Ecomm Challenge Day 1 — Insights & Initial Research

LostSociety
Aug 23, 2017 · 5 min read

Ever get the feeling that the world is about to end?

Maybe it’s just me, but today just feels like one of those days. There is a palpable cloud over everything. Korea vs Trump, the environment, terrorism, population growth, climate change, income disparity, displaced people, starvation, the list seems endless and in this context my challenge seems puerile.

I don’t feel productive and was tempted to call it a day before I’ve even started, but then I thought; alone I can’t affect what is going on in the world, and in the meantime I don’t know where this journey might lead. Hopefully the final output will be positive and maybe something can be learnt. Back to the present. Focus. I need to just do something before I fall into an existential quagmire.

Insights

For some time, while I have been thinking about undertaking this project, I have been observing people at work, in the street, and generally while out and about. I tend to wonder about what they like, why they identify with the things they hold dear, and what motivates them to do the things they do.

On the one hand, it would be very interesting to explore this whole aspect of people and develop a product or service that satisfies these needs, but in terms of the scope of the challenge, maybe I need to reign things back. Why do people choose to buy some items and not others? At my creative writing course at University, I was told: “write what you know”. Whether this should be attributed to Hemingway or Mark Twain, or whether in fact, it is a misquote of either of the two is a moot point, but given today’s mood, I can’t afford to get to the bottom of it right now. It just seems to be a logical place to start.

What do I like buying?

I have some particular and peculiar purchasing habits, but there must be some things that I value that others do:

  • £1 records from secondhand shops (I can bear to just see them sat there)
  • Bike related items, both old and new (at first glance this seems like a crowded market)
  • Things that are well designed but are functional too (They almost have a Instagrammable quality in any context)
  • I’m slightly obsessed with coffee (addiction or passion, you’ll need to decide)
  • Things that can be reused and their appeal appreciates the more you use them
  • Things that are smart and are good for the world (I’m a massive Tesla fanboy)
  • Things that generate greater value the more you use them (Evernote)
  • Bags and backpacks (for some reason I’m obsessed, maybe because I used to get given a lot of them for free)
  • Items that are innovative, and speak of a lifestyle I enjoy. (The outdoors and getting al fresco perhaps)

Initial Research

I speak to some people at work (I know it’s not strictly in the rules), but it comes under the heading of small talk as far as I’m concerned. I ask them what smaller E-commerce sites they use aside from the obvious (Amazon, Ebay, ASOS, ao.com, JD Sports etc). Each person has a completely different answer, from depop to John Lewis, Monoqi to Wiggle, their favourite stores are completely different. I find this encouraging.

Although the big US tech giants factor highly, their favourite stores very much dependent on their particular interests. This seems to suggest that niches still reign. Although the tech giants still list the all same products, sometimes at cheaper prices, people would rather buy from a smaller, specialist retailer. Why is this? Maybe it is more to do with the feeling of being aligned with a particular interest or lifestyle, rather than just buying on price alone.

I’m in the office, going about my day. I observe. Luckily, I work in a large office. What are the things that people of a similar age and outlook all seem to own? (I still want to choose products that I’m aligned with):

Water bottles — I’ve noticed for a while that the more fitness focused and health conscious of our office society own re-usable, and often fancy water bottles. A growing number are now made out of glass and ceramics, some with filters, and many thermostatic bottles that keep drinks hot or cold. Ceramics seem to be the ultimate in luxury.

There also seems to be a big investment in Coffee Tech, this is encouraging being a fan myself. It seems the purists (a slightly more serious and younger demographic) are into preparing from scratch. Whilst the older and more time poor, seem to buy their coffee ready made from independent coffee shops, but still have their own fancy reusable cups.

Finally, the geekier of our fraternity, all seem to have these things that I don’t even have a word for. I ask one of them; ‘What is this?’ Even he can’t tell me what it’s called, but he tells me they are really useful because everyone in the office has to hot-desk every day:

Tech Organiser?

I’m going to describe it as a Tech Organiser, until I have a better or more official name for it.

Conclusion

I haven’t had the most productive day, but I feel like I’m starting to hone in on different segments of people who have different relationships with products. I’m starting to understand current product trends and their relative desirability.

I’m not yet in a position to start selecting or buying product, but it’s much clearer why people would buy from a smaller online retailer. Especially if there were other cultural or interest based benefits to using a smaller site over an impersonal giant, although price is always important.

If you want to read earlier articles in this publication, you can subscribe to The Ecomm Challenge here.

Contact

If you want to chat with me you can reach me on messenger. I’ve now set up a Messenger bot, so if you’d like to get regular updates about the E-Commerce Challenge subscribe here

If you would like to help me in my challenge please leave a comment below.

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LostSociety

Written by

A media consultant at a global company, but toying with more practical marketing ideas. http://about.me/talintyre

Ecomm Challenge

Set up a profitable Ecommerce site in 15 days with a budget of £100

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