O novo consumidor 2.0

If before price or promotion were decisive, today the buying journey is more complex, conscious and connected. The home remains at the center of choices, but now carries meanings that go beyond style or practicality: it expresses values, identity and, above all, purpose.

A survey conducted by ABCasa in partnership with IEMI shows this picture clearly. We are faced with a hybrid consumer, who moves between the physical and the digital, who searches before buying and who requires transparency. For 67% of respondents, the internet is part of the decision even when the purchase is made in a physical store. The reverse movement is also common: more than half visits a store, knows the product and then completes the purchase online.

Almost 90% claim that they had seen the product before the purchase and 73% claim that the decision happened at a later time. Instagram, for example, stands out as the main source of inspiration and research, cited by more than half of people. It is not enough to sell, it is necessary to build narratives that arouse desire and trust.

If the journey has changed, the criteria also. Quality follows as the most valued attribute, remembered by half of the respondents, followed by durability and fair price. What draws attention is that factors related to design, functionality and socio-environmental responsibility appear increasingly as determining factors. It is clear that the consumer does not seek only products, but meaning.

Although many consumers do not remember the acquired brand, among those who remember, 71% state that it was decisive in choosing. This reveals an opportunity and a warning: brands that build trust, relevance and authenticity become part of the consumer's life.

The consumer 2.0 also seeks belonging. He wants consistency between what he buys and what he believes. Sustainability, for example, is no longer a differential and has become a requirement. More than half of Brazilians already give preference to national products, valuing not only the origin, but the commitment to the entire production chain.

We are facing a new consumer code, which combines convenience and awareness, price and purpose, aesthetics and ethics. Those who know how to decipher it will have room to grow in a sector that moves more than R$ 100 billion per year.

It is evident that brands need to go beyond utility and become necessary. They need to thrill, inspire, educate.The consumer 2.0 not only buys, he chooses to belong.

* Eduardo Cincinato holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Braz Cubas University Center. Entrepreneur and entrepreneur with 35 years of solid business experience and extensive knowledge in the home sector with expertise in the segments of decoration, parties, retail and entrepreneurship.