LEADING
consumer and shopper behaviouralist Ken Hughes is speaking at our annual
conference next week (January 24 until 27, 2016) to talk about the customer of
the future.
Ken
blends expertise in consumer psychology, social anthropology, behavioural
economics and neuromarketing to answer the question: Why do shoppers buy and
how can we make them buy more?
He
says: “The digital native of today is 35, has children and a garden. These are
not pre-family urbanites and they make up more and more of a garden centre’s
core target every day.
“The
technology shifts are of course interesting, but they are only the catalysts
for what is really happening. There is a new shopper and consumer DNA emerging,
fundamentally different from anything that has come before. The future of the
garden centre business is in the hands of this consumer generation, with all
other life-stages also heavily influenced by digital interaction.
“These
consumers are hard-wired differently. They will not react to the same stimulus
that has worked for the previous generations. It is time to future proof and
understand what this will mean for your industry and for your very survival as
a business.
“Using
a blend of social, cultural and digital anthropology, retail futurology and
global consumer behaviour shifts, it’s time to examine where this could all be
heading. If your shopper DNA is changing, don’t you think it makes sense to
examine this new blueprint to truly understand the implications to your
business?”
Ken,
who is the CEO of Glacier Consulting, is acknowledged as one of the most respected
thought leaders on Shopper Marketing and Shopper Centricity, Omnichannel &
Digital Strategy alongside Retail Futurology.
He
added: “Most organisations put the focus of an omnichannel strategy too heavily
on the available technologies – the tablets and smartphones, the apps and
social media. But technology is only ever an enabler for us to build better
connections with our shoppers and consumers. Technology itself is never what we
should be focusing on.
“The
real change is taking place in the global shifts within social and cultural
norms. There are huge differences in expectations between consumers born Before
Google (BG) and After Google (AG). As these Digital Natives (born in the 1980s)
are now entering their 30s, we are set to witness one of the biggest shifts in
global consumer behaviour, perhaps since the invention of the teenager in the
US during the 1950s.
“What
do this generation expect from life, relationships, brands and retailers? What
will they demand from a consumption and purchase experience? And most
importantly how we must prepare to meet these needs in the house, home and
garden centre business.”
As
well as running his own business, Ken is also a part-time professor in consumer
behaviour and a board member & strategic advisor to many organisations on
the future of consumerism and shopper trends.
Iain
Wylie, our Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted Ken is joining us at this
year’s conference. His consumer insight organisation, Glacier Consulting, began
life as a market research agency, but he soon identified his key area of
interest was people, not markets.
“How
humans express their desires and expectations through how and what we buy has
become his sole focus, resulting in his agency advising a global client base of
some of the world’s biggest brands - Unilever, 3M, IKEA, Coca-Cola, AXA and
Heineken to name a few.
“He
is famous for his inspiring keynote speeches, which he delivers in a
captivating and highly energetic manner, all served with a generous helping of
Irish wit!”
Our
annual conference will be held at The Grand Hotel in Brighton from January 24
until 27, 2016.
1. Barton Grange Garden Centre
