Consumption Climate

There is a change in the climate towards robust consumption, and this will continue leading India to higher growth. But why is there a change in the climate? And why are we moving towards positive robust consumption climate change?

The best way to answer these questions is to observe your own family’s and friends’ consumption behaviour, where you will notice a change for the positive.

When there are worries and apprehensions, consumers hold back consumption. But, when anxiety disappears, consumption reappears. This is the case today.

Yes, there is a climate change towards positive robust consumption.

Consumption is what consumers do. This consumer behaviour defines whether there is growth or decline in consumption. Consumer behaviour is influenced by many factors, which could be tangible as well as intangible in India. Today, both these factors are encouraging consumer behaviour to consume.

Brand marketers map consumers’ needs and are sensitive to trends. This can encourage higher consumption. Mapping consumers is the first step to defining the target audience and offering relevant brands to the right consumer segments, ensuring positive consumption. Without mapping consumers, segmentation is missed, and so is consumption.

If you want your brand to be consumed and desire a positive consumption climate change, you need to map the consumers.

Many marketers make the mistake of not using a segmentation strategy. They often end up offering the wrong audience the wrong products or wrong services. My brand mantra is:

Mapping consumers helps in segmentation, persuading, and encouraging relevant consumption.

There are many brand marketers who struggle when the consumption climate is not conducive to increasing sales. These brand marketers have not set their mind to identifying a gap in the market.

Like in cricket, you need to find a gap to secure your boundary, even if it is between two fielders. This depends on the skill, technique, and temperament of the batsman.

Similarly, in brand marketing, finding the gap helps create a consumption climate that increases sales. There could be a:

• Need gap
• Time gap
• Image gap
• Availability gap
• Price gap

To encourage and build the consumption climate for your brand, you need to identify a gap in the market and develop brand strategies to fill that gap and satisfy consumers. By doing this, you can create a consumption climate that benefits consumers while ensuring company profitability.

Once you have the map and identify the gap, you need to tap the market. Only then will you be able to create a climate for consumption and induce positive climate change. This could happen through:

• Sales & distribution
• Availability & accessibility
• Sales presentations & convincing consumers

But it must happen. If you create consumption change and do not participate in it, or fail to use positive sentiment, you could lose opportunities.

Tapping the market means reaching out to consumers to induce a desire to consume. You cannot shut down due to lack of availability or persuasion. Proactive measures should be taken to increase sales, rather than relying on reactive marketing, which could be ineffective.

Climate change does not happen automatically. It happens when something wrong is avoided or something right is done. Similarly, positive consumption climate change requires marketers to take initiatives, move forward, and make things happen, rather than just waiting for things to happen.

When anxiety disappears, when fear is eliminated, when apprehensions clear, the sun of hope emerges, leading to a positive climate change for the consumer.

Good brand marketing practices encourage positive consumption climate change, whereas bad brand marketing practices discourage it.

Changing the consumption climate in favour of your brand is in your hands—based on what you do, or what you avoid doing.

Just blaming the environment is not a strategy; encouraging a positive consumption climate is the way forward.