An ordinary consumer can be
extraordinarily unpredictable. She is a daughter, a wife, a mother and a career
woman all rolled in one. Not only is she made up of a number of different
people, she has different moods; and her needs and preferences are shaped by
who she is and what mood she is in at the moment she is considering a purchase.
This unpredictability was highlighted some years
back in a Nielsen report. While analysing consumer trends across the globe, the
report described consumers as schizophrenic. Often the same consumer, depending
on her state of mind, or on what is happening in her life at that moment, is
buying products that one would place in diametrically opposite segments:
“I usually eat healthy, but it has been a hard
week and I want to treat myself.”
“If I'm just cooking for myself, I go for
shortcuts or buy something ready to cook... but when I have friends over, I
cook from scratch to make it special.”
“I try to eat fresh produce, but I also buy frozen
vegetables for when I don't have time for the store.”
Health versus indulgence, value versus premium,
fresh versus frozen, large versus small portion, do-it-yourself versus
convenience, organic versus local — these conflicting influences reflected in
the market trends seen across the globe, highlight the importance of studying
consumers in the context in which their needs arise.
