What's in it for me?

This is a company everyone knows and can be found two to three to a city. After visiting the site, I found out their hours, what they sell and where they are located. After reading the site, I could tell you how many people they employ and when the company was founded. And by whom.

What I could not tell you is why I should shop there. I scoured the site looking for a reason to choose this store over and above every other choice (including doing nothing). Was it more convenient? Did it save me time or money? Could it make my home more comfortable? Could it turn my home into the envy of the neighbours?

I don't know. It didn't say.

What makes Consumer SuperMart stand out? What gets me excited to shop there?

It looked like every other Canadian retailer I've ever seen. From the store's perspective, if I ended up shopping there, it was only because that store got lucky.

I started thinking about what it could do for me. What are the benefits of shopping there? What makes this place stand apart?

Clearly it was more convenient than most. It had longer hours (opened earlier) and was on almost every street corner (or so it seemed).

It also had a number of very unique products that would both interest me, and make the store stand out from the crowd.

It also had lots of (presumably) friendly employees who were there to ensure a great experience.

It was a one-stop shop that offered everything from auto repair, lamps and bicycles to home accessories, garden tools and camping gear. So shopping there would be convenient and could save me time.

So, why wasn't Consumer SuperMart's website giving me this information? Why wasn't it giving me a reason to choose that store, over and above every other choice?

It's one of the great marketing mysteries.

Too few businesses, it seems, realize that if you sell benefits, you'll sell more. Guaranteed.