From Situationship to Serious.

The weather has shifted! The air is warm! It's a glorious time of year!

And, I have nothing to wear.

I opened my drawer the other day and I realized I have no t-shirts left.

That didn't make any sense because last fall, I had loads of them.

Didn't I?

But as I started reflecting, I realized that I had donated a few I didn't wear anymore, one I wore one while painting the kitchen, and another one my kid cut a hole in (??) so I tied it into a big knot and gave it to the dog to play with.

And suddenly the math was mathing.

I have no more t-shirts.

And this wardrobe pain point put me into a situationship with a few of my most trusted brands, and a few new ones I've been talking to ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ

I know I'm asking for a lot, but I have pretty high standards when it comes to my wardrobe basics.

• Comfortable, not overly structured or tight
• Wash well and easily
• Can be styled with multiple outfits for multiple occasions - work and otherwise
• Boxy, classic but a little vintage
• Higher quality for longevity
• Sustainably made, or thrifted
• And, I want a deal, because I need a few and I just kind of always want a discount of some kind, again ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ

Can you tell that these magical T-shirts are expected to do a lot of the heavy lifting in my wardrobe?

That's when I got my self into a situationship with the brands that I consider buying from.

These brands include ones I already purchase pretty regularly from, ones I purchase from every so often, and ones that have made it on to my radar recently but we still haven't done anything more than talk.

Why am I telling you about my t-shirt situationships?

It's because this is exactly the kind of thing your customer is doing, too.

In order to buy from you they first have to know there's a pain point they're up against.?(Missing t-shirts! Work and casual outfits for the season, I need you!)

Then they have to put you on the consideration list for?a reason. They either have to be loyal to you or have heard about you enough to be intrigued.?(Pick me! Choose me! Choose me again! Love me! That's what you and every competitor is out there marketing to them.)

And then finally they have to make the decision to buy.

But it's not linear!?

For example, I was literally at a mall - standing inside a Gap. They were on my consideration list for new t-shirts. They meet my basic requirements for a t-shirt and they had a sale. (When don't they, tho?!) The barrier to purchase was fairly low in that moment.

But I was feeling pretty meh about the colour and style options. I didn't want to try anything on, even though I could have, so I wandered on.

Then I went home and got serious when I purchased three t-shirts online from another brand that emailed me. (Everlane, if you're curious)

Multiple situationships ended for me, and one got serious, just like that.

Sometimes purchases are weird like that.

6 Surprising Barriers to Purchase for Your Customers

It's your primary job as a business owner or marketer to find the barriers to purchase your customers feel and lower them. But sometimes, they're not what you'd expect.

1. Colour, texture, shape preferences
2. Care and maintenance directions (or lack thereof)
3. The influence of friends, family, trends, online communities
4. Function and form
5. Misaligned values or brand
6. Lack of appropriately consistent calls to action

5 Questions to Ask Your Customers to Understand Their Purchase Behaviours and Possible Dealbreakers

1. If you were looking for a [product] right now, what brands would you be considering?
2. Tell me more about those brands, which have you purchased from in the past?
3. What have those brands done to get on your "list"?
4. How do you stay connected to these brands??Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Email list, Mailing List, Regular in person store visits, etc.
5. When it comes to purchase, how much do each of these influence your decision? *Unique colours, Colour fits with my preferred palettes, Ease of care, Material texture, Material sustainability, Discount being offered, Long lasting quality etc *Examples are apparel/accessories/homewares

Post below if you want to talk about how to understand your customers' decision making process from situtationships to?barriers to purchase, OR, you want to know more about the Get to Know Your Customers Kit.

(OR if you have other t-shirt brand recommendations, I'll take 'em)

Caroline @ Vireo Research