Introduction
The increasingly complex consumer behaviour sphere, with the psychological, sociocultural, and technological reshaping every step of the way, creates favourable conditions for brands that invest energy and means in understanding the trends and constructing marketing strategies for this age. Technological evolution has redefined the way consumers interact with products and services. Further, there is an emerging trend as far as sustainability and ethical consumption are concerned, which means the brands have to adapt to these new and emerging consumer trends as well while marketing their products or services even as the needs and desires of consumers keep evolving. This article provides scope for a discussion on broad aspects of consumer behaviour and a highlighting of some recommendations for companies to help them understand and benefit from the ongoing trends and a change of preferences.
Approach to generational differences
The reality is that beauty products marketing, as well as many other types of products, is being sold to an exciting mix of generations. In order to succeed, product managers must make sure to customize the strategies of their products to each age cohort. By evaluating the particular traits, dispositions, and ways of thinking of various generations, product managers can create enticing narratives and experiences that hold the consumers’ attention and create a constant demand from them. Firstly, recognition of the exclusive requirements and tastes bridging generations is something that matters (Bobrov, 2023). For example, the Baby Boomers, who are often portrayed as a quality and reliability-oriented group, could be attracted to products and household cleaners that stress their durability and accuracy.
On the other hand, Generation X, nicknamed for its self-reliance and critical thinking, might begin to feel good at the campaigns that underscore the convenience factor and practicality. Being drawn by experiences and sincerity, the Millennials can be the target audience that finds its place there with products that have a sustainable proposition and ethical mode of sourcing. Lastly, a niche market that significantly attracts Generation Z, or the digital natives, who are born into the digital world and have a penchant for individuality and innovation, brands with customizable solutions and the latest technology will be preferred.
Nowadays, product managers can utilize generational insights to create private messages and customized narratives. Adapting marketing campaigns to positively impact each age group flows with the ideas and goals elevates the meaning and consequences (Agustian et al. 2023). For instance, a beauty company trying to sell to the Baby Boomers may stress sophisticated, timeless beauty and self-care regimes. Still, the company could opt to target the Millennials who envision inclusion and self-expression in their beauty marketing. By knowing the signals between generations, product managers can craft a narrative, which may help in reaching out deeper so as to lead to more robust emotional engagement and brand loyalty. The third point is that embracing diversity and inclusivity in marketing efforts is a critical factor for reaching out to today’s youth and counterparts. Identifying the fact that the demographic and cultural species and phenomena continuously evolve, researchers in product management departments should adapt their campaigns to the diverse perspectives and experiences of people coming from varied social groups. Either for the sake of several models who can be of distinct ages and races or for that of a family portraying diverse household moments, inclusive marketing establishes a feeling of familiarity and sincerity, thus fortifying the like for the brand among the customers, both young and old.
For the last point, product managers should carry out the gradual process of tuning their marketing options to fit the needs of different generational groups with the help of modern technology and data science. Exploiting the incredible power of digital platforms and social media in brand communication, a brand can connect with the consumer in real time, drawing essential insights from their inclinations and action patterns (Masliardi et al., 2023). By using data analytics to follow customer communication and attitudes, product managers can continue their work to improve the alignment of the message and strategy with different age groups. Also, incorporating the trends and introducing useful platforms for beauty products and households, such as augmented reality or virtual try-on experiences, enhances engagement and attracts young demography to beauty products and housecleaner campaigns. Settling generational gaps in marketing infers a refined sense of which age cohort constitutes specific values, tastes, and behavioural patterns. Realizing the distinct requirements of these smaller generations, such as Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, or Generation Z, product managers will be able to build tailored messages or experiences that will be of interest to customers. Diversity and inclusion, combined with technology and data analysis, enable brands to create emotional conversations that translate into solid bonds rooted in our generation of buyers and customers.
Analysis
Whether or not the classification of beauty products and household cleaners will be high-involvement learning or low-involvement learning will depend on various factors, such as the degree of customer engagement, the perceived risk, and the level of complexity in deciding each case. Beauty products generally fall under the category of high-involvement learning based on a number of factors. First of all, the beauty industry is a world of products that are very many and versatile, from skincare to makeup as well as the rest of the beauty section, each stacked with unique ingredients that claim unique benefits. The clients, in most cases, adopt the role of observers who are mandated to use time and energy trying to learn precisely the kind of their skin or how they want to look, which in turn promotes deeper engagement in the decision-making process (Mangtani et al., 2020). As with personal identity and self-expression, the use of beauty products also has a much stronger emotional entanglement and thus can cause more anxiety and higher expectations from consumers. Therefore, people may find themselves in the middle of the extensive information hunt, referring to mates or high-quality probing, and even doing some trial and error with multiple products before landing on the right one and being afraid of the adverse effects of using the wrong product like skin irritation or more than expected negative results which are serious factors in the process of learning in cosmetics.
