Fence In Consumer Anxiety

When shoppers are worried about intrusions to their well-being over which they have little control, they often seek boundaries. Including physical boundaries.
     Researchers who were based at the University of Pennsylvania exposed study participants to loud sirens, bells, and alarms. Some of the participants were allowed control over the amount of the anxiety-producing noise, while the rest were not.
     Later, each of the participants was asked to express preferences between two sorts of items. Some of the items had borders; the others did not. For instance, the participant could choose a postcard to keep. The sole difference between the two cards was the thick border around one of the cards.
     Yes, the study participants who had been granted no control over the noise were more likely to select the postcard with the border around it. In subsequent experiments, people who felt little control preferred retail settings that the researchers report as being “highly bounded.”
     Circumstances in which your shoppers might feel especially anxious include:

• After experiencing—or maybe reading about—a disaster occurring close to them
• When coming into your store to solve a pressing problem involving loss or potential loss, such as after the death of a loved one or when a family member is seriously ill
• Toward the end of a paycheck cycle in a financially strained community

     In these circumstances, here are a few ways to fence in the consumer anxiety to make the shopping experience better for your customers:

• Keep shelves orderly and fully faced. That’s like avoiding gaps in the fence.
• Unclutter aisles regularly.
• Wherever shoppers need to wait, make it abundantly clear who has what place in line.
• Remind customers of any time limits, and perhaps even establish time limits. “Please remember that this offer is good for the next three days.”

     At first glance, it might seem that setting additional limits would add to the shopper’s anxiety rather than ease it. However, as the University of Pennsylvania research findings indicate, reasonable limits are reassuring.
     The researchers found that consumers who come shopping with a strong structure in their lives have less need for the retailer to do the fencing. Please think again about the participants who were not given control over the sirens, bells, and alarms in the study. It turns out that those who had previously reported having strong religious beliefs were not as likely afterwards to select highly bounded items as were the other participants.

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

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Emphasize Emotions with Older Consumers
Use Terror Management Theory for Status Items