Understanding How Retail Brands Influence Consumers

* Comfortable. All consumers want to feel comfortable. They want to feel good, relaxed — they want it to be easy. They're attracted to what makes them feel good, and this is often what's most comfortable and easy. Brand examples include Cracker Barrel restaurants, Godiva and Rockport.

* Cared for and connected to others. Feeling cared for is valuable to all consumers. Humans are genetically predisposed to want to be together; it's one of our evolutionary traits. Brand examples include Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Eclipse, Pizza Hut, Budweiser and Olive Garden.