Page 86 - Spring Into Markets

So, what do customers need/want?
Understanding who your customers are — male, female, age, occupation, lifestage, e.g. kids/no kids all have an effect on their retail needs. Just as important, however, is where they are, what time of day it is, what they are doing and where they are going when they visit the market. So rather than just think of your customer in terms of ‘female aged 30 to 50 years’, try to create a fuller picture.
For example, are they a mix of shoppers, workers and tourists? Each group will have some similar characteristics as well as some that will be unique. The following diagram illustrates some imaginary attributes of three types of potential customers. Where they share characteristics the circles in the diagram overlap.
Shoppers
Young families Live nearby Traditional Loyal Everyday shopping Want the ‘basics’
Price aware Walk to town Daily visitors
Families
Frequent visitors Customer service important Want value for money
Nice shopping environment Want catering/food to go Good product choice - all categories
Workers
Limited time Local and commuters Want extended opening Distress purchases ‘Easy’ shopping
Tourists/Visitors
Lots of time Old and young Treats Browsing
Older families Good employment Money to spend Modern outlook Professional
You could create a diagram like this for your different customer groups.
86 Creating Extra Sales Guide 12