Trader Joe’s Favorite-ism

As consumers, we all have our “favorites”. For us favorite-ing something is a fairly easy process. Often we choose something as our favorite because it is a trustworthy and a consistent source for an indulgence within our interest. Our complex behavior of selecting a favorite is a concept that many marketer’s are trying to sufficiently understand and leverage.

Trader Joe’s certainly has made an effort in trying to be favorite-d by their shoppers. There are marks of marketing wisdom throughout their store that perhaps may have been a stroke of marketing genius or simply an idea concocted by an employee. Regardless, Trader Joe’s has developed a killer experience for their shoppers, that it makes it hard not to favorite them.

Price
One of Trader Joe’s strengths is its key supplier partnerships. Their careful selection of suppliers has provided them not only the ability to establish crucial price points in a commoditized market segment, but as well offer its customers a comparable to superior product against the competition.

Unique
Another, but somewhat subtle strength of Trader Joe’s is its product offering. Yeah, they don’t carry the traditional brand names, but let me tell you that within a small facility, you can eat your way around the world. There are delicacies that are geared for the adventurous but also a complete selection of foods that can satisfy the timid eater. And while the perception of unique foods require additional preparation time, Trader Joe’s filled this gap with easy to prepare options for those who are on the go (and who isn’t on the go anymore).

Kid Friendly
We all know that shopping with children is at times somewhat difficult. Trader Joe’s has made an effort to alleviate some of the stress from the parents by giving them something simple to do while in the store. In each Trader Joe’s branch, a couple of items will be placed somewhere in the store for kids to find--I have seen stuffed toy lobsters, chickens, and polar bears. Once they locate the hidden characters, they can claim a prize at checkout.

Art
There are many hand-written signs in Trader Joe’s, and you can tell that they have taken the time to give it character. From caricatures to stylish alpha-numeric art, Trader Joe’s has identified that an appealing presentation of their products is crucial to inviting the return of new and existing customers.

With your business, try to think of ways that you can differentiate or improve your services to them so that they appreciate and eventually "favorite" the experience when dealing with your company.