In her latest article for MediaPost, which provides resources for marketing and advertising professionals, Rebecca Brooks writes about how purchase models are changing as the gap widens among brand categories. Brands can no longer count on consumers taking a linear approach to purchase, as their needs and desires differ greatly from product to product. She writes: “Consumers attitudes, plus technological advancements in shopping toward the entire category, can dramatically affect purchase behavior and brand perceptions, driving consumers to swing between extremes.”

The article goes on to outline the two ends of the spectrum, from automated purchases to enriched purchases. Automated or everyday purchases are things that people consistently use and need, like toilet paper or dish soap, that require very little thought or interaction. “Subscribe and save” on Amazon is an example of how these purchases take place. Enriched purchases encompass products with which consumers want a high level of “touch” or personalized interaction. These highly engaged categories involve their audiences in the purchase continuum, such as some luxury car brands that create purchase “vacations” and personalized delivery for top clients.

She provides recommendations for brands in either camp, from how to challenge existing brands to how to engage with audiences. She says: “It’s important to remember that these techniques need to remain authentic to the brand promise and demonstrate a deep understanding of the consumer and their needs.”

There’s no doubt that the consumer’s path to purchase is becoming more complicated – driven by many different influences and circumstances. One piece that we must look more closely is the impact of brand category. This will shift everything from the way research is conducted to brand messaging, marketing and development. “No matter the category, the barriers to purchase are high and brands know that. As technology continues to change the way we shop, we are going to find more and more unique paths to how consumers make purchase decisions. Marketers need to first understand which path their client’s customers are on and then how best to uncover insights that will affect growth.”

For the complete article visit: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/332410/category-driven-purchase-behavior-swinging-betwee.html