Corporations that cater to the every day consumer are always looking for business-smart ways to stand out and become more noticeable. They may choose to do this by offering a product or service that is so amazing that it creates a consumer buzz. Or, maybe they choose to stand out by offering massive savings on their product or service just to get new customers and keep the old ones. Whichever route they choose, the end goal is to make their name a possible household name for consumers. They want to be sure to stand out.
Think about this: Have you ever asked for a “Coke” in a restaurant instead of asking for a soft drink? Or maybe your kids have asked for “Corn Flakes” before when they really want a bowl of cereal. Name recognition like this is what most companies dream of having happen with their merchandise. They want to have you come to their product when you think of the name. They want to stand out.
In this age of Internet-savvy consumers, there is still competition for customer dollars when it comes to Internet search engines, keywords and rankings. Everyone wants to get to the stop, stay at the top and have consumers refer to them over and over again when it comes to their product or service. Creating a consumer buzz about a company’s merchandise takes careful planning, strategic marketing and perhaps even an outstanding product, although not always. However, in some instances, the product alone is not necessarily what attracts the consumer. Rather, in some cases it is the choices that are offered to consumers that keep them coming back for more. Wondering what and how? When consumers are presented with choices on how they can spend their consumer dollars, they feel more in control, more open. They like deciding which way to spend their dollars on broader choices rather than being given a couple of choices and then told which way to spend.
The buzz that companies want to create with consumers is getting them to talk about their experiences and to share those experiences with someone else. Most companies have achieved that goal when it comes to certain aspects of their company. Take for instance the movie rental company, Netflix. Netflix offers their customers multiple choices on a myriad of available movies to choose from for their viewing preferences. Netflix boasts a library of over 100,000 movies in stock. All genres are available for most every consumer’s taste and style choices. It is conceivable that almost every type of customer can be satisfied with the movies made available through Netflix. Compare this freedom of choice to the traditional brick-and-mortar companies like Lou’s Movie Rental or the Movie Gallery and you will notice a marked difference. You will see that these chain movie houses offer incredibly limited choices that can send customers leaving the store shaking their head in disappointment, or worst, settling for any available movie on the shelf. The business model that Netflix has and the way that they market to the public is what has made them so instantly famous and almost a household name. Also, don’t forget the added convenience that Netflix offers by bringing your selected movies right to your front door. That also makes it very hard to compete with them in customer satisfaction.
Customers that seek specific products want to be able to find what they need without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Limited choices can do this and can help businesses to lose customers. Companies like Netflix and those that cater to the every day consumer are diligent in their efforts to offer choices, and varied choices, to the consumer and keep their dollars coming back. Instead of the customer settling, they have control over their decision. Netflix and those that follow that type of business model are strong in consumer relations and can look forward to profitable relationships. When large corporations make their services readily available to the average consumer, they are establishing a solid customer base that spawns loyalty, faithfulness and the coveted word-of-mouth advertising that so many companies simply dream about.
