Where are we heading?

Yesterday we felt like our group was stuck with it's progress. We felt like we had tried to research the different customer groups, but did not have any actual data and thought that these were only our own subjective ideas. Also it seemed that we were lacking a clear goal to work towards, and that we were not moving forward.

On yesterday's meeting we went trough the research  Florian and Emma had posted last week. We all studied the Soncas tool and the seven ways to form tribes, and we found this very helpful and inspirational. We also thought it might be useful to look at Sokos Wiklund's values and persona, so that we could use them as a criteria when we are choosing the customer group we want to focus in. We came up with this idea, because in our opinion the values and persona of Wiklund need to be aligned with the values and persona of the customers they wish to target. 

We decided to move forward with this project by still focusing on the different tribes. Till next time, we are trying to find different tribes in the Turku region within the group of "working-age" men and women. After we have found enough groups, we are going to pick the most relevant ones (on Wiklund's point of view), and start analyzing them with the Soncas tool, and developing the "minimum viable product"and value for them. 

Till next time, happy researching guys!

-Eveliina 

Tribal marketing

I found an article about the tribal marketing.

Tribal Marketing: How do you engage with customer tribes?

http://www.mycustomer.com/topic/customer-experience/tribal-marketing-how-do-you-engage-customer-tribes

Main information: 

Tribes are changing the way that businesses interact with consumers.
Customers are traditionally viewed as isolated in marketing but in fact, they are increasingly joining tribes to share and express their passions.

What impact on the consumption?
- In their quest for identity, belonging, expression and liberation, consumers value goods for their ability to link them to others.
- Brands can try to create a platform, an online place that is user-friendly and promotes democratic interactions but also create a set of rules for consumers to be able to engage on that platform.

The companies have to include the value of the tribe they target in their marketing strategies and choices. People have to feel that they are concerning by the value diffusing by the brand. Marketers have to allow users to tell stories about themselves. Thus, brands have to engage with the tribe.
Now tribes are a part of the social landscape and organizations will need to learn to engage with them if they have to be competitive.

Today, the growth of the tribal behavior is due to the high degree of maturation and penetration of the technology (specifically the internet) in the society.




I think these information can be useful for the project concerning Wiklund.

Emma Britto 

Researches about how find tribes

1. The SONCAS tool

When you prepare an interview negotiation, it is necessary to know what kind of persons you will meet and their purchase motivation. It allows you to have knowledge about their needs, behaviors and what they make us buy your products.

The tool we used to use is the “SONCAS” which is a French acronym for:

- Sécurité = Sécurity

The client needs to be reassured. He is looking for the utility of the product and do not like the “gadget” aspect.

- Orgueil = Pride

The client needs to receive a positive image for his ego. The consumer looks for an up-market product or a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

- Nouveauté = Novelty/Technology

The customer needs innovation and really likes to own the latest novelties and technologies.

- Confort = Comfort

The customer research physical or psychological comfort (in this case, it can be closed to the security motivation).

- Argent = Money

The customer is looking for a very low price or the best price/quality ratio.

- Sympathie = Sympathy

The customer needs a positive emotional feeling concerning a cause or people. Indeed, the customers will be sensitive to the services offered or the behaviors of the sales force. These kinds of customers base their purchase on the relationship they have with the store and employees.

This system was invented to know what drives a person to buy good. This technique is used by seller to find what a buyer is craving to make him buy the product.

It can help us to know what kinds of motivation can have the different consumers.

2. Seven ways to develop customer tribes

We found an article which proposes different types of market segmentation we can use to empower your own tribe. We selected those which seemed useful and relevant for our group.

• Passions

It is about a group of customers who is already passionate about something and share this common passion. They are interesting about a product if it corresponds to what they like and what interest them.

Delivering content that’s specific and relevant to that theme is a great way to generate a bigger audience of others who are also passionate about the subject.

• Generational Dynamics

Each generation has specific wants, needs and value systems. So marketers and retailers have to address them differently because these differences between generations.

• Life Events

They are groups of customer where synergy and passion are created around a specific life event.

The key to selecting a life event is to discover something that becomes part of how people will define themselves as a result of going through the experience.

