Product Features and Benefits
The product selected for this analysis is women’s outdoor clothing. One feature of this product is that it is wind- and waterproof. This feature is transformed into the benefit of the possibility of involving in various outdoor activities in any weather. In other words, customers are able to walk, do sports, or perform other tasks outdoors regardless of whether it is sunny, windy, or rainy, so the weather will not interfere with their plans. The second feature is that the product is made of recycled materials using technologies with reduced carbon emissions. The benefit of this feature is that it allows customers to reduce their environmental impact and become conscientious citizens.
Consumer Behavior and Relation to Lifestyle
Customers use outdoor clothing for many outdoor activities, such as camping, climbing, running, and others. The outdoor clothing made by Patagonia is fit for these purposes since they are windproof, waterproof, and warm. Customers’ behaviors toward competitors’ products are similar because the purpose of the products is the same. Outdoor clothing fits my lifestyle because I prefer to live an active life and care for my health. Doing exercise and spending time outside is part of my daily routine, and outdoor clothing helps me feel comfortable during these activities.
The Level of Need
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the model that identifies key human needs and their priority. The model is represented as a pyramid consisting of five layers: physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Basically, clothes, including outdoor clothing, meet the first level of human needs – physiological needs – because they protect individuals from cold. However, clothes can also meet various other needs because they serve as a means of communicating one’s personality to others (Cham et al., 2018). In terms of consumer behavior, the need for belonging seems to be the strongest (Ojala, 2018). This is because customers identify with the brand and want to belong to a group of people who also use this brand. In this regard, outdoor clothing also seems to meet the third-level need of belonging. Customers are willing to belong to a group of people engaged in active lifestyles and taking care of their health.
One may also assume that outdoor clothing can meet the fourth-level need of esteem. This need means that individuals want to win the respect of others and experience the feeling of accomplishment. Since outdoor clothing is related to an active lifestyle, customers buying this product may feel that they have accomplished the goal of adopting healthy habits and become better than those not engaged in outdoor activities.
A Mission Statement and Marketing Goals
The product is high-quality outdoor clothing made of recycled materials. So, the mission statement for this product could be as follows: “To help people live an active life no matter what the weather is like; to promote the health of both customers and the environment.” The first marketing goal would be to increase brand awareness by launching a social media campaign on Twitter and Facebook. An increase in brand awareness would be demonstrated by at least a 50% increase in organic web search by the end of the year. The second goal is to decrease the turnover rate by 15% in six months by establishing a customer loyalty program. The third goal is to increase sales by 10% over one year by building relationships with customers on social media.
References
Cham, T. H., Ng, C. K. Y., Lim, Y. M., & Cheng, B. L. (2018). Factors influencing clothing interest and purchase intention: a study of Generation Y consumers in Malaysia. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 28(2), 174–189. Web.
Ojala, O. (2018). The effect of brand values on consumer behavior: The case of outdoor clothing industry. Turku University of Applied Sciences.