Along that same line as Small Is the New Big and the The Long Tail, etc. etc. (drink, drink), and combined a bit with the Trading Up idea, there is a growing phenomenon that is pushing the nichification of markets even further to the edges.
I refer to myself and the people around me who are exhibiting the same behaviours as the Boutique Generation Era (thanks for the suggestion).
You may be a member of the Boutique Era if you:
- Enjoy shopping at your local pharmacy, grocer, clothing store where you know the owners and feel yourself going out of your way to give them business even if their prices are higher because you prefer to have the personalized service over cost reduction
- Enjoy shopping at specialty stores, like Cheese Emporiums, Perfumeries, Tea Shops, Sephora (drooool), etc. that carry a single, narrow type of product
- Will not pay much attention to the prices at these stores because the experience is worth it
- You were influenced to shop at the specialty stores as well as the local boutiques and shops mostly because a friend told you his/her experience with them
- You are starting to demand the same great experience from your online browsing. You prefer better designs, smoother UI, simple, streamlined checkout, some level of personalized service (ie. Oddica does a great job of this with their amazing packaging and ‘extras’), or at least a community where you feel you ‘belong’ (ie. Threadless) and you don’t mind paying for it as well.
- Prefer smaller restaurants that have a beautifully detailed menu who serve interesting wine pairings, have ’stories’ for each dish and are a locals best kept secret (said restaurants don’t have to be pricey, but aren’t really a bargain). The service is personal and you can’t have dinner there in under 2 hours
- Like to wear fashions by local designers, buy vintage pieces and buy clothing and jewelry when you travel that nobody else will have, but you always have a story for
- Will travel way far out of your way for a special cup of coffee, tea or mixed drink and make certain you introduce good friends to the treat of the experience
- Love farmers markets and prefer organic markets when the choice is presented
- Pride yourself in being able to give these ‘insider tidbits’ to others and connect to fellow customers when immersed in the experience
Sometimes the personal experience is far from friendly, too. In fact, the guy at the local cheese store barks at people, but we all obediently shuffle up and don’t complain. We know the treat will be that we will get the perfect cheese every time. He wouldn’t sell us what he needed to sell because it was going off. He wouldn’t sell us the most expensive cheese. He only introduces us to the perfect cheese for our mood. It is always an experience.
The Boutique Era don’t look at their habits as ‘better’ or ‘gourmet’ (although some do, it’s not part of the core experience, in fact, the less it is about the snobbery, the better the experience). The basic underlying thread is the desire for experience rather than just consumption. Craft over commodity. Boutiquers can enjoy a $7 bottle of wine with the right story and even more with the right $3 cheese and baguette, so it isn’t about money either (like the Trading Up book suggests).
It’s about connection. Community. Local village and neighbourhoods (even if it isn’t geographically local or your neighbourhood).
It’s about caring about individuals and saying so with our spending (sometimes). It’s also about slow food, enjoying life and paying attention to the company we share it with (quite often).
And as per my last post, people from all sorts of areas, walks of life, motivations and desires are exhibiting these traits. What do you think it all means?
[The cheese shop in the photo was one of my faves in Toronto: Global Cheese. Kensington Market itself was spectatcular - a whole section of town dedicated to an everyday farmers market.]
20 Comments
Hi Tara,
This is a great post. As it happens, I’m about to re-launch my dating site, Flirtnik, as a social software site for this exact group in the UK.
Tim Benjamin
That’s a frighteningly accurate description of me and my perceptions of consumption vs experience. Not only am I disturbed that the market knows me well, but also that I have become someone who will drive 70 miles roundtrip to shop at the nearest Whole Foods and not mind that I went $100 over budget because the experience and products are worth it. Maybe it’s time I read Trading Up?
What do I think it all means?
1. Some people have extra cash to splash around.
2. “The market for something to believe in is infinite”
3. People reward themselves with artisanal products as a fairly inexpensive reward/coping mechanism for their ever-increasingly pressurized lives.
What a really wonderful post, Tara. This mindset is obviously linked to shifts in marketing strategy. Blogs and podcasts, etc., really speak to a generation that seeks the story as much as the product.
Which came first? The ability to more effectively tell stories online, leading to a more pronounced Boutique Generation? Or the rist of the Boutique Generation, fueling marketing strategies to tell long-form product stories online?
See…it has to do a little with the money, because we are in a post-scarcity economy and although not everyone is flush with cash, the middle class is getting stronger and slightly edging outwards (picking up a bit on the ‘bottom’ end - like for people making $35-50k/year in major centers - as well as the top end - $125-200k is not ‘upper crust’ anymore), but it has less to do with money for me.
It’s more about connections, I believe. I think it’s closer to “The market for something to believe in is infinite” than anything else…but even that amazing phrase doesn’t fully capture it.
I don’t know…could it come from our alienated existence? Stuffed into cities where we don’t talk to our neighbours and are treated like numbers by companies? Our need for something deeper? Our loneliness? What Hugh is talking about when he is talking about Love…
We have money and want to choose where to spend it. It isn’t just about Peer to Peer, it’s about feeling in touch with it. We control how we bring it in…what about how we spend it? Connection is so important.
Great post, Tara! I know I tend to seek personal and unique engagement in my buying experience and am drawn to specialty stores and, definitely, coffee houses with character. It’s a way to eke out some flavorful quality of life in a mad-busy world!
Oui! Qui! I’m definitely in the Boutique Generation and I tag all my posts that refer to my adoration and devotion with either “boutique” or “artisanal”.
