Join Customers in Role-Playing

“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” This was Peter Steiner’s caption for his July 1993 single-panel New Yorker cartoon showing a canine sitting before the desktop screen, paw on keyboard.
     In December 2000, that panel was reported by the New York Times to be the most frequently reproduced New Yorker cartoon in history. The cartoon was the inspiration for a play titled “Nobody Knows I’m a Dog,” which has been presented in Bulgaria, Germany, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to at least a dozen North American locations.
     Mr. Steiner was quoted as saying, “I feel a little like the person—whoever it is—who invented the smiley face.” This feeling’s not surprising in view of how the cartoon’s message resonates with so many people.
     What is the message exactly? To retailers, the message might be stated as, “On the Internet, I can role-play the kind of shopper I’d like retailers to see me as being.” For retailers, the hint which follows from this message is for them to play along with the role-playing.
     Researchers at Concordia University explored this theme by analyzing the characteristics consumers specify for their online profiles. The researchers provide evidence that retailers can use these characteristics to successfully market and sell to the real people behind the profiles. The tactic works because the characteristics a person will choose for their Internet persona is almost always an extension of their real personality, not completely divorced from it.
     But wait, there’s more: Although it’s harder to pass yourself as a human when you’re a dog doing in-store shopping instead of ecommerce shopping, in-store shoppers still often have what consumer psychologists refer to as a “fantasy orientation.” Consider the man standing in the middle of the Harley-Davidson dealership with feet apart and hands much too firmly on hips. Consider the woman entering the Sephora store with head tilted upwards enough to look down at the sales help. Each of them is adding to the enjoyment of shopping by playing a role.
     Play along, and you build the potential for the sale.

Click below for more:
Cast Magic Spells for Escape Benefits
Coach Your Staff with Stories
Analyze the Role the Customer Expects