Generational Selling: A Strategy You Need to Know

The digital world today offers the opportunity to engage with people electronically through many different touchpoints — digital ads, social media, e-mail marketing, YouTube videos. It is important to understand your target market, the customer journey and what motivates a buyer to purchase a product, as well as your business’ purpose and why someone would specifically purchase a product from you. As you gain knowledge about your local or regional market’s need for flooring, it’s also essential that you understand how different generations view the world, their values and motivations. This will help to better position your product or service for improved engagement and, ultimately, a flooring sale.

Business Purpose
Customers buy from companies or people with a purpose. And they buy products because they have a need. For the residential flooring industry, the need may be because they are renovating their home, adding an in-law suite, replacing a tired floor or just simply that they want something new.

This is where your purpose meets their need. You’re a local retailer that is part of the community. Your purpose is to help people live a better life in your hometown. You need to exemplify that messaging and integrate it into communications and advertising to more effectively reach and engage prospective customers.

Target Market
In all parts of life, it’s best to know your audience.

You wouldn’t stand in front of a crowd and speak about just anything, would you?

You’d probably write a speech on a specific topic and when writing that speech, you’d give thought to your audience — their wants and needs and how you can reach them through your words.

It’s the same with digital advertising. You need to understand your market, who lives in it and what needs you are able to fill.

To do this, you can work with a local marketing agency or consultant who already knows the area. They can pull demographics of the town, region and province, and provide you with a synopsis of who’s in the designated market area (DMA). Or you can utilize the Internet to acquire census data, which will help you better understand what percentage of the population in your area is over 55, under 35, has a family, is living alone, their income levels and so on.

Once you’ve gleaned who you’re selling to in your DMA, it’s necessary to know what motivates them to act.

What are their likes and dislikes? What are they doing at their current stage of life? How likely is it that they can afford the product you’re offering?

This is where understanding the different generations will help you position your messaging appropriately.

Matures: Born Before 1946
This aging group is looking forward to retirement and relaxing.

Within this generation are two segments. The first is the ‘tried and true’ (47 per cent). They’re low risk as they’ve learned this keeps them safe and secure. They think things have really changed and they want everything to go back to the way it used to be. The second segment is the ‘golden agers’ (53 per cent). They like to extend beyond their comfort zone. You may decide to target this segment as ‘golden agers’ are looking for adventures and may want to remodel their space. Keep in mind, though, that both groups grew up with hardwood in their homes, so the nostalgia of hardwood floors is engrained in them.

Boomers: Born 1946-1964
This generation really are the movers and shakers. Think about all they’ve seen and experienced: the end of the Second World War, growth of the middle class, rise of rock ‘n’ roll.

While this generation is segmented, they are equal in their motivations. Twenty-two per cent are considered ‘full throttle’ and are busy at all times; 59 per cent are ‘smooth sailors’ who like to enjoy the fruits of their labours; and 20 per cent are dedicated to making a difference in the hopes of creating a better world to live in.

Gen X: Born 1965-1978
This generation is a bit set in their ways. Their parents were the movers and shakers, so they’re likely to be more refined.

Fifty-eight per cent are considered ‘pragmatic pathfinders’ who want to make the most of their life. The other 42 per cent are more focused on their home and find comfort in making it the centre of their life. (This is who you may want to target with new flooring.)

Millennials: Born 1979-1996
This is the most diversified generation with four different segments. Twenty per cent are ‘new traditionalists’ who are family oriented and living their life to support their family. ‘Ambitious realists’ are the largest segment at 37 per cent. They’re looking for everything but not sure if they can handle it. ‘Trailblazers’ make up 25 per cent. They like to stay one step ahead of the crowd and take risks in their quest to live their best life. The last segment (18 per cent) is focused on fighting for a better world. In general, this generation has money to spend and are willing to pay for finer things. However, they need to closely identify with a company’s purpose, so keep this in mind when marketing to them.

Gen Z: Born 1996-2000
This generation is all in, out to make a difference and not afraid to take risks. They see a world filled with opportunities and want to be a part of the solution to multiple causes. They’re tech-savvy and connected having grown up in an on-demand, mobile phone in hand environment. When making a decision, they need to be connected digitally; having visualizer tools or virtual reality experiences are key when making a purchase. They also want a quick response, so be prepared to act swiftly when providing them with a product or service.

Gen Alpha: Born After 2010
This is the ‘up and coming’ generation. Despite not quite being at the stage of making home improvement purchases, we can gauge their current activity and make assumptions about future shopping habits.
Generation Alpha is a combination of all generations that came before them. They’re decisive, determined, have a strong conviction in their beliefs, resilient, are confident, work hard and desire to be in control while seeking out challenges. They’re considered the ‘richest generation,’ both in wealth and knowledge, and spend on all things from technology, gaming and streaming services to food delivery, fashion and hobbies.

Customer Journey and Content Marketing
When developing content to engage specific generations, you need to have a specific strategy to really stand out since there is much clutter in the digital space. Having a clear focus of the generation you want to target — knowing their needs and wants, likes and dislikes, and the stage in their lives — can be valuable when creating a marketing campaign. Truly understanding who you are creating content and advertising for can pay off in dividends. Knowing that customer and their path to purchase is key to successfully selling to them.

Flooring is not an everyday purchase. For some generations, it takes time to weigh the features and benefits. Others act on impulse, not caring about the durability or upkeep but only about the look. Being able to target your audience based on research and, more importantly, insights gleaned is key to a successful marketing program. If you know your audience and relate to them, you’ll find they’re more receptive to purchasing your product when making that final decision.

Jeffrey Sommer is director of integrated marketing and digital engagement at AHF Products, a leading hard surface flooring manufacturer with a family of brands, including Armstrong Flooring, Bruce and LM Flooring, that serve the residential and commercial hardwood and vinyl flooring markets.