The economic crisis has changed the market environment, which has made it difficult for companies to sell their goods and to operate. There are many factors that change in the market environment, but the more essential factor is that the consumer psychology of consumers has changed. In order to help Chinese enterprises to understand the crisis at a deeper level, Wenyu brand research institutions take the objective research of a large number of end-user shopping psychology as the criterion, and study the changes in consumer terminal shopping psychology under the crisis. Therefore, from the bottom-up perspective, standing on the consumer's consumer psychology trend, standing on the nature of the problem, to think about how the company adjusts its marketing strategy, sells goods under the crisis, and goes through the winter.

I. The impact of the economic crisis on consumers' shopping psychology

The global economic crisis has caused great damage to the Chinese economy, and consumers are increasingly uncertain about the future, even pessimistic. The Western concept of pre-existing consumption, which has been advocated for many years, will be returned to the prototype. Chinese consumers will return to the traditional consumption habits of consumption, and the micro-changes of consumer shopping by supermarkets will reflect this phenomenon more intuitively. .

Wenyu brand research and planning agency conducted a “new market research on consumer shopping under the financial crisis” conducted by a large supermarket in a city:

(A), sales data change analysis display

1. The overall traffic volume of the store has decreased significantly compared with the historical period. Responding to consumer shopping trips has shrunk.

2. Single-person billing analysis shows that the number of single-item purchases has decreased, that is, the same consumer goods, and the volume purchases have decreased.

3. The single-person billing analysis shows that the total amount of one-time one-time purchases has decreased. The average cost of responding to consumers is decreasing.

4. When the checkout is paid at the cashier's office, the temporary return abandonment rate rises. Responding to consumers' shopping spending, they are hesitant, and temporarily reduce purchases and save money when paying bills.

5. Among the similar products, the consumption of medium and low-priced goods has increased, and the consumption of high-priced goods has declined significantly.

(B), consumer store shopping behavior display

1. The consumption dependence of the brand's virtual feeling is declining. Consumers pay more attention to what product benefits are actually obtained after the money is paid. The perceptual consumption behavior of the high price to pursue the brand is restricted.

2. The consumer's currency holding behavior is obvious, and the consumption is more and more, and the consumption of enjoyable and luxury consumer goods is shrinking. Instead, the money is invested in the consumption of necessities.

3. In the purchase of goods, the factors considered will become more rational and more focused on the cost performance of the products.

4. In the process of purchasing decision-making, the impact of advertising is shrinking, and more favors the experience of the end product.

5. The selection time of the terminal goods has been extended. Consumers are willing to spend more time to carefully understand the differences between similar products on the shelf.

Second, the ten guides of winter marketing under the economic crisis

(1) Strengthening the actual rational value of products, and not blindly pursuing brand added value

Consumer value is divided into rational value and perceptual value.

Rational value is the more explicit value that the product itself brings to the consumer, that is, the value that is relatively intuitive and can be perceived. The consumer can intuitively perceive through visual, auditory, tactile, taste and so on.

Perceptual value is a purely psychological feeling brought to consumers. This is a hidden value, that is, a value that consumers can't see or touch but can feel. It is a kind of virtual value.

The economic crisis has come, consumers are spending more and more cautious, more and more economical and more rational. In this case, consumers are increasingly ignoring virtual value and paying more and more attention to the actual value of the product itself. Consumers are more concerned about what product benefits are actually obtained after the money is paid.

Therefore, the consumer will present the phenomenon of “shaving” the added value of the brand in the product selection of the terminal, directly comparing the function and price ratio of the product. This requires us to strengthen the actual rational value of the product, and not blindly pursue brand value added.

(II) Product line planning focuses on designing medium and low-end products.

Consumers are becoming more and more rational, more and more neglected virtual value, more and more attention to the actual value of the product itself, and more and more reluctant to spend money, then companies should focus on designing some price, grade and cost relative to product line planning. Low real goods. Although the grade of the product has declined and the function has deteriorated, the price has also dropped. This is what consumers really see and is more concerned about.

Sales of one of our liquor customers showed that sales of high-end wines declined significantly, and the company had to focus its marketing efforts on low-end products.

(3) Pay close attention to the functional selling point of products.

As consumers become more rational and economical in their shopping, marketing presents a trend of returning to the rational function of products, and must pay great attention to the development and marketing of rational functional benefits of products. The virtual, brand-selling selling point is first put aside, but to highlight the functional selling point of the product, as well as the objective benefits brought by the function. At this time, it is more effective to emphasize the function selling point than to emphasize the brand emotional selling point.

Therefore, it is the competitive strategy in the crisis era to pay attention to the selling point of product functions, highlight the actual value of the function, and lower the price to increase the cost performance of the product.

(4) Brand communication goes straight to the product value theme.

This is for those companies whose advertising styles are used to playing illusory, beautiful, and big-name celebrity endorsements. The brand advertising of the enterprise is temporarily put aside, and the publicity expenses are concentrated on the promotion of the profit products of the enterprise.

Don't have nonsense in the advertisements, directly hit the nails, show the characteristics of the products naked, the function selling points and the benefits to the consumers. Don't engage in some slogans that sound very beautiful, otherwise you will waste winter food.

