Ask “Whither Art Thou Helping?”

Why did the Lutheran minister like to build brick walls for his family of parishioners?
     I’m sure that, lurking somewhere, there’s an uproarious answer to that riddle. However, the answer from the Lutheran minister I’m referring to was more thought-provoking pun than gut-busting laughter. When I asked, he replied that he liked to build brick walls because the creative construction was concrete. It was a change from his usual days carrying out religious duties, in which his results were harder to keep in place.
     Some other men would have different motivations for brickwork, different benefits they received from doing it. Since retailers sell benefits, it’s useful for us to know what all the attractions are for the range of shoppers we serve. Researchers at California State University-Long Beach. University of Nebraska, and Bath University expanded this query beyond building brick walls to the overall Do-It-Yourself (DIY) home projects market.
     The researchers discovered that an important determinant of consumer motivation is social class. Here’s my adaptation of their dichotomy, incorporating additional research findings:

• Family men of relatively high social class with more resources in their lives often are drawn to the relief from knowledge work, a relief achieved as they work with their hands. These consumers consider DIY projects as leisure activities to be relished, never rushed. They’ll browse at stores and introduce artistry into their projects as a form of personal expression. 
• Family men of lower social class with fewer resources in their lives often view the residence as an extension of the workplace. They’re responsible for maintenance, and good stewardship means saving money by doing repairs and improvements yourself. Artistry in the DIY’s projects will benefit the family by distinguishing the family from other families that have limited resources and from the routine life to which many families of limited means are consigned. 

     The researchers’ conclusion that consumers’ motivations range along a dimension is a good reminder, but does not qualify as foundation-building. That conclusion is already well-known by retailers.
     More useful, though, is the researchers’ insight that at both ends of the dimension, and therefore probably all along it, consumers seek to express themselves as artists. Handmade craftsmanship for all sorts of do-it-yourselfers gives a backstory the consumer can tell to family and friends who see the creation.
     In what ways and to what ends are you helping your shoppers fulfill their personalized passions for artistic expression?

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Back the Appeal with a Backstory