On the one hand, house cleaners are liable to be abstracted to the low-involvement education category for most people, while on the other hand, these products are typically pride of ownership items, unlike beauty products, which usually have exceptional connections with confidence and image people have of their self, house cleaning appliances are perceived as functional needs that help with housekeeping and hygiene in the home. This spans from the most straightforward decision-making involving the purchase of household cleaners to the emotionally charged process of buying beauty products. As for purchasing house cleaners, the consumers may heavily depend not on having enough time to do deep analyses or do assessments on the peculiarities of the products. Instead, they are more likely to buy the product depending on habit or just because it is convenient or they are brand-loyal. Furthermore, since the threat of not being happy with a beauty product that a person has chosen is higher than getting disappointed with a house cleaner, making this decision seems less risky in general.
In most cases, consumers can switch to any other product having no or low financial losses or personal inconvenience, which names this group as one of the low-involvement learning. However, this general classification cannot be applied to every case, first of all, due to the fact that consumers may be motivated and affected by various factors playing a pivotal role in their purchasing decision-making process. For instance, a client who is dedicated to nature or natural sustainability might be shown to be very prone to the high-involvement learning behaviour style when shopping for environmentally friendly house cleaners, researching product attributes for informed decision making Also, the approach towards buying beauty products could be different for a person with delicate skin or even skin-related issues. The person is more likely to get involved in the purchase process and look for products that are tailored to specific skin conditions with the help of a dermatologist or beauty specialist. That is why glossy beauty products appeal to low-involvement learning while house cleaners appeal to high-involvement learning; the consumer engagement and decision-making complexity may, however, fluctuate based on several contextual factors that they have to consider.
Underlying assumptions
Marketing agencies often use explicit types of information sources that promote sales of beauty products and house cleaners, insinuating speculative assumptions about individuals’ purchasing habits, preferences, and decision-making processes. When it comes to beauty products, marketers usually use them as their primary sources for advertising celebrity endorsements, social media influencers, and perhaps beauty bloggers, believing that customers insist on aspirational imagery, social validation, and expert recommendations in the decision-making process. In an effort to make their goods more coveted, marketers often try to associate their products with well-known celebrities who share the same values or with admired leaders in the beauty industry, which then drives consumers to showcase their new products to maintain their status and others, too. Besides, through the use of user-generated content and reviews on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, peer reviews and valid testimonies of real customers weigh a lot in shaping consumer perception and buying intent (Mayrhofer et al., 2020). However, marketers who target their house cleaner products may rely on more practical information providers like presentations on how to do it, product endorsement from cleaning experts, or influencers who know about households. According to marketers, the central aspect of the appeal is the literal advantages of a product, for example, high cleaning power and energy efficiency. So, when the product is advertised, consumers are frequently reassured that they will be happy with it as there is nothing better to offer. At the same time, the inclusion of scientific facts from known and reliable sources in the cleaning industry seems helpful in underpinning credibility and trust according to consumer issues about safety, the environment, and general value.
Reflection
We have touched upon numerous aspects of consumer behaviour in the previous sessions so that it is possible to apply the psychological, societal, and technological factors that formulate current attitudes, preferences, and purchases of modern times. The most important lesson is the extreme power of technology over the moral behaviour of customers as a result of its incorporation into the lives of people through many digital gadgets and web platforms, which have changed the way shoppers get information, analyse it, and put it into practice in the purchasing process. Through the online influence of social networks and online shopping convenience, technology has made buyers more informed than ever; they have more social connectivity and shopping options than ever before. That has redefined traditional marketing principles and created new routes of interaction and engagement. Furthermore, extending the consumer mindset towards sustainability and ethical purchasing behaviour to a new level compels brands to stay topical and to be transparent in their practices, which, to some extent, reflect the social values of ethical consumers (Gabhane et al., 2023). Above all, this trend of experiential marketing and personalized experiences reinforces the quest for authenticity, engagement, and emotional connections in the ever more saturated marketplace, inspiring brands to improve and stand out through storytelling and actual touching people.
