Kristi Maynard
Senior Marketing Manager
Kristi Maynard, Senior Marketing Manager for Daymon, has spent nearly nine years traveling the globe for the company—working on a range of diverse marketing and brand management projects. Today she works on a consultancy team that provides marketing, category and sourcing services to one of Daymon’s retailer clients in Japan. As part of her role, she continues to scan the world for consumer and retail trends applicable to Daymon’s retailer partner in an effort to help them stay on the edge of innovation.
Retail News Insider recently sat down with Maynard to get her take on some of today’s top trends.
RNI: What’s the biggest trend you’re seeing with your retailer partner in Japan that you haven’t seen as much elsewhere?
KM: Japan is really the leader when it comes to innovating for the aging consumer. They recognize that older adults aren’t all the same. At the most basic level, you have at least three groups: the independent aging consumer, the dependent aging consumer and the caregiver. And all have very different wants and needs.
Independent consumers feel young and vibrant, and want to be celebrated for growing old. They’re more likely to be interested in preventative products that support their still-active lifestyles. That’s in contrast to the dependent aging consumer, who may have mobility, cognitive or swallowing issues. Our retailer in Japan has a whole line of foods designed around different levels of swallowing ability. They also have products designed to help make caregiving for these dependent consumers easier.
RNI: On the flip side, are you seeing any trends in other areas of the world that have yet to really take hold in Japan?
KM: Online and click-and-collect grocery shopping isn’t nearly as prevalent in Japan as it is in other countries. Japanese consumers are so advanced when it comes to mobile technology, but they still very much love to go out and shop. With the growing aging population, I think that’s going to change. I also see scan-and-go mobile technology, like Amazon Go is trialing, becoming a big thing in Japan.
RNI: Living in the U.K., you have experience with discounters like Aldi and Lidl. What’s your take on Lidl opening its first store in the U.S. this year?
KM: Discount here in the U.K. doesn’t feel like discount. Lidl stores, for example, offer a pleasant shopping experience, do a great job with local and much of their assortment is private brand. The quality of their products is good, and they get innovation quickly. If they’re able to figure out the execution correctly for the U.S. market, they’re a big threat. It could be a major disruptor.