for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense

It’s hard to remain immune to the sheer abundance of choice that we have. The era of affordable luxury ushered in by Target is now in full swing. H&M slashed the price of runway style, IKEA allows everyone to have a full house of furnishings, and what we can’t find around the corner is available 24x7 on ebay.

All this cheap chic is creating a wave of consumerism that is based less on passion than experimentation. If individuals are on the fence about that ensemble and its price is right, they’ll buy it, more than willing to abandon it if it doesn’t work. The search for love is being replaced by the search for new.

Welcome to the era of the Trysumer. According to “Trendwatching,”

“Freed from the shackles of convention and scarcity, immune to most advertising, and enjoying full access to information, reviews, and navigation, experienced consumers are trying out new appliances, new services, new flavors, new authors, new destinations, new artists, new relationships, new *anything* with post mass-market gusto.”

This kind of purchasing ushers in a new era of selling. Lifestyle brands are used to high-styled photography as the mainstay of their advertising. But Trysumers are more likely to respond to marketing that lowers the barriers of decision for a quick purchase. Trysumers will respond to retail experiences that allow them to try out products before they actually buy them. Welcome to sampling as a traditional advertising medium.

Retailers can easily take advantage of this trend in-store, but at NYCA, the full-service San Diego-based marketing agency where I am vice president/director of strategic planning, we know there is much a retailer can do with the marketing mix to make sure Trysumers are engaged. Bag Borrow and Steal’s whole business model is based on the bet that consumers will rent designer handbags at a far faster rate than they’ll purchase them. If a customer likes a certain bag, she can purchase it at a “used” price. Sephora opens the cosmetic world for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense

buy it, more than willing to abandon it if it doesn’t work. The search for love is being replaced by the search for new.

Welcome to the era of the Trysumer. According to “Trendwatching,”

“Freed from the shackles of convention and scarcity, immune to most advertising, and enjoying full access to information, reviews, and navigation, experienced consumers are trying out new appliances, new services, new flavors, new authors, new destinations, new artists, new relationships, new *anything* with post mass-market gusto.”

This kind of purchasing ushers in a new era of selling. Lifestyle brands are used to high-styled photography as the mainstay of their advertising. But Trysumers are more likely to respond to marketing that lowers the barriers of decision for a quick purchase. Trysumers will respond to retail experiences that allow them to try out products before they actually buy them. Welcome to sampling as a traditional advertising medium.

Retailers can easily take advantage of this trend in-store, but at NYCA, the full-service San Diego-based marketing agency where I am vice president/director of strategic planning, we know there is much a retailer can do with the marketing mix to make sure Trysumers are engaged. Bag Borrow and Steal’s whole business model is based on the bet that consumers will rent designer handbags at a far faster rate than they’ll purchase them. If a customer likes a certain bag, she can purchase it at a “used” price. Sephora opens the cosmetic world for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense

ith post mass-market gusto.”

This kind of purchasing ushers in a new era of selling. Lifestyle brands are used to high-styled photography as the mainstay of their advertising. But Trysumers are more likely to respond to marketing that lowers the barriers of decision for a quick purchase. Trysumers will respond to retail experiences that allow them to try out products before they actually buy them. Welcome to sampling as a traditional advertising medium.

Retailers can easily take advantage of this trend in-store, but at NYCA, the full-service San Diego-based marketing agency where I am vice president/director of strategic planning, we know there is much a retailer can do with the marketing mix to make sure Trysumers are engaged. Bag Borrow and Steal’s whole business model is based on the bet that consumers will rent designer handbags at a far faster rate than they’ll purchase them. If a customer likes a certain bag, she can purchase it at a “used” price. Sephora opens the cosmetic world for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense

of this trend in-store, but at NYCA, the full-service San Diego-based marketing agency where I am vice president/director of strategic planning, we know there is much a retailer can do with the marketing mix to make sure Trysumers are engaged. Bag Borrow and Steal’s whole business model is based on the bet that consumers will rent designer handbags at a far faster rate than they’ll purchase them. If a customer likes a certain bag, she can purchase it at a “used” price. Sephora opens the cosmetic world for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense

for customers to try any product they wish on their own terms before making a purchase. And pop-up retail formats are opening to give fashion brands a sense of showcasing parts of the product line as a way to give consumers a taste of what the flagship stores are actually like.

The online world is proving to be a very efficient way for Trysumers to get their information fixes. You can “try on” new clothing or styles in SecondLife, and even though an avatar is nothing like a real body, the sense of interaction with a brand is tangibly there. The myriad of consumer reviews allow consumers to talk with others just like them to determine whether an experience might be worth the trouble. And inexpensive products and promotional items can be distributed via yes-its-free.com and other sampling sites. These little bits of brand experience translate to a consumer stopping at the entrance to a store, feeling that this brand is already a part of her life and looking forward to more experiences with it.