THE PAIN OF NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD THINGS IS CHRONIC

The pain of not being able to afford things is chronic. It’s part of a constellation of problems, curtailed life opportunities, humiliations and social exclusions. Some consumers, especially in adulthood, cope by turning away from categories that they entirely cannot afford. But over time, being excluded from having nice things leaves a scar, especially when the visible nice-ness of things, that is, aesthetics, becomes more important with every passing year.

When people are economically hard-up, consumer culture offers very few opportunities to feel special, or important, or even that they exist. Pampers are good for most people’s babies, but not for your baby.”

Not every consumer is affluent and countries vary in their economic stability and development. Yet people need laundry detergent, a phone for communication, transport, food, and all these things that we marketers and brand owners are happy to expend resources refining and polishing into nice brands for richer people.

Starting from a position that people at all income levels deserve to feel socially included and have access to the things they need, new book “Using Semiotics in Retail” offers practical guidance on how to make retail and shopping better for: people on lower incomes; owner-managers of small stores; designers and marketers who are working with small budgets.

That’s in addition to all the advice you’d expect about premium and luxury brands.

“Using Semiotics in Retail” is out 3 February. Available worldwide: Amazon and all good bookstores. Available for pre-order now, with 20% off if you place your order through publisher Kogan Page. I’ll post the url and the discount code in the comments, below.

#inclusivity #consumers #retail #shopping #consumerinsights #research #mrx #semiotics #developingcountries #design #marketing Lawes Consulting Ltd Naurin Rashid Kogan Page Natasha Tulett Muchaneta Kapfunde
The book is out on 3 February 2022, available worldwide from Amazon, publishers koganpage dot com, and all good booksellers.

Get your pre-order discount. 20% off when you use the code KOGANPAGE20 at https://lnkd.in/dyzyK5cW