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ARCHIVE : The consumer of the 2000’s

The information society is a fact. The changes have taken more time than expected and go further than ever imagined, the European consumer of the 2000’s has left the industrial era behind and faces definitely the information age. Gates Marketing Research & Consultancy has the pleasure to share some insights.

Classes of consumers will define themselves through their attitudes towards consumption, rather than through their level of affluence. We will still look at the higher classes to foresee future consumer trends, but we will increasingly define the trendsetters not only on the basis of their wallets, but also on the basis of the usage and education of their brains.

The ‘educated individual’ is becoming the trendsetting class and they have decided ‘they want to have it all'! They have integrated the traditional bourgeois virtues into a more bohemian value system. Their quest for a free spirit and their interest in a more spiritual life goes hand in hand with their quest for affluent success.

It is okay to gain a lot of money and spend it on necessities for themselves and for their families. They want to attain security, to give their children a fine development and to be surrounded with good quality products.

In their search for security they believe in the natural order of things, to a certain extend they appreciate rules and traditions. In their search for freedom, on the other hand, they want to be independent and autonomous. They value unique emotions and feel attracted to romanticism. They are in search of authenticity, real emotions.

The consumers of the 2000’s want to be sincere. They live according to a set of consumption rules. It is vulgar to spend on luxury, but it is okay to spend on necessities and professional quality. For instance, bathrooms and kitchens have to be fully equipped. It is perfectly acceptable to spend euro 25.000 on a bathroom shower (=tool), but not on an outside Jacuzzi (=luxury). One can spend money on professional hiking boots, even if they wear them to have a walk in the local park. Consumers are willing to spend huge amounts of money on things that used to be cheap. They like perfectionism in small things. For instance, special lettuce, coffee, water, etc.

If anything, they do not want to be considered a pawn in the mass consumer society. The freedom of choice is top priority. Products should be offered in a ‘soft’ (and entertaining) way, hard selling is no longer appropriate. The consumer expects to receive loads of service and information on the products he buys, so he can justify and talk about the special choice he has made.