Given my recent marketing experience with regards to the basic apparel category (at Hanesbrands, Inc.), I find myself subconsciously observing mass channel shoppers as they peruse aisles of underwear, socks, and hosiery. Such instances are fairly educational for me (and fairly awkward for those I observe I’m sure), especially an experience from a couple of weeks ago vaguely recounted in the following:
A mother (approx. 35 yrs. old) and her small son (approx. 9 yrs. old) were shopping at a crowded mass retailer for boy’s underwear. As the mother begins to quickly search through each facing for the correct size and style, the young man sees and begins to speak with another young boy about his age. As the boys start to speak and laugh, the mother, seemingly flustered, pauses her undergarment search and walks over to her son to firmly direct him back to the cart and underwear shelf. The boy says something to the effect of “Mom, I was just trying to make friends,” and the mom abruptly response “WE ARE NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS!” Following the brief exchange, the mother quickly grabs a pack of adequate product and departs (with her son of course). I feel sure that I was once that little boy in the store (and still may be) and that many behavioral principles could be extracted from this instance (distraction of children while shopping, etc). However, after mentally comparing this event to the nonchalant manner in which my wife and I were shopping for electronics in that same store at that same time, I began to realize the vast behavioral differences that exist within consumers while shopping for “wants” vs. shopping for “needs.”
Within the “back to school” context, the mother from the preceding example was most likely shopping for underwear since it was yet another item on most parents’ 6 mile long back to school list. Hence, she focused simply on locating and choosing adequate merchandise that meet the needs of her and her child in a manner that was as timely and uninterrupted as possible. On the flip side, my wife and I spent countless minutes wandering the store on our way to research and possibly purchase the ideal LCD television for our bedroom. Realizing that numerous opposing forces come into play during any interaction between consumer and product, the buyer’s perception of the product (need vs. want) sets a preliminary tone to their shopping experience and formulates their “tactics” and expectations.
Companies and marketers must continue to gain an unparalleled familiarity with their respective categories and products, especially whether they are generally considered wants or needs and the environments where these items will be shopped and hopefully purchased. Such a familiarity will amplify a firm’s ability to price, package, and promote its offerings in ways that will please customers and meet their expectations with regards to the product’s range on the need vs. want spectrum. As product life cycles continue to shorten and customer preferences shift with unprecedented frequency, the line between needs and wants has become increasingly blurred making the job of modern marketers extremely challenging. - Brandon Belk
i'm curious as to whether you want or need a tv in your bedroom?...
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stands out as to marketing to a consumer shopping for a "want" over a "need" is the flexibility in targeting emotions. Consumers such as you and your wife, looking for a tv, have probably done quite a bit of research on exactly the type of tv you want, factor in brand reputation for performance--perhaps subconsciously a little for status, and take the time to look at displays, signs, etc at the store describing the products. Your future tv may even have a demonstration video that wows you beyond the competition's. There is so much more of an opportunity to create niche for that tv in your life by capturing a feeling or appealing to an emotion, than there is to reach out to the woman buying underwear. In a hurry, low cost is low cost--and maybe quality factors in a bit, but there is no time to change the mind of the consumer at the point of sale. She is in a hurry and on a mission. On the flip side, perhaps, the challenge isn't that marketing can't occur at the point of sale for the necessity purchase, but that it must occur in other ways such as easy viewing on the packaging. Packaging for that tv is irrelevant to the actual purchase as you'll likely not even see it until you select and someone brings it from the storeroom.
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