John Mahaffie

We’ll be doing more “free range” shopping – Anywhere/anytime network access leads to what I like to call “free-range shopping”. You don’t have to be at a shopping place to buy things, you can do that wherever you are, and increasingly, you want to. One key reason: encountering products out in the world shows them at their truest and best, and that’s probably when you recognize how they might fit your needs. My post “A 2021 Shopper’s Path to Purchase” explores how this might work. Because products have a digital life too, it will be possible to take a mobile phone picture and automatically identify the product for purchase. Apps like “Flow Powered by Amazon”—announced in November 2011—will let consumers snap a picture and buy, through a combination of image recognition and barcode or QR code or SnapTag reading with smartphone cameras. Consumers will embrace this ability, freeing them to find and choose products whenever and wherever they want. And they will be impatient with sellers who don’t make it that easy. The bottom line for business. Since the consumer lives in and wants to shop in the cloud, you will have to make more mobile purchases possible. Brick and mortar stores can continue to offer thorough, immersive experiences that are hard to replace, but convenience and ubiquitous access will often trump the qualities of store shopping. Finding ways to tie the physical with the virtual will pay off, but often brick and mortar stores will be the show-rooms for people who want to touch a product before they buy it. But does having them in the store guarantee that store gets the sale? Image: Screen capture from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fGaVFRzTTP4See prior #consumer4sight posts here: https://foresightculture.com/category/consumer4sight/

From the series, #Consumer4sight

Living a digital life means carrying a mobile device that gives people ubiquitous access to the ‘net. Most well-off people have that and far more have basic mobile communications with at least texting (SMS) capability. And with that is the power of social networking, which changes the dynamics of what people do while connected. Network access, instant information, and social connections will be part of nearly everything people do. In their consumer lives, they will be essential tools and powerful influencers of what people want and buy. New information tools and channels will submerge traditional media—and advertising, in a cacophony of new, powerful influences.

The bottom line for business. Selling will be about tapping into social networks, harnessing buzz, finding what resonates with specific groups. You will need to find consumers in the cloud—you can’t wait for them to enter your store, whether that’s a brick and mortar building or a website. Consumers will become even more “brand fickle”—the forces of digital communications, social networks, and the pace of change in the marketplace move them off of long-term brand loyalty. You will be able to win over consumers to your products, but it will be hard to keep them. Image: philcampbell via Flickr, Creative Commons attribution license See prior #consumer4sight posts here: https://foresightculture.com/category/consumer4sight/

#consumer4sight No. 5: We become “free range” shoppers

#Consumer4sight No. 4: Continuous digital access is becoming the core of consumer life