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Connecting with Consumers
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Connecting with Consumers in an Omnichannel World
by Rachel Crippin Clark
Today’s consumers are everywhere.
They’re in stores, they’re in online marketplaces. They’re on your website, they’re on your competitors’ websites. They’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and WhatsApp. They’ve got access to countless TV channels, ideos, newspapers, magazines, blogs and apps.
It’s enough to overwhelm anyone selling consumer products. But success in today’s marketplace may come down to one crucial element: connecting with consumers on an emotional level.
“We need to think of consumers as people, not consumers,” says Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf, co-founder of Project Partners Network, a U.S.-based consultantancy in a variety of industries including food and beverage, toys, apparel, publishing, housewares, sports, pharmaceuticals and health and beauty. “Put yourself in their mind space. What are they worried about? What are they thinking about?”
Emotional Connections
Emotions as “the currency of the future” was a recurring theme in Schwarzkopf’s presentation—“Merchandising and Messaging in an Omnichannel World”—at The Inspired Home Show 2022.
In fact, she quoted the prolific author Maya Angelou, who once said: “People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
Brain science shows that marketers have just seconds to make an impression. And it’s no secret that today’s consumers are bombarded with information. “So, it’s really critical you know your consumer and you know your competitors when you get the opportunity to communicate with them,” says Schwarzkopf.
Many direct-to-consumer housewares brands excel at connecting with consumers on an emotional level, according to Schwarzkopf. Great Jones is one of these, with their “Make the Kitchen Your Happy Place” tagline and an online survey where consumers can answer fun questions to get a recommendation on which color of their popular dutch oven fits their personality best.
“People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
AUTHOR AND POET MAYA ANGELO
SHUTTERSTOCK
Know your customers.
Be there for when and how it matters to your consumers. (And it always matters.)
INSPIRED HOME
Speak to their needs as people.
REINA BATATA, ARGENTINA
Don’t just try to satisfy them; make them happy.
MARIMEKKO FOR TARGET
Strategically Incorporating New Trends
To learn more about the marketplace and consumers themselves, Schwarzkopf recommends reading all you can. It sounds obvious, she says, but many people only focus on their specific sector or certain news sources. She encourages home and housewares sellers to stay up to date with related industries such as toys, games and food, and to think of their competitors in Know a broad sense—not just the companies making or selling the exact same products. your Once you’ve gained a good understanding of your consumers these days, don’t waste an opportunity to show them, says Schwarzkopf. You can incorporate a few current trends to show you’re listening to them and providing them with what they want. consumers. Of course, you want to make sure a new trend fits with your branding and core strategies. Schwarzkopf advises companies to strive for balance…focus on your core strategies, but also have some flexibility to take advantage of a new opportunity that may complement what you’re doing (and won’t break the bank if it doesn’t pan out).
• Take advantage of free
consumer insights and statistics from sources like U.K.-based YouGov and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Expand your knowledge
of what’s new in a variety of different industries and with your competitors in a broad sense (don’t just focus on your specific sector or companies that make or sell the same products as you).
• Check out the new book
Schwarzkopf has been enjoying: “The Metail Economy: 6 Strategies for Transforming Your Business to Thrive in the Me-Centric Consumer Revolution” by Joel Bines.
“You have to balance what you want to do internally with what the market conditions are, and what the consumer insights are. If you can understand all those things, you can reach your highest potential.”
LEIGH ANN SCHWARZKOPF
Some trends in merchandising and messaging her team is watching:
• Clever plays on words • Language that is a little
“saltier” or more direct than usual • Subscription boxes that surprise and delight • An emphasis on inclusivity • Safety/looking out for each other • Sustainability • Inspirational messages that encourage people to be their best • Charity • Helping people take care of themselves • Unique collaborations with other companies, celebrities or designers • Clever packaging An expert in licensing, Schwarzkopf said she would be remiss if she didn’t point out how licensing can help grow your business and reach different consumers. Some recent partnerships she likes include Pottery Barn and Airstream recreational vehicles, as well as Williams Sonoma and the PEANUTS™ line of characters.
Being There Throughout the Consumer Journey
Of course, you want to stay current with shopping trends as well. While online shopping is still popular, many consumers are returning to bricks-and-mortar stores after the pandemic. How people are treated throughout their customer journey is a crucial part of getting and keeping a customer. It’s very easy for companies to focus on the technology or tactical elements of communicating with consumers, but they need to remember the emotional component of it, according to Schwarzkopf.
Information about products needs to be consistent everywhere they’re marketed or sold, or consumers will become confused and turned off to your company. Want to stay ahead of the curve? Schwarzkopf sees a huge shift in thinking when it comes to resale and increasing acceptance of buying previously owned items, at least in the United States. She encourages housewares sellers and retailers to think about how they might fit in with this developing trend. |•
