Promoting Freedom All Year Long

The Fourth of July is quickly approaching in the United States. It’s a time of year when retailers give a lot of play to patriotic themes—or simply the colors red, white and blue—in marketing and messaging. But when you think about it, freedom is a deeply held consumer value these days… and not just when it comes to Independence Day.

Retailers looking to connect with consumers are wise to incorporate themes involving freedom and choice when it comes to everything from shopping, ordering and delivery to decorating, cooking and cleaning.

Not all stores will be able to offer everything, but it’s a good idea to promote all the ways you offer customers flexibility and freedom.

Customization

That catchy Burger King jingle says it well: “BK…Have it your way…You rule!” After all, we all want choices. (And don’t we all want to be treated like royalty?) Wherever possible, let customers customize options or drive their own experiences.

This could literally mean selecting more products in your assortment that are flexible or customizable. Smaller stores might look for opportunities to partner with artisans who can customize textiles or tabletop items. Maybe there’s a way shoppers could mix and match different items into an established package.

Shopping

Not only do shoppers want to see multiple product options, but they want freedom to shop when, where and how they want. That means integrated e-commerce and in-person options, as well as a variety of options when purchasing in-store.

“Instead of funneling customers into one way to shop, retailers can provide options for high-touch to low-touch shopping through self-service kiosks, self-checkout, buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPUS) options and touchless pay, alongside traditional offerings like talking to customer service associates,” according to Fast Company.

Cooking and Cleaning

Cooking and cleaning often feel like something we don’t have a say in… they’re something we have to do. But “people don’t want things to feel like chores anymore,” Tom Mirabile, trend strategist and expert resource to IHA, told attendees at The Inspired Home Show 2024.

Any time retailers can emphasize new products that offer some choice when it comes to cooking and cleaning is a good idea. Think a countertop oven with multiple cooking functions. It also may be a matter of offering products that require less effort or are more “fun.” Maybe an electric mop or cleaning cloths with cheeky sayings on them.

Décor

Traditionally, there’s been a lot of rules in decorating. Don’t mix silver and gold, stick with one style or period per room, etc. But interior designers are starting to get an increasing amount of requests for flexibility in home décor, so it makes sense to promote how consumers can do this with products you offer.

After all, maximalism and a “breaking the rules” mentality can be seen in a number of design forecasts, such as “Estudio Futuro, which was shared by TrendBible at The 2024 Inspired Home Show. That design story for 2025, which incorporates Latinx culture, is bold, empowered and rooted in creative expression. Also, last year’s HomePage News InSight™ Trend Index highlighted a burgeoning trend of mixed materials in home goods (glass paired with felt, wood paired with leather and ceramic dressed in rattan).