The current tech landscape is an incredibly wide spectrum. On one end: an artificial intelligence news anchor that will likely become nearly indistinguishable from a human anchor in a few years. On the other end: digital-first mattress brands upending traditional mattress retailers by … opening brick-and-mortar stores?
As some brands invest in increasingly complex technology to deliver a better customer experience, others are pouring money back into seemingly antiquated marketing techniques. What gives?
While tactics like showrooming and print catalogs may spark a feeling of nostalgia, it turns out that this resurgence may be more about the science of memorability rather than an emotional yearning for the past.
Human memory is notoriously fickle and unreliable. That fact is exacerbated by an extremely crowded internet, where it’s hard to parse the signal from the noise and even harder to remember it once you’ve discerned it. Online spaces are a constant stream of distractions — clickbait, notifications, videos on autoplay — and our shortened attention spans simply can’t keep up.
But research has shown that multisensory experiences are more memorable. They are easier to both process into short- and long-term storage and retrieve later. Think of all the jingles you didn’t consciously choose to remember but are permanently in the back of your mind: Nationwide, Kit Kat, Stanley Steemer, Band-Aid, etc. (my kids have been singing the 1-877-Kars4Kids jingle incessantly, which has drilled that brand into our minds for no other reason than the hook is catchy). And if you’ve visited an Abercrombie & Fitch sometime in the last 20 years, I bet a whiff of their signature scent would cause a flashback to perusing merchandise in dim lights and loud music.
Digital-first direct-to-consumer brands may be at an advantage when it comes to retail innovation, but their strategies have tended to be online-only and thus restricted to sight and sometimes sound. And seeing isn’t always believing. The opportunity to touch or try on a product before buying is still valuable to consumers, which is why brands like Allbirds, Away and Glossier are entering the multisensory brick-and-mortar space. If you’re lying in bed loathing your current mattress, you’re more likely to make the jump to purchase a new one if you can recall the tactile memory of how Casper felt in the showroom.
Brands are also increasing efforts to gain a presence in consumers’ homes. Sure, voice search is the edgy way to do this, but without the option to advertise on Google Home or Amazon Echo yet, some brands are revitalizing the seemingly dead print catalog. A print piece will linger in the home — and, in turn, the mind — longer than a quick glance at a Facebook ad while scrolling.
Many shoppers even appreciate the catalog experience to gather style inspiration for their wardrobes or homes. For families, print is even more relevant, since young kids love perusing pictures of toys but have fewer opportunities to browse the internet.
Enter innovative, AI-driven digital behemoth Amazon releasing a holiday toy guide on paper — a centuries-old medium that’s augmented with QR codes, powering the omnichannel shopping experience.
The next challenge for retailers as they rejuvenate tried-and-true marketing techniques is to figure out how to infuse them with the digitally powered personalization they’ve come to expect online. Whether brands turn to catalogs that consumers can customize through VR technology, AI-powered food recommendations within grocery stores or voice assistants that offer the same style advice that a personal shopper would, the possibilities for memorably multisensory customer experiences are endless.
