Huntresses and Gatherers: Are You Meeting Their Needs AND Yours?
Huntresses and Gatherers: Are You Meeting Their Needs AND Yours?
Newly released research from the UK's University of Exeter, funded by Barclays Bank, affects everyone providing services to the public.
According to these findings, customers use one of the two personality types while making purchases.
When 50 percent of the population ventures out into public, they are characterized as hunters. They have a clear goal in mind, are laser-focused on the work at hand, and will not budge from their course of action. They will abandon the quest and go elsewhere that meets their wants more readily if you make the "shopping" experience too hard for them. The gender ratio of males to females in this demographic is, unsurprisingly, higher.
Gatherers, who make up the other half of the population, take pleasure in going shopping and perusing stores in search of unique things. They consider "shopping" to be a pleasurable part of life and love chatting with your team members. This group comprises around 60% of all female consumers.
The art of retailing lies in creating a space that caters to both kinds of customers. Many businesses cater to a certain demographic quite effectively, but fall short when it comes to serving the other half of the population.
Successfully Assisting Hunters
The layout of your store should be designed with hunters in mind, so they can quickly traverse it. As visitors make their way around your store, they anticipate clear directional signage and the prominent labeling of important categories.
Unless you do something special, they probably won't even recognize they're in your store. They want solutions to their direct queries and aren't seeking for a relationship talk when they contact your service team.
Achieving Satisfaction for Gatherers
Discovering things within your business is a joy for gatherers. Their enjoyment of discovering things as they explore your store often makes them not read signage, as they enjoy browsing.
Your promotional activities will captivate them and encourage them to participate.
They prefer a comprehensive experience when it comes to service. Their expectations for your team members include excellent communication skills, product knowledge, and the ability to strike up conversations.
They will likely depart dissatisfied if they feel unimportant or if your staff members disregard their requests for more detailed information.
Every One of Us Is Unique
Having to shop with other hunters and gatherers is a pain in the neck for everyone involved. When a hunter becomes bored with a gatherer who is having fun, how often does the hunter try to end the experience?
Can you, as a store owner, do anything? Offering refreshments like coffee or tea might be really helpful in this situation. How frequently do you come across stories where the hunter is satisfied with their quest and may relax with a cup of coffee, while the gatherer continues to amuse themselves uncovering new items?
Some businesses' "Think and Drink" coffee tokens have worked wonders in this regard.
When two hunters and gatherers are at the store together, a "tuned" salesperson can tell them apart.
While the gatherer continues to gather, they will offer the hunter a free cup of coffee so that he can relax.
Our habits change as consumers as well. When I'm shopping for produce or reading books about company management or gardening, I find myself in the role of a gatherer, but when it comes to purchasing holiday gifts, I find myself in the role of a hunter. Our initial interests shape many of our purchasing behaviors.
Adopt a Method of Subsistence Gathering
Businesses that consistently perform well are aware of the existence of two distinct types of customers, and they design their stores accordingly. And most crucially, they teach their staff to recognize the two distinct customer traits and cater to each one accordingly.
Your success can be determined by two key variables.
Consider first your plan for signage. Hunters shouldn't have to worry or seek a member of staff for help finding their way around your store if you have a clear and simple signage plan. The world's airports are masters at this; following the signs will lead you from the parking lot to your airline seat, frequently without interacting with a single person.
Second, the way your team interacts with customers can significantly impact your success.
Questions like "Where is the ….." are common among hunters. They are seeking a precise response. They will be quite impressed with your customer service skills if you can respond to this question efficiently.
In contrast, gatherers tend to avoid asking "open" inquiries like "where," "what," "who," and "how" when initiating a discussion and instead opt for more conversational approaches, like saying something like, "You have a lovely shop, I was looking for... ". It would be impolite to respond directly in this case, and you risk losing the customer.
The consumer is anticipating a dialogue in this scenario. Salespeople still want you to know a lot about the items they're selling, but today they also want you to know entertaining anecdotes and tales about those products. What they really want is for your team member to care about them and take an interest in who they are.
Keep in mind that among your teammates, you'll find both hunters and gatherers.
People who work as gatherers should get instruction on how to recognize hunters and how to converse with them. Identifying gatherers and communicating well with them are two skills that hunters will require training.
Gatherers may feel rude approaching hunters, who may feel the same way about them, and hunters may feel the same way about the consumer's and their time, making this an uphill battle.
What Comes Next?
Is your store set up to meet the demands of both demographics?
Are both groups' needs met by your signage?
Is there a way for your team to communicate with both types of customers?
The architecture of many establishments is centered toward gathering, while hunters are frequently overlooked. Even hunters are users, and if they're satisfied, they can help your company expand.
No way!
Post a Comment for " Huntresses and Gatherers: Are You Meeting Their Needs AND Yours?"