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Retail Business Environment

Notes to market it and send it through the right media to reach your group, which is their intended
audience. Media means the right medium. It is simply because mentally you are attached to that
particular medium in the media. It might be your favorite magazine, newspaper, TV channels,
which are parts of media.
Usage patterns: Usage patterns are descriptive about behavior of consumers. Suppose you like
to have cornflakes every morning on week days. This gives important information about
consumption habits of individuals belonging to your age group. Suppose you belong to the
group of females who hate to use face cream containing chemicals. Here the marketers may try
to change your usage patterns by introducing certain “peel off” skin cream without any content
of chemicals. From the usage pattern of any product, the manufacturers and marketers get
thorough ideas about “brand loyalty” of consumers. Brand loyalty gives complete information
about psychology of consumers.

Post-modern Consumers

Post-modernism is concerned with consumer choice, continuous change relating to consumption
patterns and product availability, along with marketing practices that challenge the status quo.
Postmodern consumers buy and use commodities and fashions that allow them adopt multiple,
temporary self-images.

The practice recognises a mischievous type of consumer who prides oneself on resisting
traditional marketing courtship and brand boasts. Instead, the consumer tends to favour brands
that appear to lack a unique selling proposition (USP).

Postmodern consumers tend to have contradictions. At one level, they will show irony and
irritation at the status quo, such as the long-running tradition of soap operas and the phenomenon
of reality shows. But at another level, witness the strong viewing patterns of these genres of
entertainment.

Another characteristic of postmodern consumerism is the attraction to hyper-reality, in other
words a simulated reality.
Eating healthily is a topic of conversation but look at the growth in smoothie consumption in
Ireland. Market leader Innocent has about a 64 per cent share of the Irish market and enjoyed 100
per cent in annual growth in the UK. While many consumers will pay for such a product, would
it not be much cheaper and more satisfying - albeit less convenient - to make one’s own smoothie?
Therein, lays the contradiction of the post-modern consumer. We want a reality - namely health
- but are happy to buy the hyper-reality offered by the creative marketer.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
11. If an individual is loyal to a particular store, he would probably follow ‘brand first and
outlet second’ type of decision-making.
12. It is very important for a marketer to identify the brands in the evoked set of the consumers.
13. The shop-in-shop concept creates an aura of exclusivity.
14. Salesperson can be a good source of brand information for the consumers.

15. In high-involvement products, the consumer may be influenced by some in-store
promotional activity.

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