I spent the first three weeks of July in Japan this summer. It’s fascinating to me how different societies approach similar things. Things like food, transportation, art, and… retail. Yes, retail.
Feast your eyes on this boggling display of air-conditioning units.
Look hard and you’ll see the product in there, hidden behind the unbelievable plastering of prices, specifications, options, plans, promotions, cross promotions, upsells, add-ons, warranties, rebates, and who knows what else (my wife got tired of translating for me).
If you or I walked into a Best Buy and saw this, we might find ourselves paralyzed by the density. Honestly, I’d walk right back out. It doesn’t meet my retail expectations or my need for a simple decision. I am clearly not their intended audience.
Know your audience
I notice this most often in the electronics category, where retailers provide EVERY bit of information. And their customers expect it (the ones I know, anyway). But I wonder if this is what their customers need.
Maybe they crave a simpler decision more than they want every detail. I wonder if they’ve been asked.
…
This is the natural place to weave in a pitch for strategy, research, and design, but it’s summertime. Let's skip it.
Enjoy your August and stay cool out there.
Josh