House keys with house keyring 1200 x 800

For most of our adult lives our behaviours as consumers are fairly consistent, generally buying a set of brands of the same products and services.  

However there are moments in life when that regular pattern of consumption changes and we as consumers find ourselves in the headlights of having to make lots of decisions on lots of things, in often new, important and expensive categories.  Although there are others, for most of us this means the 3 classics – getting married, having a baby and moving house.

For some time the wedding planning industry recognised the opportunity for helping clueless couples navigate the months of choices and expenditures that lay ahead of them.  This bundling together of a range of different products and services generally works well for all sides – time is saved searching and cost savings possible through bulk buy discounts and company relationships via the planner.

For couples having a baby, there is the NCT course, but curiously not much else besides to help you explore, compare and buy all the various bits and bobs required for a growing household.

Which brings us to moving house, which feels remarkably under-served given the upheaval involved - a physical moving of your life and home from one place to another, and something we generally only do every 10-20 years or more - so not something you ever get used to. 

I recently undertook the pleasure of moving house and my consumption levels have been on overdrive. Alongside the legal and financial necessities, I have had to make choices on utility providers, TV and broadband providers, insurance, removals, decorating, buying colour coordinated appliances for my new kitchen (red), redirecting mail – and probably many more to come I’ve not even thought of yet.  I’ve had to do all the legwork -  finding and comparing options and prices and making trade offs, and despite my best efforts it’s likely I’ve not always made the best decisions or got the best prices.  

Where was the equivalent of a moving house wedding planner service -  which surely in this day and age could have been largely delivered via app? Sure, there’s price comparison services for some of these categories, but what about cross category bundling/discounts?

As consumers, brands and businesses have become well adept at providing solutions for our everyday lives, but when it comes to big life moments when everything goes up in the air – it feels like no one is there with a helping hand.  Many of these brand choices are ones which result in long-term custom so a way of these providers making sure they’re front and centre at this time would seem hugely compelling.

It strikes me as the biggest win-win – a company who brings different brands and businesses together at moments of life change – optimising choices and lessening the burden for the consumer.  It can’t be long before we see businesses making life easier at such moments – who will take the lead?

At Redblue we work on a range of challenges helping brands spot new opportunities for growth in people’s lives, often involving identifying valuable and untapped ‘moments of truth’ where they can make a real difference.  If you want to be first to tap into such moments we’d love to chat further.

Want to chat further?  Please drop me a note on martyn@redblue.co.uk or call 07926 856225.