The Consumerist Culture in America, with Expert Marcus Joseph Debaise

It’s no secret that society today is living in a consumerist culture - one where reinvention and “the next big thing” takes precedence over traditional values. As a society, we now seek instant gratification and fast solutions, which give an overall climate of urgency to business and the economy. Business expert Marcus Joseph Debaise joins us today to discuss this consumerist culture, and how to take advantage of it when it comes to your business. “The consumerist culture we live in is reflected and nurtured in every single day - think of Amazon Prime,” says Marcus Joseph Debaise. “To be able to place an order for your household items and receive them at your doorstep the next day, sometimes even same day - is a precise example of consumerist culture.” With busy working lives, busy home lives, and a crammed schedule everywhere in between, it’s no wonder why consumers want the quick and easy solution. Think of how often you go into a mall these days - probably pretty rare, or at least significantly less from when you were a kid. This is because we simply do not want to go out of our ways in order to get the things we need and want - why bother, when I can get the same thing delivered to me even sooner than I will have time to make it to the mall? Our expert Marcus Joseph Debaise feels as though a business can use the values of consumerist culture to their advantage, by making their products or services more available quicker, and easier. “If you consider how quickly trends change - whether that be trends in clothing, tech, even diets, you can anticipate the economic moves your business sector is bound to make, and make that play ahead of time,” says Debaise. “The key is to be the business that shows the people what they want before they even know they want it.” Our expert is right, too - consider independent contractor and miscellaneous sites like Angie’s List. This website allows for consumers to fill in their information on whatever household services are required (plumbing, cleaning, electric, etc.), and connects them to small companies and technicians nearby. Consumers are provided with a shortlist of top matches, and their information is also provided to surrounding businesses. This means that the consumer does not even have to call the number provided to them, because businesses already have their information, and will reach out directly. Think from the consumers’ point of view here - you have a frozen pipe, and no time for such a headache with work and kids involved. So, you hop onto one website, take two minutes to fill out your information, and within 10 minutes - three technicians have called you, provided you with quotes, and one is already on their way over. This is consumerist culture to a “T” - the “I don’t have time for this, can somebody solve this for me as soon as possible?” attitude. Above anything, Marcus Joseph Debaise says this consumerist culture is really a matter of being the one who can help consumers solve their problems the fastest. So, whether you sell clothing or fix broken plumbing - explore how you can be the one to set the trends, provide to society the quickest, and be the first knocking on their door.