(5) Weakening high-altitude brand advertisements and strengthening the terminal communication experience.

Promoting brands through high-altitude advertising and then consuming them through brands is a relatively long-term process and investment. Generally speaking, the effect of advertising usually lags behind 3-4 months to show. In the case of economic crisis, long-term investment is obviously not a better choice. However, terminal communication and terminal experience interception are an immediate marketing tool. This kind of brand communication promotion is the better choice.

(6) Product packaging advertising - flexible packaging to achieve hard killing.

Product packaging is one of the more effective marketing communications at a lower cost. Especially in the economic crisis, consumers are more cautious in shopping, carefully watching the product packaging in front of the terminal shelves, and the time for comparing products is significantly extended. Under such circumstances, packaging becomes a better advertisement, and packaging becomes a more effective silent guide, becoming a lower cost way to spread products.

A good product is not only to have the inherent superior quality, but also to intuitively and vividly display the characteristics of the product, the benefits directly on the packaging, so that consumers can see, directly penetrate the consumer's psychological defense, To achieve the effect of soft packaging hard killing, in the form of economic crisis, this is a low-cost and effective strategy.

(7) Strengthening brand loyalty management to prevent the loss of existing consumer groups

Generally speaking, people have inertia, and it is easy to form a fixed consumption habit over time. Consumption habits are difficult to change, and because of habitual consumption, brand loyalty is easy to form.

However, under the economic crisis, consumers have to tighten their pockets, easily give up high-end brand loyalty, and choose more affordable brand products to create a new, cheaper and more efficient lifestyle. At this time, the loss of first-line brand consumers has brought about a brand crisis; on the other hand, it has also provided opportunities for some new brands and small and medium-sized brands.

Therefore, first-line brand companies should shift the focus of marketing to the retention of existing loyal consumers. For new brands and small and medium-sized brands, the brand loyalty of first-line brands is a big obstacle to their growth. Under the economic crisis, how to try to take over the people who have retreated from the first-line consumption for small and medium-sized brands and new brands. It is also an opportunity.

(8) Pay attention to the development of rural markets.

As a more end-of-life economy, the rural market is affected by the economic shock wave later and weaker, which gives some brands a chance to slow down the winter.

As a rural consumer who lacks security, saving money is almost a way to gain a sense of security. It will never be like a city consumer who eats food, spends a long time, and reserves a large amount of consumption potential, which cannot be ignored. However, at present, the gap between urban and rural consumption in China is very large: in rural areas, which account for about two-thirds of the country's total population, only one-third of the country's goods are consumed; rural per capita daily consumption is only more than 5 yuan, only one-fifth of the urban population. . This means that the rural areas have greater consumption potential.

From the perspective of central policy guidance, in recent years, the more and more attention has been paid to the problems of farmers' burden reduction and income increase. The increase in the prices of agricultural products, the reduction of agricultural taxation, and the free of compulsory education have all contributed to the increase in the disposable income of farmers.

The recent economic work of the State Council clearly pointed out that the focus of expanding domestic demand in 2009 was in rural areas.

Then there are more migrant workers returning to their hometowns under the economic crisis, which greatly increased the consumption power of the rural market. On the one hand, they brought back cash. On the other hand, the consumption habits of the people they developed in the city must be brought back to the countryside, paving the way for the opening of the concept of consumption.

In addition, rural consumers have relatively weak perceptions of brands, which means better “flickering”, which is a rural opportunity for brands.

The difficulties have come, and we should pay attention to the rural market. The vast rural areas may once again become the rear of China.

(9) The tiger eats the wolf, the wolf eats the cat - the brand goes to the countryside, and the channel sinks.

The battle between tigers and tigers is too difficult, then go to eat wolves; wolves can't beat tigers, then go to eat cats, the market shuffle brought by the economic crisis, the first to wash off the weak brands.

For those first- and second-tier brands that have long dominated the urban market, it is better to take a city to encircle the countryside in the context of the economic crisis leading to a retreat in urban market consumption. Through a relatively high degree of brand image advantage, to kill a large number of miscellaneous brands in the rural market.

From the perspective of the newer central policy orientation in 2009, the state has clearly proposed to strengthen the construction of rural commodity circulation channels, which is also an opportunity for “brands to go to the countryside”.

For brand products that are accustomed to operating in the city, research on how to operate the third and fourth line markets is an important issue.

(10) Channel rectification and rectification.

Enterprises such as trees and channels are like branches. On the one hand, new shoots and buds will continue to grow. On the other hand, in the winter, some branches and leaves will die, and the dead branches and leaves will be continuously pruned. The bad channels for cutting will be cut off. Dealers with bad credit and poor financial status should pay close attention to clean up.

In times of economic crisis, it is the last word that companies have money in their hands. The money in the channels does not have money on hand. In the face of the crisis, the channels of the dealers will drag the accounts, repay the accounts, and roll the money. Many dealers will fight to hold the thighs of the company and smash the meat of the company for the winter. The goods will go down and the money will not be returned. As a result, the dealers survived the winter by eating the meat of the company, but the company died of freezing.