• Life Stage

All people go through a series of life stages as they mature, and while they are in each stage they have unique perspectives and needs based on the life events that typically occur at each life stage.

• Product choices

We have to wonder which products a customer is used to buy and has shown loyalty toward. Typically, the product a customer buys tells you something about him or her and gives insight into how you can add value to his or her life.

How social networks can allow us to gather information about the tribes?

In order to find a tool to discover a tribe, we had tried firstly to define this term. The website «yourdictionnary.com » gives this definition: ”(...) a group of people, or a community with similar values or interests, a group with a common ancestor, or a common leader.” So it's not about physical characteristics as age, sex but about values.

After this information, we realized the social media allow finding a lot of information on people interests and values. Indeed, on these websites people published what they think, what they like or dislike, so it is really interesting to have many information about the customers. And this gave us an idea of what are their interests and motivation.

It will be interesting to do research on what people talk about currently: which subjects, which trends? But how can we find it?

For instance on the social media Twitter you can find some example of tendencies in the left lower part. Indeed, you can see what the most popular topics are worldwide.

We have also read on an article published in January 2014 on the French website ”Le Parisien”, that the social media Facebook will also use this service which highlight the most popular subjects.

Also on social media as Facebook or Twitter you can find some groups or pages about some really different subjects that people can join. These allow gathering people to one subject. Thus, we thought that it will be interesting to do researches on the most popular groups/pages on these social media.
For instance the website Statista gives the most popular Facebook pages in September 2014.

These tools will give us some information about the trends, the people interests and so allow us to discover some tribes of customers.

Sources:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-ways-to-develop-customer-tribes-for-your-business/

http://www.statista.com/statistics/269304/international-brands-on-facebook-by-number-of-fans/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-ways-to-develop-customer-tribes-for-your-business/

http://www.leparisien.fr/flash-actualite-high-tech/comme-twitter-facebook-affichera-les-sujets-les-plus-populaires-16-01-2014-3500841.php#xtref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.fr%2F

Emma & Florian

Service Safari Helga

A busy day at work. With little time to spare during my lunch I decided to go shopping for the make-up products that had ran out the other day. I was in a hurry so I expected to get quality service, quickly. That wasn't exactly the way it panned out. Once in the store, no one approached me to ask if I needed help. To make matters worse, I saw 5! salesmen (women) chatting with eachother in a circle, ignoring the customers. They have a good range of products but the service, which I badly needed because of the hurry I was in, wasn't any good. It was also really hard to get around in the store trying to find the products I was looking for.

Six ways technology is changing the way we shop

 Here are some of the changes we'll soon all experience:

Transparent screens
Storefront windows will become interactive, revolutionising the architecture of high streets. Instead of simply displaying goods, these screens will enable shoppers to see entire catalogues, forthcoming offers and new ranges by tapping a fingers on the glass – even when the shop is closed. These new transparent screens, recently developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will also allow for a wider viewing angle and video footage. They can also be installed as dressing room mirrors, supplying useful information about products without obstructing the customer's view.

Hologram departments
Because of the relative ease of creating and installing holograms and augmented reality technology, such devices will soon be commonplace. Holograms in changing rooms will enable shoppers to try on clothes without the need to get undressed. Smart glasses will also allow shoppers to use hologram technology to assess whether certain foods contain ingredients to which they might be allergic.

Holograms can also save retailers space: there will be no need for mannequins, shelves and racks. Technology will allow for virtual, eye-catching displays as well as constantly changing sale items in specific areas of the shop floor. For example, if you choose a dress, there will be a hologram image of a must-have accessory item that will match it perfectly.

Connected shelves
Floor space is limited. Commuters in particular don't want to buy and carry home their shopping after a hard day in the office. This is why a South Korean trial in Homeplus supermarket is so exciting. Next to a Seoul train station, people scan QR codes on "smart" shelves with theirmobile phones, buy the products with a single click and then order a delivery time – without touching a physical item.

But such technology can go even further. Mondelez International recently experimented with sensors on smart shelves, using technology developed by Microsoft for its Kinect gaming tool, to track the age and gender of passing shoppers so that offers can be instantly displayed to match the assumed desires of that demographic.

