translated from Spanish: Today’s consumers decide on social media and sustainability

If fashion, innovations and all the decisions consumers made were based on what was seen in magazines and advertisements a few decades ago, social media has now played a key role. Michael Solomon and Daniel Lemin delved into the importance of the user experience and how they finally make decisions, at the Customer Experience Conference: The Journey, organized by Seminarium.
“Youtility” is the slogan that allows you to retain customers through making them feel extremely useful. And in that sense, Daniel Lemin, consulting director of Convince & Convert, says that “the worst thing you can do is a brainstorming, as the consumer is not taken into account in the process.

For Michael Solomon, a digital marketing expert, “we are currently in a horizontal revolution, where purchasing and trending decisions are made by our peers. Fewer and fewer specialized magazines impose styles; while user interaction over products or services takes on an increasingly relevant role.”
It is in that line, the author of the book Consumer Behavior: Buying, And Having and Being, gave the example of the current journey of potential customers, who in addition to searching the web for references, also talk with their friends about what is the best option, without relying only in the traditional marketing efforts that companies make.

The force that the audience is taking is increasing. That’s why it’s important for Lemin to “stop marketing for people, and start doing it with them.” Making them feel listened to, responding to their social media concerns, or taking into account their potential improvements “can not only help in loyalty, but also in improving sales and attracting new customers”, as they feel that their opinions are important to the company, the consultant explained.
Millennials pay more for sustainable brands
The consumption patterns of young people today are governed by two concepts: social awareness and sustainability. According to experts in marketing and advertising, millennials are willing to pay more for brands that care about climate change and the damage that is being done to the environment.
There is a strong trend towards greater authenticity. “Consumers want to know how a product is created, that is, where the materials came from, who did it and under what working conditions,” Solomon says.

Original source in Spanish