Retail & Merchandising

"Is $20/month too much for our product?" Instead of guessing, we used the Van Westendorp method to find our pricing sweet spot. 4 questions revealed exactly what users would pay (and we haven't touched our pricing since). Here's the framework any founder can steal: 1. Send a survey to actual users, not prospects We surveyed people already using Gamma. They understood the real value of our product, not hypothetical value. Too many founders survey their waitlist or randomly select people who have never used their product. That's like asking someone who's never driven about car prices. 2. Ask these 4 specific questions - At what price would this be too expensive for you to consider it? - At what price is it expensive but still delivering value? - At what price does it feel like a bargain? - At what price is it so cheap you'd question if it's reliable? These create bookends for perceived value. You're mapping the entire spectrum of price psychology, not just asking "what would you pay?" 3. Plot the responses and find where the lines intersect Graph responses from lots of users. Where "too expensive" and "too cheap" lines cross: that's your acceptable range. Where "expensive but fair" meets "bargain": this is your optimal price point. 4. Test within the range, don't just pick the middle The intersection gives you a range, not a number. We ran pricing experiments within that range to see actual conversion rates. A survey shows willingness to pay; testing reveals actual behavior. 5. Lean towards generous (especially for product-led growth) We chose to be more generous with AI usage than our "optimal" price suggested. Word-of-mouth growth matters more than maximizing initial revenue. Not everything shows up in the numbers. 6. Lock it in and stop tinkering Once you find the sweet spot through data, stick with it. We haven't changed pricing in 2 years. Every month debating pricing is a month not improving product. Remember: pricing is a signal, not just a number (Image: First Principles)

Do this one thing with your team (and your CEO)! No budget needed. Get everyone, including your most senior bosses, to go mystery shopping. Get them to start with your website on their mobile phone. It will open their minds to what the real experience is for customers. Then go visit your stores and your competitors’ websites and shops. Don’t rely on reports and spreadsheets to understand your customers. They are helpful but cannot substitute the real thing. I learnt the importance of doing customer listening when working with Tim Copper at British Gas. With my team we spent one day every quarter in our contact centres taking calls from real customers. With Mark Vile and the late John Dalkiran at Compare the Market we read all the NPS commentary from customers and learnt how we could improve our service (and meerkat toy delivery). When I was at Audi UK with Andrew Doyle and Antony Roberts we went mystery shopping in car dealerships and constantly tested new ways to improve our website (as that is the biggest customer shopping window for most brands). One of the key targets at Samsung Electronics is NPS. We ask customers how likely they are to recommend Samsung to friends and family. We constantly review and improve to make sure we provide the best service possible. This is why Samsung TVs are the no.1 choice by consumers for 19 years in a row. Marketing isn’t just about ads and pretty pictures. It is making sure the customer experience lives up to the brand promise. More business stories can be heard on Jon Evans excellent podcast Uncensored CMO. The podcast is free on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eGPak4GW #CMOUncensored #Samsung #CustomerExperience

Cold digital interactions will destroy your D2C brand. Your beauty product is at risk of failing if you don’t address this. Industry is rooted in enhancing self-image and boosting confidence, goals that are inherently emotional. While online shopping is undeniably convenient, it often comes at the expense of personal interaction. This is especially problematic in the beauty sector, where purchasing decisions are often influenced by sensory experiences, personalized recommendations, and emotional connections. +64% consumers believe brands are losing touch with customer experience. +85% higher sales achieved by brands that emotionally engage. +68% women & 56% men choose beauty products based on how they make them feel. >>Online emotional challenges << →Lack of personalization in online transactions. E-commerce lacks the personal engagement of in-store shopping, such as trying products and consulting with beauty experts. →Absence of sensory experiences. Customers are unable to explore key sensory elements like texture, scent, and application when shopping online. →Overwhelming variety. The sheer number of options online can confuse customers and lead to decision fatigue without proper guidance. >>Strategies to build emotional connections<< →Transform brick and mortar stores into immersive experiences. Redefine your physical stores as experiential hubs where customers can enjoy personalized consultations, interactive product trials, and even beauty treatments. +30% boost in sales is seen in flagship stores that offer immersive experiences. →Retail as entertainment, retailtainment. Host creative pop-up shops, in-store events, and experiential retail activations to engage customers emotionally with unique deco, exclusive product offerings, and hands-on activities. +70% of beauty consumers value in-store experiences over online alternatives. →Leverage influencer trust. Partner with influencers who bring authenticity to your brand by sharing personal stories, reviews, and tutorials. Their relatability and trustworthiness create stronger emotional ties with consumers. +49% customers rely on influencer recommendations for beauty product purchases. →Build community through social media. Use social media to foster continuous engagement through live Q&A sessions, interactive content, user-generated campaigns, and community forums. +72% of beauty consumers discover products through social media. To finish. Despite the challenges of the digital era, the industry is finding ways to close the emotional gap with creative solutions like flagship experiences, influencer collaborations, virtual consultations, and community-driven marketing. Check out my curated collection of visuals to spark your next big idea. Featured brands: Benefit Glossier Kylie Cosmetics Marc Jacobs Molecula Miu Miu Nina Ricci Laneige Rhode #BeautyBusiness #EmotionalConnection #SocialBeauty #ExperientialRetail #InfluencerMarketing

