Stalking the Elusive Consumer with Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender

Feb 23, 2021

Consumer anthropologists, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, discuss generational diversity and the retail experience with Clint O'Rear.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

As a supplier or retailer, it is important to understand the changing needs of your consumer base.
One of the biggest demographic trends in America is the aging of the population, and many retailers and suppliers fail to think about what changes are necessary to adapt to the needs of these aging consumers.
Georganne - “You have to adapt to what each generation needs, when they need it - not when you think you’re ready to do it.”
Rich - “You have to be a mind reader - by watching customer interaction in the stores, and by using the store as a live entity/organism that interacts with you.”
- Don’t wait 10+ years to check the lumen density of lights
- Watch how fixtures are set that might create shadows on layouts
If you are in a business that interacts with customers in any way, you are in the retail business, but you may not think of yourself as a retailer. (Example: funeral home operators)
There’s never been a better time to study, learn, create, and impact retailing than in the current COVID environment. It will change the way we look at everything in retail.
Retailers should give their team members in the stores both responsibility AND authority to present the store to the customer in the best way.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

For Retailers:

When you are merchandising a section that aging consumers might shop, think about how limitations such as arthritis, vision impairment, and limitations to lifting heavier items can impact shoppability.
Use a store layout and shopping aids, like shopping carts and baskets, that will be easy for aging consumers to navigate and use.
Check store lighting to see if it is adequate for aging consumers - it takes 3x’s the amount of light to see as well in your mid 60’s as it takes in your mid 20’s.
Make your store environment safe for aging consumers - if they feel safer in your store they will subconsciously want to visit your store more often without even fully knowing why.
Rotate and change your floor in some way regularly so the customer isn’t seeing the same thing. 50% of your store is never seen by customers because they shop on their desired path.

For Suppliers:

When you are developing packaging for products that older consumers might purchase, think about layout and font for customers who have impaired vision.
Help retailers with creative new products, and creative new ways to display products.

For Both Retailers and Suppliers:

Use the current COVID retail environment to assess what you need to change to adapt to the new ways customers are buying and interacting with information.

To contact Rich and Georganne, you can reach them at info@kizerandbender.com. Or find them on LinkedIn at Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender.

If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.

Learn how Clint and his team at Creative Sales Consulting connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries to build stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products.

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Music:

"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/