Challenge Smart Shoppers

People are stimulated by a challenge, as long as they feel equipped to prevail.
     Infomercials for Tony Horton’s P90X bodybuilding workout program challenged shoppers to experience using the product. The breakout difference with the P90X campaign was positioning the workout as so tough that only the elite could handle it.
     Consumers overall want ease of use and turnkey solutions. At the same time, researchers at Harvard University and Columbia University find that consumers who are interested in being productive in their lives are attracted to collecting the experiences a challenge will provide.

• In retail stores. Researchers at University of Chicago found that shoppers who characterized themselves as “smart” rather than “not smart” expressed a higher preference for products they’d have to travel across town to get over equivalent products they could purchase nearby. These shoppers also evaluated products more positively when the products had been pushed back on the shelves rather than being in easy reach. 
• In collection of donations. People who described themselves as “pioneers” dropped higher amounts of money into a charity box when they had to stretch four feet to make the contribution rather than just drop it in without stretching. This difference did not appear among people describing themselves as “followers.” 
• In interpersonal choices. Heterosexual men were shown photos of potential female dates and asked to judge each woman’s attractiveness. Some of the photos were crystal clear, while the other photos were out of focus by 15%. Those men who had described themselves as “smooth talkers” found the women in the blurry photos to be more attractive than those in the crystal clear photos. Meeting the challenge of decoding the blurry photo added to the attractiveness. On the other hand, the men describing themselves as “shy gawkers” judged the women in the clear photos as better looking. 

     Even a challenging question can make a difference, but again, only if the consumer feels able to meet the challenge. For instance, provide distinctive advantages to your shoppers, and then ask, “What did you find sets us apart as a place to serve your needs?”
     According to research at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, asking questions like these is useful for changing brand, item, and store preferences the consumer has been following without any real thought. Most people rise to the challenge when asked a question. They might not answer aloud, but they’ll probably start thinking.

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

Click below for more: 
Exercise the Strengths of Infomercials
Tell & Ask Shoppers What Sets You Apart