Carolina Cardoso of TOPLINE: The digital explosion influences where and how buying decisions are made

TOPLINE together with SL CONSULTORES have presented an exploratory study that identifies key consumer insights in order to turn them into opportunities for companies and brands in 2022. “The exploratory study we made left it very clear that the digital explosion we’re living in has influenced the how and where people take buying decisions. We also find a super important change in why the pandemic has made the pattern of purchasing decisions so emotional. This represents a big challenge for companies, as does discovering why this should be so, in order to correct the company’s approach and offer consumers right now the things they demand – which is an enormous opportunity to win an advantage over the competition,” said TOPLINE Commercial Manager Carolina Cardoso. The study maintains that listening to the consumer is not an option, it’s a duty. “The decision-to-buy process has been influenced both rationally and emotionally, so we have to rethink our strategies with that in mind,” Cardoso said. The study found six basic insights, the most relevant being on the emotional level, the consumers’ state of mind when making their buying decisions. “Consumers feel that if they choose a certain supplier for their purchases, it’s a privilege that the company ought to reward with excellent client service. The expectation of attention is so great that it moves on to an emotional level. On the other hand, employees of that company have undoubtedly come from being almost 19 months of being out of work, with their morale at an all-time low and with little training. Many workers are new to the job or temporary employees, thanks to the economic situation we’re going through. So this is a perfect storm stirring up a clash between consumers with their emotionally high expectations and the ability of a company’s worker to fulfill those expectations,” Cardoso said.As for how brands can benefit from the results of the study, Cardoso said it helps understand the reasons and needs behind the changes in habits, while calling attention to the feelings underlying purchasing decisions. “For almost two years, people have been in survival mode with regard both to their health and the economy, which has led them to become more self-sufficient, to satisfy their needs much more simply and find replacements for many products and services. The reason is that changes in purchasing decisions have moved to an emotional level, while the explosion of technology and digitization has put such changes more readily at hand. Cardoso identified a series of changes in consumer habits: -Folks make their own market study from their cell phone, and they do it from the store. -They have more contacts. Microecosystems such as WhatsApp groups influence buying decisions.-They expect to be attended with the same quality on all the digital platforms of their choice. -The purchasing experience will be the most determining fact of the purchase. -The consumer is more sensitive toward new subjects like the human connection, empathy and diversity. Among today’s marketing challenges is the achieving and maintaining of an emotional connection with the consumer. “Messages may not be read or listened to, but will be felt. For that reason it is important to stay very close to clients, and to the clients of our clients, in order to understand not only the what, how and when, but also the why of their positions.