Purchasing on a Prayer: Consumer Insight in a Global Pandemic
2020 knocked my family on our collective butts.
2020 knocked my family on our collective butts. Between the shift in dynamics where both parents who typically travel for work, were suddenly homebound, and two children who normally head off on the schoolbus in the morning to learn, socialize and exhaust themselves, we found ourselves facing a very different life. The way we structured our decision making in every category of our lives was rearranged.
Where once we prioritized ease and convenience when it came to grocery shopping, we now prioritized health and safety. We enrolled in Instacart and scheduled our food delivery days in advance, instead of just stopping off at the store to pick up a few things on the way home. Where once we prioritized quality time together, we now were seeking independence and personal space. We found a startup company that made indoor playground equipment and modular couch cushions for our basement so that the kids could burn energy on their own while we scrolled on our phones. For the first time we could remember, we were faced with problems that we had no solutions for, and had to trudge the road of research to find suitable answers. We built relationships with new companies. We became open to new products. Instead of defaulting to our pre-pandemic brand loyalties, our willingness to ‘purchase on a prayer’ was cracked open, and the word-of-mouth referral networks were our lifelines.
This got me thinking about all my years of experience in consumer insight. It is easy to become complacent. Year in, year out, clients’ budgets are allocated to tweak the data that exists on their target consumer. There is a sense that ‘we know our people’, and consumer insight can feel like a heavy lift. However, as the reality of the pandemic landed on me, I saw quickly which companies understood me, which ones were in touch with the problems I was facing, and which ones were making assumptions that missed the mark. It was far easier than I imagined, to let go of my loyalty to brands that just didn’t ‘get it.’ and try out ones that seemed to ‘see me.’ As one of the earliest members of a local mom group, which now connects thousands of members, I could see how my peers were all in the same boat. The conversations that continued to load in my feed were ones about ‘new product alerts’ and ‘creative solutions’ that had recently been discovered.
What I have come to fervently believe, is the power of keeping your finger on the pulse of your target is palpable and drives results. It is crystal clear, in the light of the impact of COVID-19, but the truth applies to the world outside of this pandemic. The more investment that is made towards understanding the reality of your consumer as they are in this moment, the more likely you are to keep them invested in your brand. Life happens. Perspectives change. Priorities shift. And all that happens for reasons that are not always as glaring as a global pandemic. The reasons can often be subtle and nuanced. If 2020 has taught me anything, it is that there is value in feeling seen when you are groping in the dark.
