Harvard Business Review (Oct â22) research finds interesting, counter-intuitive learning on how our âneed for varietyâ when shopping is tied to our sense of âpowerâ.
Consumers may feel âless powerfulâ in a variety of situations, e.g., when having low income or high debt, being in a more junior job, during an economic downturn, or even when sitting in a lower (vs taller) height chair.
Evidently, when we feel:
đ LESS POWERFUL
⏠we have a need to compensate for that feeling by wanting MORE VARIETY of options when shopping; this helps us subconsciously ârestore our sense of autonomyâ and that we can be in control.
đȘđŒ MORE POWERFUL
⏠we have high confidence in getting what we want and donât feel need to flaunt our power by needing to see a variety of products. Few or single choice options work fine.
đĄ
HBR's study authorsâ suggest that
"if a retailer has reason to think that its customer base is likely to feel relatively powerless, then it may benefit from showcasing a wider range of products."
but ....
"if offering a range of products is infeasible ...it may be worth pursuing strategies to intentionally boost customersâ sense of autonomy, such as focusing on empowering messaging and offering customization options, to reduce less-powerful customersâ need for variety and thus increase the chances that theyâll make a purchase."
They noted examples of âBurger Kingâs slogan âHave it your wayâ and LâOrealâs âBecause youâre worth itâ that both emphasize customersâ freedom and autonomyâ.
đšâđ©âđ§âđŠ
Businesses need to have a deep understanding of their consumers, including how âpowerfulâ they feel. They can fine tune their product variety (even by a small amount can work) and message accordingly,
âFeeding a lower-power customerâs desire for variety can increase the chances that they will make a purchaseâ.
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