How important can sensory touch points be ??

A complete change of track. Yes ! Lately, there has been a trend been observed where people are being more inclined towards natural, fresh and organic way of living. Mostly, it has happened in case of the city population as they hardly get to experience anything from the scratch. With the digitally enhanced world and still progressing towards everything computerized, city people have the habit of getting everything ready made in hand. Due to which, they actually have lost the sense of touch and are actually craving for it.

Now, think little ahead. How, people or for us .. our customers will behave in the near future ?? Technology will be further more advanced and therefore, commodities will be readily available through a touch of a button. Due to inclination towards gadgets and technology, buyers will be much more informed and they will as a result be much more information hungry and digger for details. When we talk about details, it means people will dig more about the product origin, raw materials being used in the products and also the whole process of product making.

If you have noticed, a lot of people now go in for ayurveda, naturoveda or the natural way of healing your mind, body and soul. It can be in any form - a weekend getaway to somewhere in the lap of nature, mountain or forest trekking, yoga etc. In this way an individual can connect with nature and with other individuals on the way. The simple smell of wet soil, or the feel of touching leaves or just perched up on the edge of a hill looking at the view in front. All these summed up can heal our whole mental system. Similarly, customers are now more prone to using products which shout ' handmade, natural and organic '. 

 display of ingredients

bright colours propel a customer towards finally buying the product

Looking at the market trend, retailers have also started changing their way of thinking or say expanded their horizon. They basically wish to provide a 360 degree shopping experience which will include enlightening the buyers about the product details. Take for example - what are the ingredients used in our soaps or how do we pack our products or what measures do we take to deliver our products safely at your doorstep. A time will come when shoppers can actually make their own products or you can say, they will be given the opportunity to experiment with various ingredients, choose them and do it all on their own. Retailers are paying more attention to the psychology of shoppers. In a study conducted, it has been said that consumers automatically determine properties of marketing stimuli using their senses & knowledge of the world ( ref. : Consumer Behaviour by Wayne D. Hoyer, Deborah J. Maclnnis, Rik Pieters ).

more personalization where customers can experience the products even before buying

introducing customization where customers will be allowed to make their own products

It is true. Very true in fact. Take a simple example. Count the times you felt attracted towards any street side cafe due to aroma of something delicious being cooked which travelled all the way from the kitchen to your nose. It flirted with your senses and you finally turned up sitting and enjoying the dish !! Innumerable !! That's what smell does to you. Talk about touch. When you feel the material of a saree in your hand and it's all soft and you buy it. This is basically a communication with our brain which helps us in rational decision making. Touch fuels emotion ( ref. : Psychology of the shopper: driving sales through the senses ).

Lastly, retail would grow to become such a place where shoppers can connect with each other resulting in idea sharing and knowledge gathering. Precisely, shopping in the future would be treated just like an art, like a ceremony where one not only purchases the product but gathers in-depth knowledge about the same.