Before we begin I’d like to clearly define what I mean by
aesthetics. A set of
principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty. This
essentially means the appearance of the product at hand and the way in which
the consumer is pleased by its sense of style or even colour. However, this
doesn’t specifically include innovation as that opens up a whole new route to
this debate.
The
reason behind my high anticipation in the discussion of this topic is due to my
fascination and passion in the process of nurturing a design from its early
concept stages to a commercially viable solution. My mother constantly reminds
me of the ways in which I always manage to embrace intricate patterns and
product innovations right from the outset of my childhood. When I was exploring
the documents in the Pre-U Cambridge
booklet, I came across Document 1,
‘Costing the earth: the value of pricing the planet’. From this document I
came to agree with some of Fred Pearce’s arguments which were primarily based
on highlighting the ways groups of people take certain things for granted. Specifically
in his article he mentions ’economists have given nature a new name:
natural capital. The argument is that only when we can see the true value of
nature will we have the incentive to look after it…’ After reading this, I empathised
with the way in which Pearce believes humans only ‘look after’ something when ’we
can see’ its value. From here I was able to fill in the gaps using my own
interest in product designing where I thought of the literal concept of seeing
a products value through its aesthetics in order to argue a controversial
ideology of whether it would have an effect on a consumer’s mind-set on
prioritising its numerical value, so it’s cost over its apparent physical
value.
The debate in the significance of both factors may be argued
across the globe in whether which factor is prioritised more by consumer base
for many retailers across the international marketing trade. With options to
shop for common household products in large chain stores, at the corner shops
and even online, global middle class consumers are often overwhelmed with
choices when deciding what to buy. In my opinion, companies and brands that
understand the features of their product that spur shoppers to select it from
among the crowd on the store shelf or online results list can better position
themselves within the marketplace, meeting the desires of current customers and
anticipating future trends. Although income continues to rise, particularly
among the growing middle class in many emerging markets, price is still a
critical factor for global consumers. I believe companies should be aware that
their customers will shop accordingly and overall I feel that in this day and
age consumers are more likely to prioritise price over aesthetics. Within my
presentation you will encounter different opinions and after careful exploration
I will conclude my stance on this debate. When I began to research consumer preferences, I came across ‘Euromonitor’ [2], an international organisation set up to help marketers and other strategic decision-makers reach consumers throughout the buying process, ‘Euromonitor’ [2] presents a series of articles highlighting business opportunities in different aspects of the path of purchase. The article I examined highlights insights about the ‘third phase of the path to purchase: selection.’ [2] I will briefly expand on the three main points expressed by a Survey Analyst, Lisa Holmes regarding the ‘Selection’ [2] Phase:
Firstly, ‘Price is the
most important feature middle class consumers take into consideration when
purchasing nearly all household items and consumer electronics. Cost is
particularly a concern for middle class consumers who are shopping for a new
computer; 60% list price as a top feature for this product.’ [2]
This suggests
that’s several factors may drive the desire to get the lowest price on a
computer, including the large overall expense of the purchase and the presence
of many options and competitors in the market.
It is also
mentioned that ‘Regardless of the product,
consumers in developed countries, hit hardest by the recent recession and with
only marginal (or even flat) economic growth, tend to prioritise low prices and
discounts more than those in emerging markets.’ [2]
This indicates
consumers may prioritise the cost of a product depending on the economic
stability of their country. I believe that, inflation may also cause the
mind-set of consumer base to vary.
Secondly, Holmes suggests
‘Even if retailers cannot win on price, companies have an opportunity to stay
ahead of the competition and gain market share by emphasizing the non-cost-related
features of their products. One common motivation for middle class consumers
buying household products is to make their lives easier.’ [2]
From this is can be
said that, offering products with such functionality should help shoppers
overcome a higher price tag. Substantially, I feel that the practical function
of a product could be a co-existing premise along with aesthetics to which some
consumers prioritise over cost depending on their class.
Also the article
states that, ‘While middle class
consumers generally prioritise the functionality of a product over its
aesthetic characteristics, when looking for new furniture and other decorative
items, shoppers prioritise colour, style, and overall appearance.’ [2]
By understanding the
consumer mind-set of purchasing products for decoration. It is evident that
consuming with the intention of a desirable appearance (decoration) would lead
to consumers prioritising aesthetics over cost.
Lastly, the article proposes,
‘Even within product categories, different shoppers seek different product
features. Segmenting and profiling key buyer types can help companies craft
better marketing campaigns and even tailor products to appeal to their target
markets.’ [2]
This allowed me to gain a better insight in how consumers are
targeted by product designers, maintaining aesthetics for certain target
markets and material and production costs for others, keeping commercial prices
minimal- yet profitable. For example, renters in developed markets are likely
to look for less expensive, highly portable home furnishings, while more
established home owners in emerging markets are motivated by status and current
trends. ‘Doting grandparents, perhaps
seeking to spoil their grandchildren, typically look for the latest premium toy
or game. In contrast, adult gamers are drawn to products that are on sale or
have a good warranty.’ [2] This signifies that consumers may
prioritise either factors of price or branding and may disregard aesthetics
depending on their situation, age or experience in shopping.
