In a recent edition of Fast Company, writer Josh Allan Dykstra addresses a problem facing most businesses (and our clients) - the buying habits of Millennials.
Compared to previous generations, he writes, Millennials don’t seem to enjoy purchasing things, that people are not shopping to "own" things, they are purchasing because:
- Of what they can do with them (so make sure your product or service makes their lives better);
- Of what they can tell friends about the product or service (perhaps sales is more about building a community than “selling” a product);
- Of what it says about them (make sure your product or service connects people to something bigger than themselves).
Blueport Commerce's eCommerce Manager Caroline Platkiewicz (herself a Millennial), was perhaps most direct in a recent article in which she describes her generation as:
- Expecting things to be easy, and have limited patience for things that are more complicated than they need to be;
- Valuing individualism and seeking treatment as unique individuals. Mass marketing and the idea of buying what everyone else does is not appealing;
- Relying on tech in nearly all aspects of daily life, and more importantly, expecting things to function elegantly and provide great user experiences;
- Admiring and craving simplicity;
- Demanding you be online to interact with you on their terms. Online is most comfortable for them, and expected. From staying in touch with Grandma, to purchasing our groceries, to banking, to dating – online.
Similarly, PBM Strategic Insights & Research recently reported, specifically about furniture shopping:
- The amount of time Millennials are willing to wait for delivery of furniture is also short. For those buying furniture online, nearly half of Millennials want it within one to two weeks, and 13% want the product within less than a week or even the day they buy it;
- Millennials research and buy home furnishings very quickly. The majority of this generation, currently ages 18 to 35, spends only one week to research bedroom and dining case goods, mattresses, area rugs, wall décor and lamps and lighting products before purchasing;
- That furniture shoppers stay only three to four minutes on a furniture store website;
- That in 2016 four out of 10 furniture shoppers used a mobile phone to shop furniture websites during May through June of this year, and 14% used a tablet.
