8. WHY WE BUY - THE PROBLEM #consumer

Ok, maybe this is mainly a male shopper thing - that being a sometimes useful minority segment of the market. Perhaps not. Have you ever been accused (politely) of being on 'a shopping mission'. Normally this is when you have a specific problem to solve - for me this might be 'I need a new screwdriver to assemble the kitset furniture otherwise my weekend will be toast'. Most supermarket shoppers shop to solve a problem. The thing is, this type of shopping is quite different - we are 'goal-directed', supposedly less open to persuasion, often have a list and so on. Involvement in the process is low, often driven by habit or inertia. But there are opportunities to make the 'chore' a 'joy' - the surprises that delight a customer when they realise the marketer understands what they are trying to achieve, and makes it easier. Good brands do this - they reduce the risk associated with the purchase. Do you make it easy for your customers to solve their problems ? Do you even know what they are ? It should be simple. Insight pays.