Acknowledge the Power of Cycles

Among the hundreds of brief posts I’ve written for this RIMtailing blog, I’ve not devoted a single one to those services retailers who sell lap dances in gentlemen’s clubs. It’s about time, don’t you think?
     But since I suspect that members of that group by no means comprise a majority of my RIMtailing readership, I want the lesson here to be useful for a wide range of retailers. That lesson: There are important cycles influencing shopper behavior which are beyond our awareness and often beyond our control. The reminder from that lesson: Give the techniques I suggest to you a chance to work. What doesn’t result in a retailer’s edge this week might make a difference next week.
     My example comes from a research report titled “Ovulatory Cycle Effects on Tip Earnings by Lap Dancers” which occupied seven pages in a 2007 issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. The study was conducted by three researchers from the University of New Mexico Department of Psychology.
     Prior research had indicated that women near the most fertile point of their monthly cycle tend to be more attractive to males, as manifested in measures ranging from appealing body fragrance to selecting more fashionable clothing to enhanced verbal creativity. But does this make any difference in economic profitability?
     Yes, it does, as least in the retailing situation examined by the researchers. With what I view as an adequate methodology for data collection and a very good methodology for statistical analyses, it was found that each dancer averaged $335 in tips per five-hour shift at the time of highest fertility. This was compared to averages of $185 and $260 per shift at the other measured points in the monthly cycle. The researchers’ review of their own data plus that from prior studies showed no evidence that the dancers were conscious of the reasons for the differences in sales revenue.
     Your retailing staff and your customers—male and female—go through many sorts of cycles—biological and psychological—each day, each week, each month, each year. Businesses go through cycles, too. So keep at it. Give the profit-making tactics a chance.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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