Retailers are facing an unprecedented challenge to find new ways to connect with their consumers. Ken Hughes our Consumer Behaviouralist shares his insights on how to adapt to the shifting sands in his keynote talk:
“The Captive Post Covid 19 Consumer”
Ken Hughes is now acknowledged as being one of the world’s leading authorities on consumer and shopper behaviour, internationally renowned for helping his lar
gely blue-chip client base to understand the future of consumerism.
With over 18 years’ experience as CEO of a consumer insight agency, he blends his understanding of consumer & cyber psychology, digital anthropology, behavioural economics and retail futurology to explore the needs of the new consumer and predict the changes to come.
Ken advises some of the biggest brands in the world on customer experience, omnichannel strategy, shopper marketing, retail trends, the millennial and Gen Z shopper and the peer-to-peer economy. As an accomplished author, TED speaker, part-time university professor and actor, his performances are not only insightful and thought-provoking, but are infamous for their sheer energy, entertainment and passion, not to mention his generous Irish wit.
As a behaviouralist and life strategist, he is also passionate about change, success, personal development and motivation, which he brings to life in his work with high performance athletes and executives all over the world.
Every year, Ken shares his thought-disrupting insight with tens of thousands of delegates globally, as one of the most popular keynote speakers booked on the international conference circuit relating to the future of consumerism. Regularly voted best speaker at events to which he is invited to speak, he believes in engaging and delighting event attendees at every opportunity.
World’s leading Consumer & Shopper Behaviouralist.
In every crisis and change there is significant opportunity…. don’t be the victim of change, be the victor.
“Ken is an energetic, thought-provoking speaker. I’ve had Ken speak at two Google events now and Ken
has scored higher than any other speaker I’ve ever had before, lasting a long time in the memories of
the delegates” Fiona Jones – Google EMEA
Webinar or Live Speech:
The Captive Economy – The Re-awakening – The Post Covid 19 Consumer
We have been discussing Disruption for the last 20 years. Most of it has been technologically driven, with some industries (travel agents, print magazines, movie rental stores) disrupted to the point of non-existence. Disruption brings change, and only the fittest survive.
The pandemic and arising Captive Economy brought us one of the biggest non-technical disruptions of our generation. Social and behavioural norms have been reshaped, meaning that consumer, and indeed societal values, are shifting. It is a foolish business that does not prepare for change when values start to shift. We need to find new ways to communicate, new ways to pivot, new ways to stay relevant.
What does our post Covid-19 consumer now value? How can we deliver on these values post sheltering/lock-down, and what do consumers want from ‘business as usual’? Will there ever be an ‘as usual’ again? What will the next 6 weeks, 6 months and 2 years look like and what do we need to do now to prepare, survive and thrive?
In this speech, we explore the new values of the Captive Economy consumer and how these values have changed what they expect from brands and business as a whole. This is a revaluation of consumer values, and learning how to best leverage these new values for your business success.
Understanding the psychology of captivity taught us about consumer expectations during the sheltering, and how the new values of Health, Collaboration, Community, Freedom and Digital First needed to be inherent aspects of what your business delivers now and over the next 12 months.
Emerging into a new post-Covid economy, the re-awakening, isn’t just about re-opening businesses. It is a reawakening of what consumers expect from the brands they do business with.
When hard times are over, businesses that invested in relationships always win. This isn’t about getting through another month or two – this is about digging the strongest foundation you will ever have for brand advocacy and loyalty into the future.
Some of Ken’s quotes from this speech
“Consumers are scared, uncertain, fearful. The brands and businesses that step into that space and offer authentic certainty and belonging will win”
“In times of uncertainty, it is natural for humans to seek active attachment, to ‘attach’ themselves to known entities. Get this right, and it brings a level of brand loyalty and advocacy it may have taken a lifetime to generate”
“Humanizing the customer experience has never been more important. Good CX isn’t just about convenience but about connection. Digital may give us the efficiency but the genuine connection now comes from the empathetic human touch. This is about Silicon and Soul.”
“Each phase of the economic reawakening brings new opportunity. The brands and businesses that are just waiting to ‘catch the wave they remember’ will not grow in a post-pandemic world. The sands will keep shifting in terms of consumer expectations and so we need to shift with them”
3 Key learnings
Be proactive in terms of empathy and learn to ‘sell’ without selling. This is not the time to lead with a commercial message. Connections must be genuine and needs based as opposed to marketing or commercially led.
Learn to embed the new values within your product/service proposition and reflect them back to consumers within your communications. Values shift over time and unless you mirror them back to consumers and prospects, your relevance will start to slip.
How to weave agility into your consumer proposition to ensure you not only stay relevant but continue to resonate with what consumers want, as that shifts.
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