The Pitch: Sell shoppers a dream and the product price will fade from sight

By BINA KLOSE*

As we once again begin counting down the number of shopping days until Christmas, it seems timely to consider the difference between buying and shopping.

Buying takes place every day across the globe, but it is shopping that is the rewarding and engaging activity for the consumer.

Economists understand buying, but shopping is a phenomenon of interest to anthropologists and sociologists.

Shopping provides consumers with the opportunity to dream and escape. Shopping creates an inherent value that is much greater than buying.

Retailers who create an atmosphere conducive to shopping give their customers a good reason to leave their homes and create opportunities to buy.

We are now in the pre-Christmas frenzy and it seems unnecessary to make the distinction between shopping and buying.

People spend their money on goods and many consumers buy at retail outlets such as The Warehouse where products compete on price, not added value.

Added-value products can escape the need to compete on price. In fact, by accessing the true power behind human emotions with intelligence and sensitivity, well-branded products can demand a premium.

Last week at the Viaduct in Auckland, I noticed that an incredible number of patrons were drinking expensive French champagne.

Most were young high-income-earners who seemed to fully embrace the advertising copy line: "Because I'm worth it".

The expensive champagne provides a sense of glamour; a statement of differentiation and achievement.

To connect powerfully with people on a personal and holistic level, an emotional brand will elevate a purchase based on need to the realm of desire.

Dreams are closely linked to people's desires. Icebreaker, Orca and MacPac have created emotional brands associated with New Zealand's image as a dream holiday destination and a playground for adventurers.

In Europe, a consumer can own a slice of the New Zealand dream without leaving his or her home country, simply by purchasing a jersey or backpack.

There is no pat answer about the best way to achieve an emotional connection between product and consumer. Only big brands can afford the extensive campaign needed to create an emotional connection through traditional advertising channels.

Most other visual communication channels, such as packaging, point-of-sale and websites, are the domain of design.

Design can bring powerful ideas to life. Design can translate the expression of a brand across all media to create a lasting link between manufacturer or retailer and the consumer.

It comes down to creativity which evokes emotions and sensory experiences that have the power to influence buying decisions.

Design can go well beyond appearance when it uses knowledge about the emotional power that ultimately sways people's decision-making.

Directed by strategy and backed by research, design is what ultimately translates knowledge and intuition into powerful sales tools.

The Government's Design Taskforce strategy released in May recommended an extensive design programme to provide a greater understanding of design as a strategic business tool.

The programme will be implemented by Trade & Enterprise New Zealand in the New Year.

* Bina Klose is a brand and communication strategist for Insight Creative and a member of the Government's Design Taskforce.
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