Are you a Coke or Pepsi person? Starbucks or Dunkin? Nike or adidas? While many shoppers like to declare their love for a brand, they are also inherently eclectic in their brand preferences—mixing, matching and exploring new brands and products in an effort to keep things fresh, express themselves or just have some fun.
And while many brands like to think that shoppers live and breathe their brand, it may be advantageous for them to embrace (and even reflect) shoppers' true eclectic nature—in the end, it could help brands connect with their shoppers even more. For example, J. Crew recently did a catalogue spread that acknowledged the idea
that even though J. Crew may be a staple for many, it’s not often that one wears an all J. Crew outfit. In reality, their shoppers form their own styles using their J. Crew staples.
They latched onto this insight and rather than championing their own pieces they championed their shoppers’ various styles and showed how they integrated J. Crew into their own fashion styles. By acknowledging this truth and embracing their shoppers’ natural habits, J. Crew was able to actually express their own versatility.
J. Crew isn’t the only one that realizes it’s important to acknowledge your shoppers eclectic habits. More and more CPG brands and retailers are teaming up to offer scale programs to help shoppers do the things they’re already doing—like crafty holiday baking ideas and quick weeknight meal solutions.
It’s human nature for shoppers to use a variety of brands (even within the same category). So, perhaps brands should consider combining forces to help fulfill that need.
Photo source: Integer ShopPicTM