Robot revolution
Advances in robotics will mean both greater efficiency within the retail sector and also a greater need for properly trained staff with true brand enthusiasm. For example, AndyVision, a robot developed as a joint venture between Carnegie Mellon University and Intel, can create an inventory of products in real time, marketing them in-store and making one-off promotions. There's also an American pizzeria that uses a replica human robot to promote its products. But these aren't advances to be feared in terms of staffing; although the shopping process will become more mechanised, it will mean human interaction will be even more valuable.

Speed Shopping
The smartest navigation tools won't be in the car but in your pocket. For example, the kind of cognitive technology possessed by IBM's artificial intelligence robot, Watson. You'll soon walk into the supermarket, having input your shopping list on a mobile app, which will then link to instorebeacons (technology that can pinpoint your location instore). Within seconds, you'll be sent a map of the store and the order in which you can pick up your desired goods in as short a time as possible, knowing where the queues are, which aisles are congested and if any products are close to selling out.

Personalised prices
Some stores will no longer have public pricing. Instead, vast instore data mines will know all they can about an individual – where they shop, what they buy, their income and brand loyalty, and then use that profile and purchase history to give the customer a better deal. Safeway supermarket has just begun a trial in the US: the Just For U scheme leverages all this cloud-based material to create individually tailored pricing, making shopping an more meaningful experience.

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/jun/25/six-ways-technology-changing-shopping

//Daniela

Alex service safari

Alex is 29 year old, young worker. He works in an office so he needs to dress nicely. He often goes to this shop because they have a large variety of clothing, shoes and cosmetics. The male clothes are situated on the second floor and there he usually finds everything he needs. He is looking for clothes that are stylish and fashionable so that he can where them to work. The clothes he is buying can be a bit expensive but he´s ok with that because  the quality of the clothes is good.

If he´s lucky he can find something in the sales area at the first floor but he thinks it´s a bit messy there and a lot of people. Something else that he noted was that there wasn´t anyone to ask for help at the second floor. There was just two cashiers that were busy. 

//Daniela

Viki User Safari

Viki is a 24 years old students. He really likes this shop because he can find everything he needs. He likes to be trendy and in Sokos he can find a lot of cosmetics products, clothes and shoes. The clothes are gathered by brand in little area which have their own atomspheres, so he really likes to discover different kind of clothes. There are products for men and women which is a good thing because he got a girlfriend and so he can found gifts for her.

There is some products put in sales which is a really good thing, because he is a student and save some money is still nice.

He likes also have fun as do sports or read books and there are a lot of proucts for this : sport clothes and accessories, books, CD. Also he can take a break in a Coffee with these friends.

Neverthless, Viki got some troubles with the organization of the warehouse. He doesn't know where he can go to pay because there are same cashiers for differents products, for instance one for the sport and cultural areas. Also there are not a lot of salemen so he can be hard to find some informations. These make him lose time and he doesn't like it. Secondly, there are a lot of products for women and he doesn't understand why. For instance there are not a lot of products for men put in sales.

Florian.

User Safari - Per (67 years old)

 

Per find it is complicate to move inside the store because of the narrow walk paths and because there are many persons in Sokos. Nevertheless, there are escalators and elevators which allow Per to go easily through the different floors. Indeed, he has not to take the stairs all the time which is a good point because he can be sometimes tired. Moreover, the elevators are easily to access when he enters in the store.

All the products for the men (clothes, shoes, underwear etc…) are gathered in the second floor so Per can find the products he needs on the same area easily. He finds it will be better if he could find more products for men because the majority of them are for women.

Sometimes Per goes to Sokos to find gifts for his grandchildren or his family, so he looks for other products than for him. He thinks Sokos is a nice place to find a gift because there are many products in the same area and he can have a wide choice.

Nevertheless, he noted that there is a bad organization of the store. Indeed, it is hard to find the products that he is looking for because he does not really understand how the shop fitting works. The areas are not really separated and it is difficult to know who the products family or brand is.

Per noted also that it is complicate to find a salesman in the store so when he needs help, it is hard for him to find someone who can give him some advices or answers to his questions. Nevertheless he finds it is easy to pay in the store because of the presence of many checkouts (around 4 per floor).

Emma Britto