The question that’s been bothering me the most lately is why so many people want to buy so much cheap crap. It makes no sense to me, and the prices people want to pay are astronomically low.
Consumer price sensitivity is perfectly reasonable, but when that price sensitivity manifests as demanding specialty items such as bicycle jerseys for under twenty dollars, there’s something wrong with the larger consumer goods ecosystem. The demand for low cost seems to be driven by the desire to have as much cheap crap lying around as possible, combined with tight economic conditions.
It seems that the smartest thing to do right now is focus on producing quality long-lasting goods, and deflecting consumer price criticism with messaging around longevity, the thriftiness of a well-made item, and environmental aspects of re-purchasing cheaper goods. Consumer education now will pay off long-term, especially in for active and outdoor brands.
Reasonable, one would expect customers to start to tire of poor quality and start to migrate towards the higher quality products.
The opposite approach, getting tangled up in the price wars led by Ikea, WalMart, and H&M will simply dilute brands, dissolve loyalties, and leave consumers with no upward path to quality/longevity.