Читать книгу Digital Marketing - Annmarie Hanlon - Страница 52

We have moved from a time where companies made as many products as they could and sold as many as possible in the mass production era, when there were few options for shopping other than local stores. We are now in an era where we can access any goods from any place at any time and often on any device. There is an emergent culture of sharing what we have; from cars, to parking spaces, from spare rooms to food. Plus we are more accepting of technology and see the usefulness it contributes to our lives. So who or what is the digital consumer?

Let's start with a definition of consumer from the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford Dictionary, 2017a):

 ‘A person who purchases goods and services for personal use.’

 ‘A person or thing that eats or uses something.’

That's fairly straightforward. We all buy things and use them. At one level I'm a consumer of salads and cappuccinos, at another I'm a keen consumer of handbags. The salads and coffee are essential purchases to fulfil a need of not being hungry or thirsty or tired. And the handbags. I don't actually need any more bags. Each year I say I won't buy any more, but that year hasn't quite happened. The handbags are fun, make me smile and the whole process of selection and purchase is hedonic. So, I am a hedonic consumer (see Key Term).