Building upon these insights, recommendations for new opportunities in consumer behaviour for the 21st century centre around three key pillars: personalization, goals, and leadership involvement. Firstly, using data analytics and AI to suggest personalized experiences brings brands closer and clearer to consumers through understanding their preferences, behaviours, and way of life (Puntoni et al., 2021). By employing the power of data mining and the precision of machine learning algorithms, marketers can foresee customer needs, providing individual needs such as products, services, and content that relate to customers on a personal level. Lastly, marketers who stand for purpose-driven initiatives that demonstrate the company’s commitment to the environment, social responsibility, and ethics have a better chance of attracting like–minded consumers who never compromise their values when choosing brands. By actively showing the brand’s reason and effect backed with a genuine approach, companies will be able to create stronger links with consumers, leading them to support the brand by showing loyalty and advocating it as it provides benefits to society.
Moreover, consumer participation and participation in co-creating the brand experience are crucial for strengthening consumers’ confidence as collaborators and generating a sense of belonging, ownership, and community (Tajvidi et al., 2020). The consumer can participate in the brand stories by sharing their experiences or by being a part of a story in front or behind the camera. It all feels like a native habitat to belong to and creates a bond of loyalty towards the brand. This is done through interactive user-generated content campaigns, innovative storytelling, or co-design initiatives.
Conclusion
Consumers, by virtue of their complex psychological, sociocultural, and technology-oriented behaviour, have clearly illustrated that their behaviour is more than merely incentive-driven. In this increasingly difficult landscape for brands, it is highly important to give utmost priority to personalization, purpose, and active participation if they are aiming to entice a discerning consumer. By knowing how to offer customized experiences with the help of tech, supporting purpose-driven programs, and empowering the activity of consumers, brands can create meaningful connections and loyalty in the crowded marketplace. With consumer trends constantly changing, brands that are always elegant, understanding, and open-minded are well placed to capture market-leading positions as the expectations of consumers in the century 21 are shifting and evolving.
References
Agustian, K., Hidayat, R., Zen, A., Sekarini, R. A., & Malik, A. J. (2023). The Influence of Influencer Marketing in Increasing Brand Awareness and Sales for SMEs. Technology and Society Perspectives (TACIT), 1(2), 68-78.https://doi.org/10.61100/tacit.v1i2.54
Gabhane, D., Varalaxmi, P., Rathod, U., Hamida, A. G. B., & Anand, B. (2023). Digital marketing trends: Analyzing the evolution of consumer behavior in the online space. Boletin de Literatura Oral-The Literary Journal, 10(1), 462–473.https://www.boletindeliteraturaoral.com/index.php/bdlo/article/view/141
Jobirovna, A. J. (2023). Qualities of an Ideal Teacher. American Journal of Language, Literacy, and Learning in STEM Education (2993-2769), 1(10), 437-443.https://grnjournal.us/index.php/STEM/article/view/2132
Mangtani, N., Bajpai, N., Sahasrabudhe, S., & Wasule, D. (2020). Importance Of Artificial Intelligence And Augmented Reality In Cosmetic And Beauty Industry Post Covid 19. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 9(8), 2296-308.https://wjpr.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/article_issue/1596628080.pdf
Masliardi, A., Effendi, M., Ningrum, P. A., Hasnidar, H., & Mala, I. K. (2023). Digital Disruption: Exploring the Dynamics of Marketing in the Digital Age. SEIKO: Journal of Management & Business, 6(2), 421-430.https://www.journal.stieamkop.ac.id/index.php/seiko/article/view/4960
Mayrhofer, M., Matthes, J., Einwiller, S., & Naderer, B. (2020). User-generated content presenting brands on social media increases young adults’ purchase intention. International Journal of Advertising, 39(1), 166-186.https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1596447
Puntoni, S., Reczek, R. W., Giesler, M., & Botti, S. (2021). Consumers and artificial intelligence: An experiential perspective. Journal of Marketing, 85(1), 131-151.https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920953847
Tajvidi, M., Richard, M. O., Wang, Y., & Hajli, N. (2020). Brand co-creation through social commerce information sharing: The role of social media. Journal of Business Research, 121, 476-486.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.06.008
write