One of my richest experiences as a consumer comes from my childhood trips to Trakai, a small historic town in Lithuania with beautiful nature, adorable architecture and truly peaceful atmosphere. Additionally to its rich history, Trakai is famous for its local pastries kibinai, which are offered in nearly every restaurant of the town. As you can imagine, pastry competition must be high! When I was a kid, by word of mouth my family learned about an elderly lady, who was living near an old synagogue and sometimes selling extraordinary delicious pastries. Intrigued by the recommendation, we went on a journey to find her, which was quite a challenge, as her house had no sign of a shop or a restaurant. Once we arrived next to the synagogue, we walked around it trying to spot the mysterious pastry place. We saw a small wooden house, which had a paper note on the window instructing to ring the bell - this must be the place! At this stage we almost entered a lottery - is the lady available or not - will we get kibinai or will we have to find another place? We were lucky to see her appear in the window to take our order - she was not very chatty, which added even more to the secrecy of the place. The pastries tasted very good but what added most to its flavour was the overall journey - a rich experience full of intrigue, uncertainty, excitement and adventure. Did the lady have a successful business? I don’t know. However, it could definitely have become a strategy for consumer experience. In this article I will share some of my thoughts about how brands can fulfil some of our experience cravings.
Surprise is better than sugar
What can be more exciting than chocolate? Surprise! Kinder surprise is a great example of rich experience, which can involve you on a few levels. Firstly, you get to get a good sugar dose - who doesn’t like that? That’s when the first wave of dopamine is released in your brain. Secondly, you get a toy - what could be a better reward for being a sweet tooth? That would be the surprise part. The intrigue and anticipation of a surprise release another dose of dopamine - at this point your reasonable and rational part is suppressed, whereas the desiring part is strengthened, wanting for some more - what about a second chocolate egg? Variable reward is a very strong tool - once it will make you open another chocolate egg, next, it will urge you to scroll through Pinterest, where you just can’t wait to discover yet another new and inspiring image.
Purchase furniture to feel accomplished
It’s very interesting to observe my niece going through the stage of celebrating her independence. “Did you see it? I did this myself!” It got me thinking about this small child in me who celebrates the accomplishment of putting together an Ikea desk. I begin my journey in a shop, which feels like furniture Disneyland, full of interior characters and stories. Seeing different setups gets me thinking about my dream home - I start arranging new furniture at home already in my mind. That’s not why I came here, right.. I arrive at the desk section and just like a designer, I combine desk surfaces and the legs, according to my taste. Very excited about my choice and the new purchase, I continue at home - as a carpenter, I get my hands on it to assemble! Following just enough guidelines, I attach all the pieces together. Myself! Aren’t I a creator?
Anyone can be a creator
Do you know the feeling of desperately wanting to draw but having no ideas what? Thanks to Instagram, I can decide to become an artist before I even create! In order to become one, I don’t need to have a progressive idea, challenge the current status quo or offer a new way of thinking to the audience. On the contrary, my sandwich, my shoes or my sofa can become a perfect artifact on my Instagram exhibition halls, just gotta choose a frame!
Science experiments in a shop
Choosing cosmetics can be boring. In order to choose wisely, I should read a lot of labels, consult about my skin type, apply the product for a few weeks and finally observe if it suits me. Instead of such a long experiment - how about a five sense journey to Lush, where you get it all in 15 minutes! Every time I enter the shop, I feel like entering another world, quite a utopian one due to the sea of aromas and colours (which is a very strong and stimulating experience within itself). Next, I choose a product I want to try, which, of course, involves seeing, smell, touch and a lovely discussion with an always friendly shop assistant. Now this feels like a much nicer science experiment! I went through a rich journey to finally choose the product, which became even more special to me. From now on every time I will be walking through Lush, the scientist me will be tempted to come in for another experiment!
So why do we choose the brands we choose? Identity? Quality? Price? Convenience? Trust? Experience? All of it. However, rich consumer experience is inevitably a crucial part in brand differentiation. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a brand’s essence is in the consumer’s experience!