Insight Series: Consume With Emotion

Retailers need to be understanding the emotional content of their customer communications. And that’s because research has shown that buying a product isn’t a rational process, it’s an emotional one. We buy something not because we know cognitively that it checks a number of boxes and suits our needs, we buy because the product makes us excited. Or it makes us nostalgic, or it makes us scared that we don’t own it when we may have wanted to.

If you’re in the business of selling to consumers, then it’s important to understand those emotional cues, and the cues that suggest that someone is ready to buy a product. By understanding those cues, not only are you able to provide the right information, but you’re able to become a trusted advisor, and build a closer relationship with the customer. Companies that don’t take the time to understand those cues are not only leaving money off the table, they’re not building as close a relationship with their customers as they could be.