One should always showcase a product’s or service’s benefits to the consumer. This is tried and true marketing wisdom.

However; you need to segment consumers into two different categories:

• The product buyer
• The product user

Throughout most of the year, the buyer and user are the same person.

This is not true in the retail holiday season – often the product buyer is not the product user.

A product’s benefits for the product user are emotional responses about how the product will make their life better in some way:

• The Sony Z laptop has an 8 hour battery life so you can be productive on a cross country flight
• Save time and money using the Neat Receipts scanner
• Easily recover from devastating computer crashes by saving your documents online.

However, in the retail season we need to think about the shopper:

• Buy 10 gift cards and easily send them to 10 different addresses
• Save time with our Free Gift Wrapping service
• Save money – free shipping on orders over $25
• The perfect gift will arrive by December 23rd if you order today
• Have your own Merry Christmas, receive a bonus gift on orders over $100

While the above statements are common to see in the retail season – those comments are not directed at the product user – they are for the product buyer.

Your marketing language needs to change in the retail season.

Don’t just showcase benefits for the product user.

Show the buyer why they should purchase from you. How will you make the buyer’s life easier?

Buyers and shoppers are two different segments in the retail season.

Are you showcasing your product’s benefits to the correct person?