For a long time, I didn’t get the whole fitness tracker thing. I thought they were only for athletes or people who go to the gym all the time. I saw myself as just “kind of active” – walking my dog daily and going for Pilates a couple times a week.
But something changed over time. I started paying more attention to how much I moved every day, checking the steps on my phone’s health app every evening. Social media became a place where I saw friends sharing their fitness achievements, and it got me thinking.
Then came a moment during a hike with friends. Even though I thought I was moderately active, I couldn’t keep up. It frustrated me. Just counting steps on my phone wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted to see more about my activity levels and challenge my friends in a fun way.
When I got back home, I got really interested in fitness trackers. What was once just something I checked passively became something I wanted to act on. All the data about steps, calories, and sleep that used to overwhelm me now seemed cool.
Soon enough, I had a sleek fitness tracker on my wrist, and considering I was already an Apple user, Apple Watch seemed an ideal fit. It wasn’t just a gadget; it symbolized a new way of thinking for me. It reminded me to take the stairs more, go for longer walks with my dog, and finally start doing real workouts.
This whole journey showed me how small habits can reveal bigger desires. These seemingly random choices reveal a fascinating truth: consumer behavior is a complex dance between what we do and why we do it.
Consumer behavior goes deeper than purchases. It’s about the psychology driving those choices: the needs, emotions, and desires forming the “why” behind the “what.”
Consumer intent, however, is the spark – the “what” igniting a specific desire in a moment. It’s focused on a current goal (e.g., “best fitness trackers”). Needs, desires, and emotions (e.g., getting fit) influence this. Intent is fluid, rapidly changing (e.g., from trackers to nearby gyms).
Imagine consumer behavior as a journey, intent as the destination. Intent reveals the “want” behind the buy.
Though behaviour and intent are interconnected, operate on different periods:
Behavior sparks intent: Existing behavior patterns can fuel specific desires. Someone who looks up recipes online (behavior) might then intend to buy ingredients (intent).
Intent shapes behavior: Repeatedly acting on intent (actions) can solidify into long-term behaviors. Someone searching for healthy recipes might become interested in healthy eating (behavior).
By understanding both, us marketers gain a holistic consumer view. We can use this information to target short-term intent with relevant ads and recommendations based on long-term behavior. This creates a more engaging experience and desired consequence. Additionally, it helps overall brand to identify emerging trends and adapt before the competition.
Seeing behavior in isolation reveals long-term patterns but lacks context. Someone buying organic groceries could be health-conscious, environmentally friendly, or following a trend.
Seeing intent in isolation captures a fleeting desire. Someone searching for a recipe might end up ordering takeout. Intent alone doesn’t reveal underlying reasons or long-term goals.
The power lies in seeing them together:
By analyzing both patterns and intent (browsing history and search queries), brands can target the right consumer with the right message at the right time.
The Unexpected Apple Watch Craving: A Case for Deeper Consumer Insights
My personal journey from fitness tracker skeptic to Apple Watch enthusiast sparked a question: what triggers that desire to buy?
Could Apple have influenced my journey sooner?
Let’s look
I looked up Consumr.ai’s behavior report for Fitness and Lifestyle, considering my key interest.
It built out persona, interests like mine.
Fitness Focus: The report highlights a strong emphasis on fitness (97.93 efficiency score) within the target audience.
Tech comfort matters too: My background in digital marketing positions me as someone comfortable with new tech, making a smartwatch a perfect fit.
Travel considerations? The report highlighted travel as a top theme (100%), and Apple Watches offer features like boarding passes and translation tools, perfect for the frequent traveler.
Now, let’s get granular. When analyzed Consumr.ai’s Intent Report for Smart Watch alongside the Behavior report, the highest search volume is for the obvious terms – “watch” and “apple.” The Behavior report further resonated with my persona, identifying preferred device/brand as Apple. This paints a fascinating picture for brands to tap into high-value, action-taking consumer cohorts.
A corelated interesting observation – Have you ever noticed the sudden influx of gym memberships in January? It turns out, this phenomenon might be reflected in online search trends too!
Intriguingly, Consumr.ai’s Intent report data reveals a spike in Apple Watch searches during January, while remaining relatively flat throughout the rest of the year. This trend mirrors the well-known surge in gym memberships at the beginning of the year, suggesting a strong connection with New Year’s resolutions.
Apple Watch searches spike in January, mirroring gym membership trends. Here’s how Apple can leverage this:
This journey, from phone step tracking to Apple Watch evangelist, reveals deeper desires. Could Apple have ignited that spark sooner? Absolutely.
Understanding consumer behavior and intent is a game-changer. Companies can leverage this knowledge to craft targeted campaigns that resonate with their consumers’ deepest desires at the perfect moment. After all, a well-timed nudge can make all the difference in a consumer journey.
This isn’t about Apple Watches. It’s a testament to the power of “Behavior & Intent.” But there’s more to the story. Stay tuned for the next piece of the puzzle: “Mentions.”
This isn’t just about Apple Watches. It’s a glimpse into the power of understanding ‘Behavior and Intent’. But there’s another crucial piece to the puzzle: Mentions. By analyzing online conversations about brands, products, and even entire industries, companies gain a deeper understanding of the “why” behind consumer behavior.
Intrigued by how social mentions unlock a new level of consumer insights? Stay tuned!
consumr.ai is a consumer intelligence platform that analyses behavioral data from tik tok, meta, google, snapchat and pinterest to tell you what your audience thinks, searches, buys and content they consume. Unlock the power of first party intelligence strengthened by real time behavioral signals from digital marketing platforms.
consumr.ai is a consumer intelligence platform that analyses behavioral data from tik tok, meta, google, snapchat and pinterest to tell you what your audience thinks, searches, buys and content they consume. Unlock the power of first party intelligence strengthened by real time behavioral signals from digital marketing platforms.