I also notice little details at shops such as preference for big windows over florescents, and fresh flowers over plastic or dried flowers, etc. Is there LIFE present here?
Don’t forget preponderance of chocolatiers EVERYWHERE, petite stationary stores that encourage handwritten love letters, calligraphy pens and paper from Florence, knitting shops, etc. etc too.
What jumps out to me is if the owners and employees walk the walk. It’s not just marketing spiel. When you meet a chef because you are both buying balsamic vinegar from Nico at the organic farmer’s market, that’s the restaurant I go to.
My post today is tagged “boutique”, “artisanal”, “slow+marketing”, “web2.0″ btw.
I ought to make myself a Boutique Generation tee shirt, because this does a frighteningly accurate job of describing my shopping habits. Unlike some people have suggested, it’s not about the money (for me, anyway). We have very, very little disposable income, but when we do have a chance to spend a little I find myself much more excited and willing to spend if we do something “nice” like heading to the cheese shop (I am so there with you on the cheese love) or buying something small at the local boutique where the owner knows my name and asks about my kid. The funny thing is, I’m MORE willing to exhibit this type of behavior with online shops (and apps). If I feel like I’m getting responsive, personalized service, I’ll stick with it, even if there’s a less-expensive option.
Hmmm, just savoring the comments, and just noticed that Tara said: “Stuffed into cities where we don’t talk to our neighbours and are treated like numbers by companies?”
Eerie how we are on the same wavelength. I’m talking about walkable cities as a metaphor today.
Yeah, that’s what it is about.
Coming out of the mass-scale, designed-for-machine-cars places toward an appreciate for the aliveness of a human, the intimacy of a small group, the collective joy of a wedding feast. It’s not a going back nostaglically though to purer times however, it’s a big leap forward and we’re on the cusp of it.
Oh, that’s funny…I took one look at that picture and thought “Is that Kensington Market?” That’s about a ten minute walk from me right now.
@Karen . I’m jealous. I miss it sooo much.
@Ev . You’ve been a constant inspiration with me on this. I loved your post on walkable cities. It’s so right. I think about neighbourhoods I’m drawn to. Neighbourhoods I can stroll around in and there are only local merchants who recognize me.
@Jessica - if you make the tee, I’ll buy it!
@Shawn - flavorful quality. Nice!
@David - I wonder if it was p2p that pushed it or the personal changes increasing the need for p2p…either way, it’s still personal connection.
Your description remided me of my home town of Wellington, New Zealand. A place So far away and small that most of the chains never got there (or at least not yet, there are a few beginning to appear now) so boutiques are the way to go. I love shopping for gifts in NZ. London, Sydney, Portland, Seattle are great cities, but I always missed the personalised aspect of boutique stores. Many big stores and chains just don’t seem to care about you, so you don’t care about them
I’m sorry, I couldn’t possibly focus on your post after seeing that photo. They have La belle Mimolette at what price?!
OMGCHEEEZ
The first thought that went through my mind when I read this: ‘If you can afford it…’
Sorry - but while I recognise the metaphor, it comes across as elitist to this reader.
I do all those “boutique” things, but in my case it’s not for the experience. I personally have very strong values about how I want the world to work. Some people consider these political values. I do whatever I can to live by these values because I think it:
a.) Makes the world a better place (one less SUV on the road, support local economy, etc.); and
b.) Makes my life more enjoyable, call it quality of life or smug self-satisfaction. It’s how I want to exist in the world.
By the way, I’ll tell you a secret if you don’t spread it to all the yuppies.
Carrboro, North Carolina is one of the best to live places in the country for people who want to live by these kind of progressive, sophisticated, communitarian values. Put your money where your mouth is!
Hi Tara,
I find it amusing how marketers constantly try to label certain lifestyles as if it were a new trend or because everyone else is doing it.
I used to live in a small neighborhood in Spain where large chain-grocery-store type places didn’t even exist. Everyone relied on the local bakery for fresh bread, the farmers market for fresh fruits, fish and meat, and local shops for great inexpensive wines. The community aspect was quite visible and people would greet you as if you were part of the family.
The experience was definitely there, but that was normal and I couldn’t picture things being any different.
I am also a huge fan of farmers markets and specialized shops. I think your post was absolutely fantastic, but if the prices didn’t reflect the quality of what I was looking for, I would avoid them like the plague.
@Dennis Howlett - ah, but Dennis, I made it pretty clear throughout my post that it wasn’t the price point. In fact, doing alot of these things are CHEAPER than buying big brand names, etc.
@Alex - you are right…but the ‘trend’ is when you look around where people have the choice and now they seem to be making it.
@Ruby - love that insight. I think it is probably a frequent motivation.
Tara what a great post,
The Boutique generation (me included) is definately the way of the world. I think the wave of gloablisation, mass production and mass consumption is passing. And good riddance I say!
Starbaucks coffee just doesn’t cut it compared to my local cafe. And why on earth would you want to wear a branded ‘Billboard’ T-Shirt when you can buy real craftsmanship from Threadless and the like.
It’s all about craftsmanship / craftswomanship!
Tara,
If there is any chance of society surviving the pressures of mass production and global markets, the attitude you succinctly describe will be important!
Via http://contributionmarketing.wordpress.com/ I read this great article. I would like to add that this behaviour is very much related to the growing awareness that we are all related to one another. This “nonduality insight” is making us (consciencely or subconsciencely) buy at the local shops and boutiques because we feed our own community in that way.
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