5 key trends that will change shopping … #3 The rise of the conscious customer will continue. What is your mission?

Customers have developed a good sense of what is authentic and what is marketing speak. In other words, they pretty much know when it’s solely intended to push sales. More and more of us are making values based judgements about what to buy and where to buy.

So in order to win over (current and new) clients, companies need to stand for something, have a clear mission. They also need to reflect that throughout the entire organisation. Yes, from CEO to staff member. Management isn’t enough. And if they’re not truly authentic and transparent, customers will probably pick to another brand.

Today’s consumers are making purchase decisions based on many factors beyond price. These new consumers, led and influenced by millennials, are not only exerting influence on retail companies, but also forcing them to take action.

Brandless is an online grocery store with a mission deeply rooted in quality, transparency, and community-driven values. The company does not charge a “BrandTax”, the hidden costs customers pay for a national brand, and that’s how they’ve managed to keep costs low. Moreover, Brandless focuses on what matters to customers: organic, non-toxic, hypoallergenic products that haven’t been tested on animals. They believe in helping the consumer and the world at the same time.   

The key lesson here is to stay true to the core values of your brand. Customers are increasingly looking for authenticity and transparency and haven taken on an increased interest in the ethical practices of the brands they’re buying from.

To be continued …

The world in which we live and work is changing rapidly, driven by a number of deeply-rooted forces, or so-called “megatrends”. At KPMG we have been tracking these trends and considering the potential implications for the public and private sector. Above thoughts are personal, based on the inspirational work of the KPMG Global Consumer & Retail and of Lauren Kleynjans.

Yann Dekeyser, 5 september  2018