As consumer expectations around experience continue to rise, we are seeing brands elevating experience in relevant ways across their business models. Brands are turning challenges – their own and those of consumers – into opportunities; and reimagining products and services in ways that make the mundane special and memorable. Here are some recent examples that inspire our thinking and spur us to think of ways other companies might unpack these and apply them to their own products and services.
1. Boo Oh is a lifestyle pet brand designed to elevate ordinary moments for pet parents and their feline and canine companions. With thoughtful minimalist designs, the brand offers products that reflect sophisticated consumers’ styles and are built to last from quality materials. Caring for a pet’s delicate needs has never been this stylish.
How could your brand deliver differentiated experiences in unexpected ways by challenging category norms?
2. Spurred by in-person limitations induced by the pandemic, outdoor industry retail reps are finding new ways to connect with B2B customers while also elevating the brands they represent. Reps are leasing spaces to set up showrooms which they utilize to share products digitally, and bring those to life for retail clients in a curated and relatable atmosphere. These showrooms can do double-duty as physical spaces when clients are able and willing to travel. In October, a cohort of reps are opening the Outdoor Market Alliance as a way to replace a defunct and outdated marketplace and give them semi-permanent spaces to use as individual phygital studios.
How might your team upend limitations to yield an improved and elevated experience?
3. From its Los Angeles location, Beautycounter’s consultants are periodically live-streaming on the website to provide consumers with a personal touch and elevated and entertaining online experience through connection previously available only in person. This initiative is especially interesting as Beautycounter launched as a direct-to-consumer brand and has expanded into bricks & mortar while also leaning into enhanced consumer connection.
How is your brand meshing in-person and virtual experiences to meet consumers where they are?
4. Beauty brands are in fact leaders in committing to elevating shopping experiences with new shops-in-shops. These executions combine industry expertise and curation with the convenience of visiting a favored multi-category retailer. Ulta Beauty at Target launches this month; also in August, Kohls x Sephora is bringing exclusive, curated prestige beauty brands to shoppers; and JCPenney is partnering with Thirteen Lune to bring inclusive beauty products and salesperson expertise to consumers in-store and online.
How are you bringing your brand to consumers and meeting their needs for convenience?
5. Brands are also elevating the experience for consumers with products themselves, such as the limited edition women’s shave collection Gillette Venus and Rifle Paper which brings enjoyment and beauty to an everyday, routine task; and Co. by Colgate, has a lineup of products that emphasizes the ritual of oral care and the outcome of a beautiful smile – every consumer’s powerhouse feature.
Are collaborations with other brands part of your strategy? What unexpected brand pairings might extend your consumer reach?
6. In food and beverage, brands are taking comfort foods up a notch with innovative twists on nostalgic favorites. Vital Farms has just launched pasture-raised Breakfast Bars. These microwaveable, refrigerated bars are category pioneers and give consumers protein, convenience, and beloved flavor combinations in an accessible format. And, the brands’ cheerful packaging across their portfolio is a smile prompter.
How is your brand tapping into its equity with line extensions that elevate an occasion or experience?
Elevating moments and experiences is something we are seeing across categories – from food and beverage offerings to pet products to beauty to streaming shopping – consumers are looking for physical and virtual/digital experiences that level-up the moment — and their lives. As leaders, how are you diving into the unmet needs of your target consumers to enhance every touchpoint with your brand?
How is your brand thinking of ways to elevate moments, rituals, and experiences for consumers and retailers? As your team is trying to stay ahead of emerging consumer trends, The Garage Group would love to be your partner. We help corporate teams operate with confidence amidst uncertainty in order to tackle their biggest innovation and growth challenges. Get in touch with us>>>
