Nobody would look at an ironing board and think of it as part of a bigger business story. If anything, people might look at it and shed a tear, knowing there’s a pile of ironing waiting just beyond the horizon.
But it’s everyday products like this that tell a story of the evolution of consumer demand, efficiency, style, cost-effectiveness – the list could go on. Read on to find out more.
The Consumer Demand For Efficiency
Consumers demand efficiency. From one-click next-day or sometimes even same-day Amazon deliveries to having the Netflix and Disney+ buttons on the remote, everyday efficiency in every sense of the customer journey is becoming the norm. And, yes, the ironing board is still an example of that. They were once chunky, heavy, and difficult to fold, and the protective material lining would always burn and rip. Now, they’re lightweight, more compact, and easy to store, and you can’t burn through the material, ruining your iron.
At every touchpoint in the consumer journey, from product searches to the end use, businesses are continuously finding ways to make every interaction with the brand and product more efficient.
The Consumer Demand For Style
Consumers are increasingly bothered about buying what’s trending and what looks good. For example, 85% of shoppers say colour is the primary reason they choose a product (Rollspack). 15 years ago, it was polka dot ironing covers; now it’s sage and beige.
Style has adapted simple everyday products to appeal to the consumer’s eye. Other than ironing boards, kitchen products are the prime example of this. Air fryers, for example, have gone from the bog-standard egg-shaped models to the Ninja, with two compartments and restaurant-level size and design.
With almost every appliance you see in your home, you can probably think back to how the style has evolved to look, well, more stylish. Ovens, hoovers, mops, kettles, toasters – the list goes on.
The General Consumer Demand
The general consumer demand is taking everyday household items to new levels each year.
Constantly, brands are introducing a 2.0, 3.0, etc., model of a product that beats the previous one. And, yes, each one is more expensive than the last. Consumer demand is driving retail prices through the roof. Despite that, each time, how it beats the previous model is based on the consumer demand and the market trends.
If one brand launches an ironing system with sensteam technology that adapts to the user’s movements for a crisper, cleaner finish, you best believe other brands will copy.
And, probably 90% of the time, the changes and innovations that businesses design and implement come from consumer research, surveys, and feedback.
So, yes, an ironing board is just an ironing board on the surface. But the reality is that it’s part of a bigger business story that’s changing how we see and use everyday household appliances. You can apply the same to most supply chains, from automotives to robotics. Everything we see today is influenced by the demand of the consumer.
