It’s Time to Get to Know Your Customers
People around the world have slowed down, taking this time for self-reflection, growth, and prioritization of needs. Brands can and should do the same.
I often ask our clients, “what do you know about your customers?” and usually they answer with stats about their demographics, “they’re mostly female” or “they’re between 25 and 40 years old.” But is that really what they have in common? Did they choose your brand because they’re 30 years old? Or because they have a common need or motivated by similar benefits that your product offers?
In an online survey conducted by HARK Research using conjoint methodology, we looked to understand how people make decisions in choosing a clothing brand using four motivations: how the brand makes them feel, the style of the brand, brand ratings, and social responsibility. We found that overall, customers chose a brand based on how the product made them “feel,” more specifically, makes them “feel beautiful” was strongly desired. Even “feeling alive” was a stronger motivator than “feeling fashionable.”
Next, we segmented the data by three widely studied and documented human instincts:
Social: A need for belonging and membership within a community.
Self-preservation: A need for material supplies and security.
One-to-one: A need for intimate relationships and close friendships.
When we compared purchasing motivations by dominant instinct, we found some differences. The social group was most willing to accept a lower brand rating or trade off how they feel for specific style (namely “classic” or “unique”). The self-preservation group was the only group to strongly care about a brand that makes them feel “powerful.” In a follow-up with one “self-preservation” focused customer, she mentioned, “I don’t feel powerful in my everyday life. I’d love clothes that represent that. I see powerful as being ‘secure in myself and what I know’, as opposed to ‘domineering’.”
Moreover, while social responsibility ranked as the lowest motivator in choosing a brand across all groups, preferences in how a brand participates in social responsibility varied greatly. The one-to-one group cared most about a reduction in environmental impact and carbon footprint, while the self-preservation group was most likely to choose a brand that donates money, products or services to social causes and nonprofits.
Who your customer is and why they choose your brand should be at the core of your innovation and marketing strategies. It’s time to get to know your customers on an intimate level.
So, what do you know about your customers?
For more information, contact ayala@harkresearch.com.
