Stagger Positive Product Information

Retailers attempting to persuade a consumer might choose to present all the best arguments as soon as possible. Research findings from University of Northern British Columbia and University of Alberta acknowledge that if you wait too long to make your case, you may lose the sale. Still, they suggest it is usually better to stagger the presentation of your good arguments.

• At early stages in the decision process, the shopper is deciding what criteria to use to screen the available alternatives, including the alternative of not buying anything. At this point, describe the features of your preferred choice on which that choice excels. Then for each feature, describe the benefit to the shopper. Limit yourself to three to five of these feature-benefit sets. Beyond this, it will be difficult for the consumer to remember all you’ve said, and therefore hard for the shopper to formulate the criteria which incorporate the features you’d like them to consider. Another reason to limit the extent of your presentation is to avoid the impression you’re pressuring the shopper.
• If the shopper wants to consider alternative items, discuss those items in terms of the criteria you’d encouraged him to formulate.
• Allow the shopper to choose the item you’ve pointed her toward. There’s no advantage, and potential harm, in overselling.
• If the shopper is still wrestling with the decision, this is the point at which to present the rest of the good arguments. Space them out, giving no more than a few at a time. The staggered release of information gives an impression that there are limitless numbers of benefits. This gives an extra lift to the alternative you’re wanting to sell, increasing its appeal over the other choices, for which there appear to be no more advantages. In addition, coming later in the decision making process, these additional arguments arouse less resistance from the shopper’s mind. The mind is tired of juggling bunches of information and wants to resolve the indecision.
• You might choose to present price later in the sequence. According to researchers from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, if your shopper is considering a lot of information in making a purchase decision, he becomes willing to buy the higher-priced alternative when the alternatives are presented in order from most expensive to least expensive. The price of the first item becomes an anchor for what your shopper will expect to pay.

Click below for more:
Guide Choice by Sequence of Presentation
Dislodge Indecision with New Choice