A very interesting snippet in the news caught my attention yesterday.
Fokke de Jong, Suitsupply’s chief executive, described the African customer as informed. “They understand luxury, as in they understand the inherent quality of products — unlike what you might have seen some years ago in some emerging Asian markets where customers were simply associating luxury with big labels.
An informed customer is a demanding one. As I tweeted yesterday, those who may underestimate the impact and influence of always on connectivity on the African consumer market will find themselves challenged.
Wealth may not trickle down but aspirational consumer behaviour and values certainly do. ~ @nitibhan
Upward mobility implies observing and emulating signals of status as sent by those perceived to have succeeded.
If one of those values are an appreciation of high quality goods, then the implications for those seeking to enter the African market are enormous.