We want brands that are enablers of experiences.
You probably remember the slogan ‘It’s not what I have, it’s who I am’. And that phrase has probably never been more topical. The fact is that, at the moment, the experiences we have with products are more important than the products themselves.
A change in consumer habits that has been accelerated by many factors such as growing environmental awareness, a change in our priorities, or the lower purchasing power of the middle class.
All this translates into a certain shift in market supply, where brands in all sectors are beginning to rethink their business model or, at least, to propose alternatives to satisfy an audience that is looking for products that adapt to their lifestyle without renouncing sustainability.
A good example of this is Ikea Rental. The Swedish brand has been able to see that part of its audience is not looking for a piece of furniture in its catalogue that will last a lifetime, but one that meets their current needs and that they can change if one day their needs change. But it has also understood an increasingly aware public, which is no longer comfortable with the ‘throwaway’ and is looking for alternatives that help it to slow down a rhythm of consumption that competes with its value system. Many more brands are responding to this phenomenon, which brings with it a boom in the ‘second-hand’ market in the fashion industry or proposals such as ‘renting’ in the automotive sector. New models that are more committed to the circular economy and that understand that brands, at the end of the day, must be facilitators of experiences.