After a month abroad, I noticed both similarities and differences between how we conduct business in the United States and in European countries. For example, much of the marketing research and analysis is similar in a sense that trends point towards the younger generations becoming more influential. Bucherer Retail Group spoke to us students about the changing market audience from firsthand purchasing to a wider used market. The younger market audience has more awareness and consciousness in what they are buying because they do not want their products to have a detrimental toll on the environment. Second-hand apparel, thrifting, used, and resale products are much more popular and widely preferred, according to Bucherer. In America, thrifting and used market still has a stigma, but the future generations are becoming more aware of the environmental impacts their favorite brands have.
A few differences I noticed are that Europeans have redefined what luxury means while Americans still believe that luxury means owning the best and more expensive brands. For example, Bucherer Group and Swarovski Crystals have recently gone through a rebranding period in which they have changed the way they conduct their advertising campaigns. Americans see the sleek and shiny new product and spend whatever absurd amount on it because they have a materialistic state of mind. Swarovski and Bucherer have turned the focus towards the employees and in-store experience. The European groups I previously mentioned have changed the narrative of luxury and have redefined it as ?the experience?. From entering the store to the customer service after a purchase, Swarovski Crystals and Bucherer believe luxury is more so what the consumer takes away from the experience and the people they have interacted with rather than the satisfaction from the product itself. Any company can sell an expensive and fancy watch, but Bucherer strives to be the best PEOPLE to buy from.
My time abroad has changed my perspective on America entirely. I felt safer and healthier, and I was truly amazed at the sophistication of the European people. There is so much diversity, and it seemed as if every person you interacted with spoke more than 2 languages. Meanwhile, American public schools require 2 years of a foreign language minimum, and many slip by with a C. There is so much culture and open-mindedness in comparison to America.
The American people are so polarized, and while there are political parties in Europe, you don?t nearly see as much of the polarization or hatred as you do in America. As part of my syllabus requirements, I must interview a native resident of each city I visit. Luka, resident of Munich, Germany, told my group he is scared for us. Scared to see what will become of the country. Every day on the world news is another story about a school or mall shooting ? nothing new, and Luka expressed his concern towards the government officials for not acting on such tragedies. He said that in Germany, when there is a problem, it is nipped in the bud to avoid any other tragedies as history has seen. Luka fears that because American people are so strong-willed in being ?right?, they will not see the problem until it is too late to solve it.
That is the opinion expressed by many of the natives I interviewed. This is how foreigners view America. My initial impressions of Europe were correct, and Europe has done a great job cleaning up its reputation. I loved my experiences abroad, and I hope to take what I have learned and apply it to my everyday life. I want to become more environmentally friendly, and I want to do my part to save the planet ? but a lot of progress starts with government. Until government can get on their horse, America will be stuck with a bad reputation.
