Is H.E.N.R.Y gone yet? C.A.R.L.Y is coming into the stores and it’s coming faster than expected. C.A.R.L.Y is the new segment of shoppers who are prepared to enter your store, look out for sustainable brands and even squeeze in a quick TikTok video, making your brick and mortar shop go viral.
Now you might be wondering who is C.A.R.L.Y and why should you care about her. Let’s start by explaining who H.E.N.R.Y and C.A.R.L.Y are and who invited them to the party.
C.A.R.L.Y and H.E.N.R.Y - Your buyers
C.A.R.L.Y is the new segment of customers who are beginning to step foot inside brick and mortar shops or place orders online. C.A.R.L.Y is an acronym for “Can’t afford real-life yet”. H.E.N.R.Y, her older brother, is an acronym for “High earner, not rich yet”.
Both of these customer segments are very important for both eCommerce platforms and brick and mortar shops.
While you already know and sell to H.E.N.R.Y, the 30 something millennial who buys only BIO avocados, there are still some things you need to uncover before you can include C.A.R.L.Ys in your in-store marketing strategy.
C.A.R.L.Y shoppers don’t use their money because they don’t have a steady career yet. People who are part of this category are between the ages of 18 and 25 and they are just beginning their journey when it comes to retail. However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t need to prepare ahead of time to learn how to integrate this segment into your in-store marketing strategy.
In-store marketing for C.A.R.L.Y buyers
How do you sell to C.A.R.L.Ys? What attracts them inside your store and what makes them leave dissatisfied?
When it comes to in-store marketing, most retailers still focus on old-school tools like cardboards, dump bins, and shelf talkers. As you can observe by their behavior on social media, they are not really into old-school, boring marketing strategies.
Let’s see what you can change in your in-store marketing strategy to sell to the young consumers.
1. Sustainability
This is the buzzword for C.A.R.L.Y consumers. They shop only from brands that offer sustainable alternatives. They cut out their plastic use and try to protect the environment with their purchases. C.A.R.L.Ys are big fans of Greta Thunberg and they are young enough to still dream of a better world.
If you want to sell to the C.A.R.L.Y consumer you should focus on promoting sustainable brands and making some changes around your shop to show that you care about the environment.
Try to use reusable materials in your campaign or use digital and robotic POS displays instead of cardboards.
2. Innovate and use technology
Because they love technology and social media, the C.A.R.L.Ys of the world expect much more from their local brick and mortar shop. They spend a lot of time on social media and they love short content (short clips like TikToks). That’s why they will have to be surprised to turn their head around and notice your new in-store promotion.
Don’t rely on old-school marketing tools! Try to innovate as much and possible by introducing robots, digital displays, robotic POP displays, and free Wi-Fi inside your store.
3. Offer them an experience
Just like H.E.N.R.Ys, C.A.R.L.Ys love a good retail experience. They don’t just come inside the store for a purchase, they come for fun, to socialize, and to distract themselves. Tokinomo can help you offer them an amazing experience. Just imagine a young girl passionate about social media who walks on an aisle and the products started talking to her - this is “experiential retail”.
Tokinomo, a robotic POP display combines sound, motion, and light technologies and allows products to come to life. It’s far more engaging than a simple display with a written message. The bag of flour telling C.A.R.L.Ys to buy it could be the beginning of a viral TikTok.
4. Diversity
Apart from expecting brands and retailers to focus on sustainability, the new customer segment also wants brands to put more emphasis on diversity. C.A.R.L.Ys love to talk freely about gender, race, and sexuality. This shopper needs to know that diversity is a part of your brand’s culture.
If you are a brand that supports diversity, show it freely on social media, inside the store, and anywhere you can.
5. Omnichannel retail
As mentioned before, C.A.R.L.Ys really love spending time on the Internet. That’s why you need to make your products available for them both online and offline. They will love to have a BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in-store) option. It’s easier for them to select products online, but they also want to come inside the store for the experience.
When you manage to implement omnichannel retail, include it in your in-store marketing strategy. You will see that both H.E.N.R.Y and C.A.R.L.Y customers will highly appreciate it.
C.A.R.L.Y customers might seem difficult to please now, but as they grow and start purchasing from your store or brand you will be able to spot what they want. It’s also important to collect feedback from them and from other categories of customers to make sure that you provide the best services and products for your shoppers.
