I was and remain a big Bob Dylan fan — especially the early folk-blues music that seemed to leap from his pen directly to my brain. He just has a way of expressing things uniquely. I say this only to realize that even when it comes to today’s customers, Dylan was right — The Times They are a Changin’. People’s needs and shopping motivations are switching. We’ve seen the switch coming for a time (books like Experience Economy, the Starbucks phenomenon, etc.), but now it seems to be picking up some more steam.
Seth Godin’s blog article today highlighted the change. He blogs that customer’s wants are shifting from "perfect", "now" and "cheap" to "interaction", "expectations exceeded" and "respect."
Think of your own recent visits to brick and mortar or on-line retail. What has been your expectations? Always price? Or, do you shop places that give you interaction and exceed your expectations? Recently my wife pulled me into Chico’s, a women’s clothing store. It’s truly an interesting experience to watch my usually bargain-hunting shopper melt as the well-trained Chico’s staff help her interact, respect her and exceed her expectations. She’s now a raving fan and never once asked about price, now or perfection.
So what does this shift in customer motivation mean?
The answers are not "Blowing in the Wind", the answers, my friends, are really right there in front of you, within your vision, within your control and within reach. Go for the customer’s heart – Don’t think twice, it’s all right.
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