Another piece of research evidence I came across was ‘An
Investigation into Indian Consumer Psychology and its Implications for New
Product Development, Process and Strategy.’[1] A study conducted
by ‘Sun, Qian, Sridhar,
Naren and O'Brien, Mark’[1] in 2009.
‘The paper examines
the visual associations and the correlation between various product stimuli in
the decision making process of Indian consumers from the perspective of
consumer cognitive psychology and psychoanalysis.’ [1]
‘The study indicates that the
behavioural intent of the consumer towards ‘Visual Aesthetics’ in Product
design is a ‘collective symbolic’ reaction; a psychological response in
accordance with the socio-economic, cultural and demographical group the
consumer belongs to and thus can be observed as a part of the group behaviour
rather than those of an independent consumer.’ [1] Furthermore, the findings reveal that Indian consumers
currently place greater importance on intrinsic factors in contrast to
extrinsic factors in their decision making process. With this being the case,
Visual Aesthetics still have a vital role in the process and thus manufacturers
and marketers should concentrate on this as one of the potential elements that
impact on product design along with other intrinsic factors such as features
and functions. Whilst recognising that if the Indian market continues to follow
the trend of more developed western markets, that ‘extrinsic’ features such as ‘brand, service quality, ethical and
corporate issues will potentially play more significant roles in the decision
making process of Indian consumers in future and that this should direct NPD
strategy for the next decade.’ [1]
The data also suggests that ‘visual aesthetics’ is now as equally
important to the consumer decision making process in India as the traditional
elements of price and functionality indicating both debated factors to be as
significant as one another and individually, may not be distinctively
prioritised by consumers. However, the
study suggests that intrinsic factors are still far more important than
extrinsic ones in the Indian consumer decision making process.
The implications to design strategy and the new product
development process in India are addressed. The study concludes that firstly, ‘a psychological approach towards
understanding Indian consumer associations is both possible and can act as an
important tool in determining consumer needs.’ And secondly, ‘Visual Aesthetics
is one of the key factors in the decision making process of the Indian
consumer, however, ‘extrinsic’ factors are still not as significant a
contributor as ‘intrinsic’ factors such as product visuals and features.’ [1]
One of
the values of the study, is the recognition of the fact that factors such as
brand, ethical associations and service are not as important to the Indian
consumer in comparison with factors such as pricing, features etc and this may
be attributed to the relatively lesser levels of service and brand culture in
Indian consumer market segment, relative to the more developed Western markets.
This study does not examine this cause and effect factor extensively due to the
constraints of the research, however, this paper indicates an opportunity for
future research to analyse this finding.
To conclude, from my research, I was evidently able to
empathise with a variety of insights regarding the debate of which factor is
prioritised more by consumers, cost or aesthetics. Although, certain aspects of
particular resources side towards either cost or aesthetics, I believe that no
evidence is watertight in explaining a distinct premise behind either factors
being prioritised more by consumers than the other. In fact, my opinion has changed
to that of my original opinion in thinking cost was most prioritised to now
believing both factors co-exist. Depending on the age, experience and situation
of the consumer, the prioritised factor may fluctuate. This may be due to a
variation of target markets in which products may be manipulated to appeal
towards. For example, incorporating new technology, modern sleek colours and
familiar branding may be a conventional selling points to a teenage target
market allowing them to willingly spend any price and in return fit in with
social trends due to the way in which society and fashion dictates almost every
aspect of our lives today. Another example of the fluctuation of the
prioritised factor by consumers is fast-foods. Consumers are more likely to prioritise cost
over aesthetics as it isn’t essential for food products to always be physically
appealing. However, a consumer’s mind-set would be completely opposite if their
scenario were to have been shopping for furniture, as this product would
require aesthetically pleasing features as well as durability which would
influence consumers into stretching their pockets in paying a higher cost as
long as they get their value for money. From my research I was also, able to
identify an alternative significant factor apart from the cost and aesthetics of
a product which could also be prioritised by consumers. This factor being the
practical function of a product in order to fulfil user requirements.
It must be considered that there were limits to my research
as I did not have the time to conduct my own research but had to rely on
secondary data. If I had unlimited time and resources I would have used semi structured interviews to speak
to professional designers and retailers from around the world. This would allow
my research to increase in validity and breadth of global perspectives in
regards to my chosen topic question on whether consumers prioritise cost over
the aesthetics of a product.
Bibliography
[1] DR. Q, SUN. N, SRIDHAR. M, O'BRIEN (2009) CONSUMER
PERCEPTION OF PRODUCT STIMULI- An Investigation into Indian Consumer
Psychology and its Implications for New Product Development Process and
Strategy In:
D2B2: the 2nd Tsinghua International Design Management Symposium,
23-(26.04.2009), Tsinghua University , Beijing , China.
[2] HOLMES, L. (09.05.14) EUROMONITER INTERNATIONAL- Survey
Analyst Insight
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