REI has gotten it right.
Managers at the company have demonstrated that they know the company’s target market. Last week REI announced that its stores will not be open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Instead the company is encouraging its customers to go outdoors and enjoy the day with their friends and family. REI recommends its employees do the same. All REI employees are getting paid for the day even though they won’t be working. Yes, REI is giving employees Black Friday off and a day’s pay, too.
Although this shocks the retail world, REI management thinks its target market will embrace the move. Rather than fighting crowds at REI for Black Friday specials, customers will be taking deep breaths of fresh air. After all, that’s what customers shop at REI to do. They buy equipment at REI to enjoy time outdoors. They want solutions to their equipment problems so that they can have outdoor adventures. They come to REI to get advice and recommendations from trusted salespeople.
REI salespeople are an important part of customers’ experience. The staff are long-term employees and outdoor enthusiasts who sell from their personal knowledge and adventures. Management works to win the hearts and minds of employees with generosity and consideration. This is done by following an employee-first policy that includes health coverage, generous discounts, paid days off to get outside, and work/life balance.
Management makes employees’ emotional states a priority. This appeals to a target market that wants attached meaning and shared values by the businesses they frequent. Managers understand this because they have an accurate profile of their company’s target market. They know customers’ psychographics and lifestyle choices. They know customers want REI employees to have time to be outdoors. Thus, the Black Friday opportunity for employees to be outdoors appeals to customers.
Do you understand what appeals to your business’s target market? Do you know your customers’ psychographics and lifestyle choices? Do you know your customers’ values and to what they attach meaning?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is How do you use your understanding of your target market in planning your marketing? E-mail me your answer.
Managers at the company have demonstrated that they know the company’s target market. Last week REI announced that its stores will not be open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Instead the company is encouraging its customers to go outdoors and enjoy the day with their friends and family. REI recommends its employees do the same. All REI employees are getting paid for the day even though they won’t be working. Yes, REI is giving employees Black Friday off and a day’s pay, too.
Although this shocks the retail world, REI management thinks its target market will embrace the move. Rather than fighting crowds at REI for Black Friday specials, customers will be taking deep breaths of fresh air. After all, that’s what customers shop at REI to do. They buy equipment at REI to enjoy time outdoors. They want solutions to their equipment problems so that they can have outdoor adventures. They come to REI to get advice and recommendations from trusted salespeople.
REI salespeople are an important part of customers’ experience. The staff are long-term employees and outdoor enthusiasts who sell from their personal knowledge and adventures. Management works to win the hearts and minds of employees with generosity and consideration. This is done by following an employee-first policy that includes health coverage, generous discounts, paid days off to get outside, and work/life balance.
Management makes employees’ emotional states a priority. This appeals to a target market that wants attached meaning and shared values by the businesses they frequent. Managers understand this because they have an accurate profile of their company’s target market. They know customers’ psychographics and lifestyle choices. They know customers want REI employees to have time to be outdoors. Thus, the Black Friday opportunity for employees to be outdoors appeals to customers.
Do you understand what appeals to your business’s target market? Do you know your customers’ psychographics and lifestyle choices? Do you know your customers’ values and to what they attach meaning?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is How do you use your understanding of your target market in planning your marketing? E-mail me your answer.
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