Brands shift focus from awareness to winning the consumer shortlist

As consumers navigate an increasingly crowded marketplace, marketers are putting greater focus on the stage between discovery and purchase, where brands compete to make it into the consumer’s final consideration set.

Across categories, including beauty, automobiles, electronics, jewellery, travel and BFSI, brands are investing in reviews, trials, product education, comparisons and expert recommendations to influence consumers before they arrive at a purchase decision.

The shift comes as consumers have more options than ever, while digital platforms have made it easier to research, compare and evaluate products. A consumer may discover a brand through an advertisement or social media, but the eventual decision is increasingly shaped by what they find during the research process.

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This is making the consideration stage a more important part of the marketing funnel. While awareness and conversion have traditionally been key priorities, brands are increasingly looking at what happens between the two. The question is no longer simply whether a consumer has seen a brand, but whether it remains relevant when the consumer starts actively evaluating their options.

In beauty, where consumers are faced with a growing number of brands and products with similar claims, ingredient-led content, reviews, trials and creator demonstrations are helping consumers evaluate their options. In automobiles and electronics, comparison content, product demonstrations and expert reviews can play a role in determining which products make the final shortlist.

For higher-value categories such as jewellery, travel and financial services, the consideration phase can be even more significant. Consumers often need greater reassurance around quality, value, credibility and product features before committing. Brands are therefore using educational content and expert voices to address these questions and reduce friction in the decision-making process.

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From visibility to consideration 

According to Deepak Bansal, Whole-Time Director, Cantabil Retail India, consumer consideration for fashion brands increasingly hinges on product relevance, quality, value and the overall shopping experience. He said Cantabil has been responding to evolving preferences through contemporary designs, versatile fabrics and products suited to different occasions, while maintaining its value proposition. The brand is also strengthening its retail presence and digital channels to improve accessibility.

He said, “For us, the consideration stage is ultimately about giving consumers the right combination of product variety, quality and value, supported by a consistent experience across our retail and digital touch points. Our objective is to remain relevant to consumers as their preferences evolve and build a stronger connection with them over the long term.”

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For Cantabil, this focus on consideration also translates into how the brand evaluates consumer response. Bansal added that Cantabil evaluates consumer consideration through metrics including store visits, product demand, category performance, customer enquiries and conversion, alongside the performance of its existing stores. Same-store sales growth is another key indicator, with the company consistently delivering around 5% YoY growth, supported by steady demand across its store network and improving store productivity.

The brand also tracks product and category performance across markets, using these insights to inform product assortment, inventory planning and merchandising decisions in line with changing consumer preferences.

Beyond reach, brands track intent 

Beyond individual brand strategies, the growing emphasis on consideration is also changing the mix of tools marketers use across the consumer journey. Reviews and user-generated content can provide social proof, while trials allow consumers to experience a product before making a commitment. Comparison-led content helps consumers assess alternatives, while expert recommendations can provide credibility in categories where product choices are complex.

Product education is playing a similar role, particularly for brands selling products that require consumers to understand features, benefits or differences between variants. For marketers, this means the consideration stage is becoming an active battleground rather than a passive step in the purchase journey.

Providing a broader perspective, Vinod Kunj, Founder and CCO, Thought Blurb Communications, said brands are increasingly using a mix of levers across the consideration journey rather than relying on a single influencing factor. While reviews can trigger product discovery, trials remain a powerful driver as they allow consumers to experience a product before deciding on adoption. Creator content, he noted, is effective largely depending on the creator’s credibility and relevance to the audience.

Comparisons can aid evaluation but may face scepticism when consumers cannot independently verify claims. Expert recommendations, meanwhile, continue to matter, although the definition of an expert is evolving. According to Kunj, consumers are increasingly looking for genuine category expertise rather than celebrity endorsement, making domain credibility more important than fame alone.

“This shift is also changing the way campaigns are planned. Marketers are increasingly adopting a horses-for-courses approach, using different specialists for different stages of the journey. They may use traditional advertising to build awareness and reach, performance marketing to influence consideration and capture intent, and social media, through paid, organic and creator-led content to build engagement, credibility and conversation,” he said.

Kunj added that brands are increasingly moving away from expecting a single agency, partner or discipline to drive the entire consumer journey. Instead, they are identifying the expertise needed at each stage and assigning it to the most relevant domain specialist.

As this approach takes hold, campaign measurement is also expanding beyond traditional awareness metrics. Kunj said the shift is broadening measurement to include search behaviour, engagement, enquiries, trials, consideration and other signals of intent. While awareness brings consumers into the conversation, he said it is the combination of these influences that can ultimately move a brand onto the consumer’s shortlist.

This was further reiterated by Yasin Hamidani, Director, Media Care Brand Solutions, who said brands are investing more deliberately in the consideration stage as awareness alone is no longer enough. Reviews, comparison-led content, creator demonstrations, expert validation, trials and educational videos are increasingly being used to reduce consumer hesitation and support purchase decisions.

Hamidani said, “What works best depends on the category, but the common factor is credibility. Consumers want proof before purchase. In many cases, a trusted review or detailed product demonstration can influence conversion more effectively than another high-reach awareness campaign.”

Hamidani further noted that campaign planning is becoming increasingly intent-led, with agencies looking beyond reach and impressions to signals such as branded search growth, product-page visits, comparison searches, video completion, saves, reviews, enquiries and repeat engagement. He added that campaigns are becoming more connected, with awareness content followed by education, retargeting and proof-led communication. Increasingly, clients want to understand not just who saw a campaign, but who moved closer to purchase.

With consumers able to compare brands almost instantly, the challenge is increasingly about ensuring that a brand survives the evaluation process.

The objective is not always to drive an immediate purchase. Instead, brands are trying to influence the factors consumers use to make their decision and ensure they remain among the few options being seriously considered.

That could mean shifting the conversation towards ingredients and efficacy in beauty, safety and technology in automobiles, performance and ecosystem in electronics, craftsmanship and certification in jewellery, or transparency and ease of use in BFSI.

As categories become more crowded and consumers become more research-led, marketers are therefore moving closer to the point where preferences are formed.

The next competitive advantage may not simply be getting consumers to notice a brand. It could be making sure they have a reason to shortlist it.