Evolving Consumer Expectations

Introduction

Perhaps the only factual statement that we can make about consumer expectations is that – they’re evolving. That’s probably inarguable. It’s also kinda boring, so let’s add a layer for fun…

What if we said the aforementioned evolution is happening at a rate that we (humans that make up a collective society) can’t even comprehend?

And if comprehension is out the window; having time to digest and react to this pace of change is close behind it, strapping itself into a catapult aimed at the window with the perfect trajectory.

And if there's no shot at meeting an evolving consumer expectation, is there any reason for trying?

We at GardenIQ spent countless hours traveling down this meandering road in quest for the answer. Just when we thought we had reached our destination, ChatGPT opened a door and Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” played in the background.

So we decided to stop trying to define it and start advocating for consumers by taking action for marketers. It was a, “help them, help you, help us, help you, help them, us… you…” kinda thing.

"Historically, privacy was almost implicit, because it was hard to find and gather information. But in the digital world, whether it's digital cameras or satellites or just what you click on, we need to have more explicit rules - not just for governments but for private companies." – Bill Gates

We were left with these 3 major forces driving the evolution of consumer expectations.

Privacy is driving evolution. Instead of sneaking cookies and unethical targeting methods that give highly-trained marketers an unfair advantage, what if we asked consumers for permission to their data? Maybe we could leverage it to build quality relationships with consumers and potentially even add value to their lives.

Customer Service is driving evolution. Instead of hiding behind a phone number in the footer of a website, what if we had 1:1 conversations that included moments of delight? Maybe the new customer service looks like building real relationships with consumers through tailored content and orchestrated experiences.

MarTech is driving evolution. Instead of requiring a messy tech stack to pull off a personalized brand experience, what if we made one tool that was easy to use? Maybe if we made personalized experiences easier to activate, marketers could stand a chance of fulfilling these evolving expectations.

If you’re a merchant and you’re overwhelmed with the pace of consumer expectation evolution, come talk to us. If you’re a marketer and you spend any time at all thinking about the 3 forces above, come talk to us. Either way and at the very least, follow us and subscribe to our newsletters as we will be diving further into these kinds of topics. We haven’t even gotten to telling you about our paradigm-shifting features yet! It’s the right time and you came to the right place.