Il consumatore che cambia (in tempi di recessione)

Si, ci saranno altri cambiamenti nei processi di acquisto, perché la recessione, comporta una scelta più oculata ed un'attenzione non necessariamente al prezzo, ma alla qualità generale dell'offerta.

Vale la pena leggere l'articolo di Eric Spahr, che suggerisce un approccio più consapevole all'uso delle ricerche e dei focus group e ci invita ad imparare a leggere tra le righe, le dichiarazioni dei clienti attuali e potenziali.

....while you focus on strategies to get through the next few months, we all need to understand that our customers' behavior is changing right under our noses. When the economy bounces back, you might find that what motivates consumers to choose or not choose your brand has changed. This is critical learning that needs to be sought now, not after you launch a shiny new post-recession ad campaign.

I consigli di Eric Spahr sono particolarmente utili per il mercato italiano, caratterizzato da un livello dei salari tra i più bassi in Europa. Oggi prima di spendere, le persone ci riflettono più volte e si informano molto anche in rete. Ci vuole quindi più ascolto empatico e i risultati dei focus group non devono essere interpretati letteralmente ma interpretati anche con il cuore.

1. OBSERVE BEHAVIOR

Consumers are notoriously bad at predicting or remembering their behavior, so don't rely on what they say in focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Instead, watch what they do. Last year, people were ready to trade in their SUVs for hybrids at the thought of $3-per-gallon gas. Today, those same SUVs are swerving across three lanes of traffic for the opportunity to fill up for gas that cheap.

2. UNDERSTAND THE NEW COMPETITIVE SET

Reports indicate that half of consumers are reducing their spending to compensate for rising gas prices, but what we don't know is how that remaining spending is changing. It is no longer safe to assume that store brands or other traditional category competition are the biggest threat. Consumers are weighing purchases across categories in ways they haven't done since the mid-1970s.Your brand might be competing against a completely unrelated product or service. Strapped consumers who are not willing to give up their TiVos might start cutting back on their daily VitaminWater or drop the Gold's Gym membership for jogging. Observe consumer behavior outside of your traditionally defined category or region. A behavior change in some unrelated category or in another country could be affecting your brand.

3. UNCOVER THE EMOTIONS BEHIND THE BEHAVIORS

Behavior is driven by motivation. Motivation is fueled by emotion. And when times are tight, emotions often intensify. Uncertainty, frustration and fear can dominate consumers' emotional caches. Different emotions may drive different behaviors, or they may reinforce existing behaviors. Either way, it is critical that brand stewards understand the changing emotional motivations driving their customers' behavior.

4. CONSISTENTLY BUILD YOUR EQUITY

In dynamic economic times, both positive and negative, marketers need to pay particular attention to the indirect signals their brands transmit while adapting to the new climate. Don't try to change what your brand represents. Price cutting and other price promotions are not consistent with many brands' equity, and such moves might just end up weakening the brand in the long run. Understand how consumer behavior is changing, but don't change your equity to chase the behavior. Determine how your unique collection of functional and emotional benefits can best be leveraged to capitalize on this new behavior or used to create a different behavior.

In momenti di recessione, come quello che stiamo vivendo, spesso la logica non ci aiuta. Per questo è così importante imparare ad analizzare i segnali deboli ed indiretti e a monitorare le conversazioni in rete, per non rimanere spiazzati di fronte a improvvisi (ma lo sono davvero?) cambiamenti nei processi di consumo.

L'immagine è di Nymag.