🚨Amazon has built a really cool new ad tech to monetise Prime videos, but it’s not what you would have thought! 🚨 To appreciate this new ad tech we need to go back in time and look at some history. We would have all watched on movies and tv shows where products have been strategically placed to drive brand awareness and recall. The hit show Stranger Things had about a 140 brands featured in the 4th season with some estimates sizing it to $27million in brand placement value. And this is just one season of one show. As more and more people are disengaging with intercepting ads, brands and media producers are trying innovative ways to gets brands in front of eyeballs without being skipped. Now if a studio had to integrate with brands, it requires for them to coordinate before hand with the brands and figure out where to strategically place the products and shoot the content. Enter Amazon’s Virtual Product Placement Technology. Virtual product placement is an emerging technology that inserts a digitally rendered product, billboard, or logo into a movie or TV series after it has been filmed. Amazon collaborates closely with content creators when determining placement locations and available product categories for each participating title. All decisions are made in line with the artistic vision for each movie or series, with a shared goal that placements will not interfere with the story or affect the viewer’s enjoyment. Brands are expected to spend upwards of $125bn by 2026 on video ads, so it’s a pretty huge market they are going after. Stats also show that 63% of viewers say they feel the urge to buy a product when they see it featured in a TV show with GenZ leading the pack. In a specific case study, Bubly a sparkling water brand saw a 18.1% lift in aided recall, 6.8% lift in brand favourability, 16.5% lift in purchase. This ad format becomes even more powerful when you combine it with Amazons e-commerce marketplace where marketeers can do full funnel advertisements all the way from awareness to purchase. Secondly, with post production virtual product placement, the same product placement could be bid by different brands for e.g the scene having bubly could very well also have any other canned drink which ever fit into the category. I must say this is by far one of the most impressive ad tech I have come across in recent times and Amazon is truly Priming us to purchase.

𝟭𝟬 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 🔥 Most product sites don’t convert. Here’s how to fix it: 𝟭/ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿 Before designing, talk to real users. Figure out what they want, what stops them, and what triggers action. → Talk to 5 signups: “What made you try it?” → Exit survey: “What’s stopping you?” → Watch session recordings → Skim support chats → Bonus: Buy someone coffee for quick feedback ✅ Example: Users say: “I just want to send invoices and get paid.” → Don’t write: “Smart billing software” → Say: “Send your next invoice in under 60 seconds.” 𝟮/ 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Your layout needs: → Headline: pain point → Subheadline: curiosity → CTA: single action → Visual: product in action → Body: benefits > features ✅ Example: → “Hiring is broken.” → “Our AI recruiter finds top 3 candidates in 24h.” → “Try it free” → Demo video → “Save 10+ hours/week on screening” 𝟯/ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 Most people won’t scroll. → What is this? → Who’s it for? → Why does it matter? → What should I do next? ✅ Example: → Don’t say: “AI-powered web builder” → Say: “Launch your landing page in 60 seconds” 𝟰/ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 People don’t want “real-time sync.” They want fewer meetings, faster work. ✅ Example: → Don't say: “Real-time collaboration” → Say: “No more back-and-forth emails. Edit together live.” 𝟱/ 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳, 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 Trust builds conversion. → Logos → Quotes → Counters → Screenshots → Case studies ✅ Example: → “Trusted by 4,000+ teams at Meta, Notion, and Vercel” 𝟲/ 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Stick to one goal and cut everything else. → No blog links → No footer clutter → No secondary CTAs ✅ Example: If your goal is “Try for free,” everything should lead there. 𝟳/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗧𝗔 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 Avoid vague buttons. Make CTAs feel easy + specific. ✅ Example: → Don't say: “Start now” → Say: “Try for free” 𝟴/ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 60%+ of traffic is mobile. If it’s clunky, it’s broken. → Large tap targets → Sticky CTAs → Short scroll → Preview breakpoints ✅ Example: → Desktop: CTA beside video → Mobile: CTA pinned bottom → Preview with Lovable 𝟵/ 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 One version is only one guess. ✅ Example: → “The fastest invoicing tool for freelancers” vs. → “Send your next invoice in under 60 seconds” → Ship both with Lovable 𝟭𝟬/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗧𝗔 Conversion isn’t the goal. The activation flow right after is. → Pre-fill content → Show a 60s walkthrough → Highlight one key action ✅ Example: User signs up → edits sample invoice → sends in 1 click LFG

