WHY IS EMPATHY THE ULTIMATE HACK FOR CRACKING CONSUMER MINDS?

Alfred Adler was born in the year 1870 to a Jewish couple on the western fringes of Vienna, one of the two capitals of Austria-Hungary. He was a fairly average student as a teenager, albeit with a quirk - his rivalry with his elder brother Sigmund.

Due to regular bouts with illness, coupled with witnessing his younger brother dying by his side, he decided to become a physician. He realized that he was very interested in the subjects of philosophy, sociology, and psychology.

The boy, once barely surviving in his early childhood, went on to work with Sigmund Freud and became the then president of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society by 1910. Spearheading a movement contrary to Freud’s, Adler’s approach to personality kept empathy at the forefront.

‘Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the eyes of another, and feeling with the heart of another’

A concept foreign to humans just over a century ago, empathy is taking the throne as the most resonant feeling for a brand in the volatile markets of today. Pairing it with the rise of Gen Z and Alpha on the global stage of spending influences, brands are out on a war footing to resonate as deep as possible, and this is exactly where Consumer Empathy Mapping comes into play.

So what is Consumer Empathy Mapping?

Consumer empathy mapping was first introduced by Dave Gray back in 2010. Gray, the co-founder of XPLANE, unveiled the concept of empathy maps in a book he wrote called ‘Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers’.

Growing alongside the advent of 4G mobile connectivity and creator economy, customer maps provide a keyhole view inside a consumer’s experience wants, needs, desires, and more importantly, an insight into what they want right now in retail experience.

Solving the puzzle that is human

Have you ever heard a boomer, also called an elder for our polite readers, go on a rant about how back in their day, $2 would get them groceries for the week, a full tank of gas, movie tickets for 3, a 5-course meal, and they’d still be left within $1?

It’s true so to speak, considering the times that we live in, our tie being defined by utter disinformation, financial stress, and environmental pressures adding on to, which is already, the most anxious generation yet.

Every challenge is essentially an opportunity in disguise. As a brand, your job now is to identify these stresses and offer a solution in the form of a curated retail experience that eases their burden - a reasonably priced sustainable alternative.

‘Impartialists’ is a section that wants truth, and nothing but the truth. Your brand can fill in the void by positioning itself as the ‘only honest choice’ througj incorporating these ideals in its retail experience strategy, which promotes transparency and fosters trust.

Minimalist, a popular cosmetic brand, managed a successful brand identity playing around the ideals of no-nonsense retail experience, which extended to their messaging, as well as their packaging and the name. Instead of skimping out on the quality of their raw materials and focusing on a bloated marketing campaign, they took a completely different approach by actually investing in the best raw ingredients and clever marketing, which essentially led to a potential market valuation of $300 million as of August 2024.

Emotion Forecasting

Malcolm X once said ‘future belongs to those who prepare for it today’, and it brings us to the other half of the first point.

Consumer Empathy Mapping is more, much more than a glorified stethoscope for strategists. It is also a brilliant retail experience forecasting tool that works. As Gen Z and alphas are generating more and more spending capacity, coupled with research that said 80% of young Americans do take a brand’s mission and vision into account, the retail experience must reflect more than just lip service to the ideals resonated by their consumers.

Consumers vote with their wallets and have a clear B.S. indicator within them. They’re not out for just another gimmick to fall for but are looking for something authentic.

A brand should look into devising long-term retail experiences that genuinely incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts, mental health initiatives, and sustainable development.

Do ask this question “Is your brand view on sustainability strong enough to withstand scrutiny, or is your brand jumping on a trend, later to dissociate from it?’

Find The Trend Trail

It’s not nearly enough to be a book that tells your consumers their favorite story. Be the mirror, show them THEM.

This sentiment was uncovered in a study conducted, which said that the consumers of today expect the retail experience to be coherent with their lived experience. Slang, as well as pop culture references, play a huge role in it. However, there is a very fine line between clever and cringe _ it is important to speak their language, but any straying could potentially lead to alienation and a subpar retail experience.

Seemingly separate industries of fashion, food, and tech are converging and making one overarching industry, aptly named lifestyle.

Look at your favorite streetwear brand hopping on a trend and making ‘iced–out’ crowbars, or the way Nike makes ‘friends-and-family’ sneakers exclusively for their partners, but a YouTuber with 600k followers values them at $18000.

Lasting Impressions

In a world that shifts faster than Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious, brands can’t bank on a moment in time, but a relationship with their customers, and Consumer Empathy Mapping within retail experience strategy makes it possible.

The real question is - Is your brand ready to embrace empathy as the driving force of their strategy?