More and more consumers are choosing the products and experiences they consume based on their desire for something meaningful. How are you providing that? [level-members]
While it’s easy to dismiss as shallow a movement that seeks meaning in consumerism, the move toward quality and authenticity is certainly a move in the right direction for small retailers. (Even if it does lead to huge overuse of terms like “artisanal” and “curated.”)
The values that consumers are not finding in mass market products or big box retail stores are exactly the kinds of things you should be focusing on. Wines that have a story behind them – smaller producers, perhaps, or just something interesting. (Laura and I recently bought a box of wine for a family gathering, something we’d never done before. But the story behind it was that the producer had run out of bottles, so packaged the remaining wine in boxes that retailed for the equivalent of $9 a bottle – much less than the bottles would go for. Great story to share with our family, and pretty good wine, too.)
In other words, grab your customers’ attention with something other than price (how many times have we said that?) and focus on deeper, more lasting values that appeal to customers who are naturally more passionate about the products – and retailers – they let into their lives. [/level-members]