Six years ago, I took over marketing at a company that went to 40 trade shows per year, and I cut that to 4. When I joined CoLab to lead marketing, we had zero conferences planned. I booked 2 the first year, and increased it to 6 the following year. What happened? Did my opinion on trade shows do a 180? Nope - the black and white pro - trade show vs. anti - trade show narrative is just an oversimplification. Most companies can go to at least a couple shows per year and get a positive ROI. Problem is - most companies are going to way more than a couple of shows per year and they have no idea which ones produce a positive ROI. You actually need a decent amount of rigor and discipline to figure this out. If you scale your conference spend too fast, you'll skip important retrospectives. It's easy to end up in the first scenario I described, where I had to cut trade shows by 90% in a year. Here's what you should do instead: 1) Start with a manageable number of conferences (no more than 1-2 per quarter, unless you have someone working on it full time) 2) Define success criteria going in: - You should have a qualified pipeline target - You should have tight definitions for what constitutes qualified pipeline, in the context of a conference - If you want to measure success based on other things (like establishing partnerships, moving in pipeline opps forward, etc.), figure those things out ahead of time too 3) After each show, do a retro and understand whether you achieved or missed your success criteria 4) If you missed, figure out why: - Is it a bad show for you? (e.g. not enough good fit ICP attendees) - Or could you make something of it, with some tweaks to your own execution? If it's the latter, you can go back again next year and test the new approach. Just like your email list, your trade show portfolio is something you should be constantly managing and "pruning" Most companies don't apply this level of rigor, which is why most trade show + conference programs are really, really wasteful. #b2bmarketing

The Evolving Face of the US Homebuyer The National Association of Realtors' (NAR) 2024 report provides a fascinating snapshot of the US housing market’s buyer profile that looks significantly different than it did just a few years ago. The data reveals a changing homebuyer. The average buyer age has climbed to a record 56, underscoring the impact of high housing costs and rising interest rates that have sidelined younger would-be buyers. For first-time buyers, the average age is now 38, nearly a decade older than it was in the early 1980s. These changes signal a more mature buyer who brings accumulated wealth and likely more significant financial security to the table. Additionally, a fifth of all home purchases were made by single women, a notable demographic shift reflecting both a societal change in homeownership goals and an economic shift in who can afford to buy. By contrast, single men comprised only 8% of recent buyers. This snapshot highlights what many are calling a “bifurcated housing market,” where those able to buy homes are increasingly established, wealthier individuals, often using home equity from previous properties to secure cash purchases or make substantial down payments. This market has been largely inaccessible to younger buyers, who continue to face affordability challenges, limited savings, and reduced opportunities for financial support in the form of lower mortgage rates. With affordability gauges near record lows, first-time homebuyers hold a mere 24% share of the market, down dramatically from the 40% share held in pre-Great Recession years. Rising prices and interest rates have compounded these barriers, leading to a market where nearly three-quarters of all buyers have no children under 18 at home, reflecting an older and more established buyer profile than in decades past. While this report offers a look back, the trends it captures underscore a potential turning point. Recent mortgage application data suggests that prospective buyers who had previously been priced out or sidelined may begin to re-enter the market as interest rates stabilize. If these sidelined buyers do return, particularly younger and more diverse demographics, the profile of the typical buyer could again start to shift, gradually increasing diversity in age, household composition, and race among homebuyers. At Havas Edge, we’re continually analyzing these demographic shifts to support brands in delivering timely, targeted strategies that meet the realities of today’s buyers and the anticipated resurgence of those who’ve been waiting on the sidelines. #RealEstate #Homebuyers #MarketTrends #HousingEconomics #ConsumerInsights

