Evaluate Buyer Psychology Tactics

A terrible truth is that some classic consumer behavior research conclusions are proving to be mistaken when applied in stores. Findings proclaimed as the foundation for profit-making tactics might turn out to be downers when implemented.
     This happens if research findings are applied too broadly. For instance, a classic research finding is that customers buy more when the salesperson exudes happiness. So it looks like the happier the salesperson, the higher the shopping cart total.
     But wait! Subsequent research from Northeastern College of Business Administration finds that a customer who is in a bad mood is especially unlikely to buy from a salesperson who clearly appears to be in a much better mood than the customer is.
     Okay, so be just a little more upbeat than your customer.
     But hold on! There’s an exception to this rule. The research says that when shoppers are feeling truly desperate, they have no objection at all to dealing with a highly cheerful salesperson. This is an instance where misery does not want company, but instead prefers a can-do attitude.
     So how to get the best from research? Experiment with the tactics and evaluate the results. Here are some pointers:

• Ask, “Better or worse than what?” Set a baseline. Before implementing a tactic, measure how things are now. How many units sold last month, when you hadn’t started the intervention. How many units did you sell for the first month after the intervention was fully and competently implemented?
• “Measure twice and cut once.” To the carpenter, this proverb means to double-check for accuracy before sawing the piece of wood. To the retailer trying out a technique, I suggest you take the proverb to mean, “Measure for success or failure in multiple ways.” Maybe the technique didn’t produce a noticeable difference in average purchase size, but there was an important boost to repeat business.
• Ask, “In what ways is it working, and how well is it working in each of those ways?” The answers to these questions are more fruitful than the answer to, “Is it working?” That question is too simplistic. You’ll maximize profitability by fine-tuning the tactics as you learn from experience. And by revising the tactics broadly or even discarding them as you anticipate changes in consumer sentiments. The answers to the more complex questions help you do that by giving you an understanding of the “why,” not just the “what.”

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Experiment
Expect Changes in Consumer Research Findings