by Appreciating the extra work and elegance that goes into simple offerings
The Simplicity Premium is the third of the four need states at the core of our first meta-need “Keeping it real” in ConsumerShift.
The core needs of freedom and a sense of order for these consumers hearken back to traditional values even though they are embraced by the postmodern consumer. Those exposed to the values shift often remark at first glance that there appears to be a cyclicality in that postmodern values to some degree mark a return to traditional values. While there is some truth in this, the common thread between traditional and postmodern values is that they are both anti-modern and thus appear similar. And in some cases, a postmodern value is simply a reinterpretation of a traditional value. The value of simplicity, for example, can be thought of as evolving from the traditional value of thrift, and both of these are at odds with the modern value of luxury.
As with the previous two need states, this one also is a reaction against a sense of an overly managed and complex world. There is the sense that humankind has gotten too smart for its own good and has introduced as many problems as it has solved. Technology is often seen as a culprit in making life more complex than it needs to be. Thus, simplicity emerges as a core value for these consumers. They recognize how easy it is to get caught up in gadgetry and lose touch with the purpose that the gadgets are intended to serve. They are thus being more thoughtful about the technologies they choose to invest in, and they will ask the question whether there is a simpler way. Andy Hines
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