I’ve lost count. I have read nearly a dozen reports from surveys done at the start of the year asking consumers and businesses what they feel are the most important topics and goals in 2019. We marketing people must heed shifting consumer desires. The list below is a fair summary of all the survey results.

What consumers want:

  1. To get control of their day. Otherwise known as a search for work-life balance, people are overwhelmed with what they must do and yearn for the things they want to do. For many, there’s an eagerness to escape reality if even for a few minutes.
  2. To express their individuality and broadcast what is special about them. That might be appearance, skill, talent, character, goals, or something else they want to be known for, like owning an unusual possession.
  3. To shift into high gear their responsibility to contribute to a sustainable environment. We’re not talking about recycling clothes at H & M. But that was a start. People want to have a net positive impact. This is not a new social position, just a redoubled one.
  4. Try even harder to make healthy decisions. This translates to many areas; ingredients, fabric content, air quality, freshness in all products. Farm-to-table, sewn locally, manufactured in-state, all of which contributes to a better local economic environment.
  5. To feel wealthy even if their income doesn’t match their desires. Gone are the days of investment purchases. They want everything right now and they want the best of it. It’s got to be cool, luxurious looking, the newest tech. But they are not interested in traditionally high-end quality brands.
  6. To question everyone and everything. There is a distrust of the elite and powerful and they want to distance themselves from brands (logos) that make them look like they are conforming. (See item 2).
  7. To get a balance of digital and in-person product acquisition – shopping. While on-line shopping will continue to eclipse in-store purchases because of convenience, people want to be social and that means browsing in person. Online retailers are opening locations with AI guiding inventories to capitalize on emotion. Think entertainment.

What are we marketers doing to recraft our messages and offerings to meet these shifting consumer behaviors?