While competitors sold mattresses at ₹10,000, we launched at ₹29,900. Amazon and Flipkart said it wouldn't work, because our price was 3X what sells on their platforms. Today, The Sleep Company is the fastest-growing mattress brand in India. People ask how we convinced customers to pay a premium for a mattress. The answer isn't about pricing. It's about understanding value. Indian customers are willing to pay ₹1 lakh for an iPhone, and ₹2 lakh for a Royal Enfield. It’s not because they're "affordable”, but because the value is clear. So, the real question isn't "Can they afford it?" It's "Do they believe it's worth it?" Most brands price like this:  Cost + Margin = Price But, we flipped it to Value-Based Pricing:  What's the transformation worth to the customer? = Price Our product wasn't just 3x the price, it also delivered 5x the outcome. And every touchpoint communicated that. But most of the brands end up making these mistakes: 📍Underpricing to "get traction"  📍Overpricing without differentiation  📍Changing prices too often Here’s what worked for us instead: 📌 The sweet spot wasn't the lowest. 📌 Focused on value perception - packaging, unboxing, communication reinforced "premium." 📌 Invested in experience - website, stores, after-sales. Premium pricing demands premium delivery. As a result: 📍₹60,000 became our best-selling price point 📍Customers didn't ask "Why is it so expensive?" They asked, "When's the next collection?" Premium isn't about charging more. It's about being worth more. And if you deliver on that, the market will pay.

60% of today’s fashion is made from fossil fuels. But these next wave of fabrics is grown, not extruded. From mushrooms to microbes, meet the smartest, most desirable fabrics of the future. 🌱 Mycelium Leather – Mushroom roots reimagined as biodegradable luxury. 🌊 Algae & Seaweed Textiles – Marine-grown fibres turning seaweed into streetwear. 🌾 Hemp & Crop Waste – Regenerative fibres like hemp and banana spun into essentials. 🧫 Bacterial Cellulose – Microbial silk that's plastic-free and planet-friendly. 🍇 Fruit-Based Leathers – Grape, apple, and orange peels turned into sleek, cruelty-free leather. 🌬️ AirCarbon – Pollution-eating microbes creating carbon-negative fashion. 🧪 Lab-Grown Bioleather – No cows, no chemicals, only science-backed, scalable leather. 🕸️ Bio-Spun Silk – Spider-free silk, brewed by microbes for strength and softness. ☁️ CO₂-Derived Fibres – Captured carbon emissions woven into wearable tech. 🧵 Bio-Based Stretch – Stretchy, compostable yarns made from corn and sugar. 🌱 Which material would you wear first? Drop it below. #plantbased #innovation #slowfashion #veganism

Your Price Elasticity is wrong the moment you use it. If you work in #Pricing or #RGM, you see it constantly: "the elasticity is -2". It's in spreadsheets, dashboards, presentations. It's the foundation for price recommendations, portfolio decisions, promotion evaluations. It feels solid. It isn't. Not because the measurement was bad. That's a real problem, but it's not the interesting one. The interesting problem is structural: Even if the number is perfectly measured, it still is wrong the moment you use it. Here's why. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲. Say your elasticity is -2 at the current price of €1.00. You're considering a 10% price increase. The elasticity tells you to expect roughly a 20% volume drop. So far, so good. But after you raise the price to €1.10, your elasticity is no longer -2. It might be -2.5. Or -3. The sensitivity of demand has changed. Because at a higher price, a different set of customers is now marginal. The ones who were barely buying at €1.00 are gone. The ones still buying at €1.10 have different price sensitivities. This isn't a measurement error. It's a mathematical certainty. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴. What you actually need — and what the elasticity number throws away — is this full demand curve. That curve encodes the distribution of customer preferences, and it tells you the revenue and profit implications at every price point. Elasticity is a single point on that curve. It captures almost none of the information. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲. When you use an elasticity of -2 to evaluate a pricing decision, you are implicitly assuming three things: 1. The elasticity you measured is still accurate at the price you're moving to. 2. The competitive context that produced that elasticity hasn't changed. 3. The customer base whose behavior generated the number is the same customer base you'll face after the change. None of these are usually true. And the further you move from the price at which elasticity was measured, the less reliable it becomes, precisely when you most need it to be right. This doesn't mean elasticity is useless. It's a reasonable summary statistic for small, local price movements in stable conditions. But it is a terrible foundation for the decisions that actually matter: significant price changes, portfolio restructuring, or anything involving a new competitive dynamic. 𝗔 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸. When working with elasticities, try asking: "At what price was this measured? And how far are we moving from that price?". If the answer is more than a few percent, the number has already drifted. See how AI in RGM can help: http://bit.ly/4bhEvpn #pricing #RGM #priceelasticity #commercialstrategy #CPG