"This hat is 20 euros, but if you are not interested in buying..." was the the not-so-encouraging answer I got from an old lady in Tallinn to my price inquiry. The lady's response took me by surprise, she seemed annoyed and defensive, as if my question had poked her. I just thanked her politely and left, but I did not forget the incident as soon.
I was received coldly, or downright ignored in a few more souvenir shops, so I pondered on the reasons. Was this the proud attitude of smart people forced by a bad economy to sell trinkets to foreigners because it pays better? Or are these the remnants of Soviet-era habits where customer focus was smashed down as "burgois"? I decided on the latter, since Estonia's economy is doing well.
And I wondered about marketing to a society where consumer behavior and expectations could vary a lot between generations, and about the challenges of communicating effectively to "transition" generations raised under socialistic rule, but "coming of age" as consumers under a capitalistic system. It would seem an easy transition where people move from "less" to "more", except for the instilled skpeticism towards ads, promotions, polite customer reps, electronic commerce, etc. that can skew marketing results.
Social and historical awareness becomes even more paramount to marketers' ability to read customers well in such settings.
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