We've all had the experience of asking a customer "What may I help you find?," only to have the customer reply "I'm just looking" and head toward the exit. Yet a number of those customers end up making a purchase on that trip or with a return visit if the salesperson says "Please take your time looking around."
For some people, shopping for some types of items is more of a necessity than it is fun. Like the case of men shopping for clothes. Have you noticed how used clothing stores carry many more women's than men's merchandise? We men wear it until no legitimate used clothing store would ever allow it on the premises.
Researchers at Stanford University asked each study participant to think about what would be involved in her or him shopping for a new wardrobe. After completing this task, each participant was asked to plot a route for a cross-country trip. After thinking about the shopping, the men became much more likely to plot a direct route. This wasn't true for the women, who tended to plot a scenic route. The motto for the men became "Get 'er done."
Certainly there are tasks women will find unpleasant. Like dental appointments. Our usual rule in retailing products and services is to deliver as quickly as possible. But researchers at Boston College and University of Miami found that there are circumstances where customers prefer longer waits. Those who hated being rushed wanted time to gather information, convince themselves the purchase made sense, and develop a plan to make it as painless as possible for themselves.We never want to turn our back on a shopper. We never want to leave them adrift. But we also never want to project an attitude of "Buy something now, or get out."
No comments:
Post a Comment