The six basic choices
If you could film your customer’s brain in the middle of a purchase consideration, what would you see? You will likely see one of six basic customer behavior choices.
Your customer could:
Try. Trial customers are first-time users of a product or service. Examples include a traveler trying a new airline, a patient considering new contact lenses or a shopper trying a new back massager.
Switch. You could try to get customers to switch from a competing product to your brand. If you sell bottled water, a switch is always in play.
Buy frequently. You could get existing customers to buy more of what you have to offer. If there’s a genuine need, the customer would welcome a chance to buy more often. A K-cup manufacturer might offer coupons to incentivize frequency.
Upgrade. Sometimes, you just need to trade up. If you sell a better version of the current product, you could get customers to upgrade.
Remain loyal. Your current customer base is an asset. Making them happy helps secure their loyalty. This is where hospitality brands and financial institutions thrive, by offering increasingly competitive loyalty points and perks.
Complement. Your product doesn’t have to replace the existing product. It can complement. For example, flossing doesn’t replace brushing--it adds. So, floss packets can be positioned as an addition to routine dental practices.
It pays to think about which of these behaviors your product is trying to get your customer to choose. By clarifying your target customer objective, you can better position your messaging to support your brand.
Put it in writing. For example, if you’re trying to earn more upgrades you could target to convert 30% of standard customers to upgrade customers in the next 12 months.
Understanding customer target behaviors can shape positioning. And clear positioning informs how we want customers to think and feel about our brand.