Change in Consumer Behaviour

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Customers & Consumer Behaviour in 2009+

You can bet that consumer behaviour texts are now out of date.  Radical changes in patterns of consumption are here to stay.  Even a reduction of the Bank rate to 0% is not going to impact consumption.  The economy needs a much bigger shift to ignite the circular flow of income from customers to suppliers of services and goods.

Wake Up Call in Consumption

Consumers have experienced a ‘wake up call’ so intense it will have ramifications for customer and consumer management and behaviour for decades to come.  When the fall-out from the recession hits in 2009 and 2010 the way we do business with our customers, or consumers of our service, will change forever.

Companies and indeed all organisations will have to examine how they transact business and adopt very new strategies to win consumer confidence.  To win life time loyalty – the purpose of most organisations to guarantee survival – will be more than a challenge.

Changes in Attitude

Consumption changes with tastes, trends, fads and emotions and we have had a huge emotional shock to the system, moving us ever forward from the traditional customers focused on transactions to the authentic customer, where purchasing is based not just on cost, but also is a reflection of their personal beliefs, values, behaviour and emotions.

Customer Management is Complex

Customer management has never been simple.   Consumers and customers are complex beings who now are making conscious, thoughtful, decisions when previously their behaviour may have been driven automatically by habit.

What I mean is prior to the ‘crunch’ our consumption patterns and purchasing decisions may have been relatively and habitually defined and fixed most of the time. 

Automatic vs. Conscious Purchase Decisions

We would tend to purchase goods and services driven by our lifestyles and our habitual way of living – such as always eating at the same restaurant every few weeks, purchasing a variety of magazines at the weekend or buying  personal treats’ once a week from an high class retail shop.

Now, consumption has changed and will change forever.  Other retailers tell us that consumption for certain items has declined by 7-10% compounded to year end 2008.  This is only start of the trends of conscious rational purchasing decisions mirrored in trends in consumption in 2009-2011.

Conscious Consumption Spread to all Suppliers

It does not matter which area of the economy we occupy.  We note that changes in the consumption of food, leisure services, basic retail goods, white goods and automotive products will change forever because people are now running any purchasing decisions through their own checklist of questions – Do I need this?  Can I purchase it cheaper elsewhere?  Are there any better deals?  Can I buy it on-line or somewhere else?

Emotions and the Authentic Customer

More business should be aware that there are key emotions that drive customer loyalty and purchasing decisions.  This is true whether you are purchasing a candy bar or HP for a new car.

If you consult a dictionary you will find 3000+ words to describe emotions or emotional states experienced by us all.

Did you know that the presence or absence of emotions can have this impact on a purchasing decision?  Of course, the emotions within and during the purchasing process will vary and can be changed radically by your approach to customer management.   I will illustrate with just 7 emotions. During the purchase of a retail item a variety of customers expressed these emotions.

Anger                     30%

Happiness               21%

Frustration              21%

Annoyance              13%

Disappointment       10%

Satisfaction             10%

Impatience              9%

Do you know the key emotions that are created when you transact business pre and post purchase with your customers?  What positive emotions can you create in your sales cycle and what negative emotions can you avoid generating with your customer?  Most retailers and suppliers simply do not know.

It surely makes sense to promote the positive emotions and these may not be present in the sample above.  It’s also wise to restrict any opportunity for your customer to experience any negative emotion.  It’s in your hands you have control.

Authentics & Millennials

‘Authentics’ and ‘Millennials’ are replacing the traditional Consumer or Customer.  They are individualistic, independent, informed and distrustful of big business.  Lots of things occupy their minds and they depend on multi-media to refine their tastes. You have a few seconds to impress them because their attention span is short.

Time & Loyalty

Time is of the essence.  They want things now and time is a scarce commodity, so don’t waste it.  There is never a second opportunity to make a great first impression with the new consumer. 

Loyalties to one provider as a concept is out you have to impress them every time at every opportunity and at every stage of any transaction – pre to post purchase decisions.

Buyer’s Remorse

Buyer’s Remorse is intense with new consumers and disappointment with your provision of service will be widely broadcast.

As you may gather this requires customer management excellence.  And how few organisations provide this?

Casual purchasing decisions that were automatic and habitual will now require more analysis.

Add to this formula the recession, unemployment when the threat to one’s livelihood is real and personal how will you now transact business with them?  The consumer and the market place have changed forever. 

Customer & Consumer Management Post 2009+

So what can we do about it in business?  You will need some independent research to:

• Assess your customer base and customer satisfaction or CSI
• Do you know how much it costs you to win a new customer?
• Do you know why customers stop doing business with you?
• Identify customer purchase decisions from interest, qualification to closing the sale
• Identify core emotions – isolate positive emotional states from negative one’s which your organisation may have created unwittingly or purposely
• Analyse negative and positive ‘moments of truth’
• What positive emotions can you create in your sales cycle?
•  What negative emotions can you avoid generating with your customer?
• Examine channel delivery impact on customer and consumer behaviour
• Create a process map of the perfect consumer or customer experience with identified actions for implementation

If any of these ideas are of value to you and you would like to take these further contact us direct at  Philip@philipatkinson.com  

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