New Consumer Craving: Groundedness
Have you noticed that the pandemic has what people value? A study in the Journal of Marketing shows that a new need for groundedness and how it is impacting marketing and market segmentation.
What is Groundedness?
Consumers feel emotionally grounded when they feel connected to their physical place, people, and past. Groundedness has risen in importance as we face increased digitalization and globalization. Groundedness became increasingly desired due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the disconnection consumers felt to their feelings of groundedness. There has been a rise in preference to buy local, visit local restaurants and breweries, shop at farmers markets and online marketplaces such as Etsy. These “grounding products” are what consumer want and contribute to their well-being and happiness.
Let’s go over the three elements of groundedness:
The first is connection to a place—a connection to the natural world. We feel this connection when we enjoy a day outdoors. Experiences like hikes, picnics, and main street festivals help us feel grounded.
The second element is connection to people. This stems from social psychology and the human need for connection to other human beings. This connection is established through family, community, and buying directly from artisans and farmers.
The third element is connection to the past. This connection is established through memories, traditions, and cultural values.
Groundedness and Consumer Behavior
The study indicates that products that make a connection to place, people and past make consumers feel grounded—making grounding products more attractive than regular products. It is most important to consumers whose work and life do not allow them to have strong connections to place, people and past. Examples of such consumers are those who work on a computer all day, live in a large city, experience events that shake their foundation, or stand higher in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The study also confirmed the positive effects of groundedness with feelings of strength, safety and stability. However, groundedness is not as important in certain situations. The study found it was not as important for those who worked with their hands.
Make Them Feel Grounded OR NOT?
Groundedness should be an added layer to apply to your marketing mix, especially if your niche market lives in a large city, does desktop work daily, and experienced the life altering events of COVID-19. For marketers focused on these target markets, groundedness should be an indispensable factor in your marketing decisions. Groundedness may not be an ideal addition to your marketing mix if you are targeting smaller towns where the population engages mostly in manual labor. Grounding products are not as valued in those niche markets.
Ideas for Groundedness
Highlight local ingredients showcasing the farmers you work with.
Showcase your local artisans and manufacturers.
Find ways to help the community you serve.
Tie your brand closely with the city you are headquartered in.
Show how your product will make them feel more grounded. Does it help slow down time? Enjoy nature and family? Does it have historical roots?