expressed with your target audience’s expectations always in mind. Controversial topics on which consumers strongly disagree should therefore be avoided.
Identity
Thanks to globalization, expanding consumer options, and the sheer amount of easily accessible information, people are able to build increasingly specific and distinctive identities.
As a result, more personalized products and services, when done right, will reach certain types of consumers far more precisely than those not grounded in behavioral research.
On the other hand, it’s also becoming increasingly important to consider the needs of different groups and, if possible, consult experts before proposing certain strategies to make sure they don’t disrespect anyone.
Sustainability
Concern for the environment has been on the agenda for a long time and is still a goal for many people today. However, sustainability today is measured by factors beyond just pollution levels or compliance with environmental laws.
Consumers care, for example, about whether products were tested on animals during manufacturing or whether the process respected the dignity of the workers involved. Keeping your brand up to date with criteria like these and showcasing that commitment will help you earn the public’s trust.
Brands that leverage consumer profiles
Some companies are already using these trends to improve their brand image as an employer in the eyes of consumers — a strategy known as employer branding. One example is Leroy Merlin, which has partnered with colleges and universities to secure discounts for its employees.
Besides projecting a positive image to society, the company is also transforming its work relationships to motivate employees to perform well and stay with the company, reducing turnover.
Urban Outfitters, in turn, decided to invest in technology. Using geomarketing techniques, the clothing retailer developed a strategy to reach its audience: it served ads for a night-out look on the social media feeds of women who frequented bars and nightclubs in certain areas.
The highly effective strategy boosted sales by 146% and raised the conversion rate by 75%. This happened because, based on a study of its core customer’s identity and lifestyle, the company used mobile technology to create a targeted and effective marketing campaign.
We hope today’s tips and examples inspire your team to get to know your consumers better and create memorable in-store experiences that fit the consumer profile you want to reach.
What about your company? Are you already paying attention to your audience’s behavior? Leave a comment below sharing interesting things you’ve discovered about your customers or strategies you’ve adopted to align the shopping experience with consumer expectations.
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