The ever-increasing competition in the retail industry has made it imperative for companies to understand consumer behavior and trends to gain the knowledge they require to establish effective communication to persuade consumers to purchase their goods and services. The rapid growth of online retailing has empowered the consumers and they can now shop anytime from anywhere using a mobile phone. This trend has certainly weakened the in-store sentiments and hurt even the big established brands, which have been in business for long.
Consumer behaviour is not easy to understand as it involves a whole series of decisions made by a consumer regarding acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods and services over a period. The online retail platforms have enabled consumers to compare the products of various companies and make an informed decision to acquire a product.
Lack of Adequate Online Presence
The main problem for the old stores is that they are fast losing their traditional consumers and the potential buyers due to the entry of new companies and the growth of online retailing. The value of old brands is being eroded, as they have not been able to upgrade their products to match the latest trends and the changing expectations of consumers. The old brands are lacking in online presence and this is one of the main reasons for their declining market share. The tech-savvy younger generations love to purchase the latest products using mobile phones from the comfort of their own home. (Cbsmohali.org, 2019)
The company needs to adopt a multipronged strategy to retain the traditional client and engage younger generations. It has to reinforce its brand value by improving its online presence through aggressive promotion and introducing a new range of affordable products with a focus on the younger generations for differentiated brand positioning to gain a competitive edge.
Consumer Perception of Communication
Companies have to be aware of both the internal and external factors that influence the perception of target consumers during the communications process. They have to come out with models keeping in mind the customer preferences for making communication effective and economical.
With numerous brands crowding the market space with messages, only terse brand messages and products directly addressing the needs of consumers will draw attention. The changing media preferences of the consumers have also to be kept in mind while devising communication strategy.
Engel, Kollet, Blackwell Model
A strategy based on the Engel, Kollet, Blackwell (EKB) Model, which emphasizes disseminating maximum information through television, newspapers and online. The availability of detailed information will help the consumer to compare with experiences and expectations and make a rational purchase. It is important to ensure that information is important and aplenty so that the products remain in the consumer’s zone of consideration. (Repository.up.ac.za, 2019)The products have to be marketed aggressively to reinforce the brand value, which plays a vital role in persuading consumers to acquire products that go with the latest lifestyles and trends in a market flooded with similar competing products.
Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs
Introduction of new brands and products is vital to motivating consumers in line with Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs that once a lower-level need is satisfied, l a new higher-level need will emerge to motivate the consumer to fulfil such a need, and the process continues. Besides retaining the existing middle-class clientele, the focus in the introduction of new brands and products has to be on the new generations of consumers. (Ohio University,2019).
References
Cbsmohali.org.(2019).[online]Available at: http://www.cbsmohali.org/course_material/third_semester/CB Question Bank final.pdf [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].
Repository.up.ac.za.(2019).[online]Available at: https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/29162/02chapter2.pdf?sequence=3 [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].
Ohio University. (2019). Four Consumer Behavior Theories Marketers Should Know | Ohio University. [online] Available at: https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/four-consumer-behavior-theories-every-marketer-should-know/ [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].