Offer Late Alphabet Customers Head Starts

Ever notice how your male shoppers with a last name like Wallace are likely to place their orders sooner than male shoppers with a last name like Baker when the items are in short supply?
     Probably not, since we’re too busy to be paying attention to what seems like such a strange influence on purchase behavior. But researchers at Georgetown University and Belmont University had a hunch from prior research that there was what they coined a “last name effect,” and they did pay attention.
     Boys whose last names come later in the alphabet become accustomed to having to wait longer. In the classroom, they’re more likely to sit in the back of the room and on the playground, they’re more likely to be placed later in the line. Then when they grow up into adult male consumers, they’re concerned only the scraps will be left for them unless they act fast.
     The researchers verified the last name effect with opportunities to choose a bottle of wine, take advantage of a limited-time discount on a backpack, get four free tickets to attend a top-ranked women’s basketball game, and enter a drawing for a $500 prize. The effect was weaker for women than for men. That’s to be expected since it depends on childhood experiences, and married women often use their husband’s surname.
     The Georgetown/Belmont researchers believe that this last name effect influences how quickly consumers respond to direct mail offers, replace items like roofs and cars, and learn how to use the latest technologies. In each of these, your marketing appeal which emphasizes getting a head start will pack an extra punch with the men and never-married women on your mailing list whose surnames begin late in the alphabet.
     A person’s name is central to their identity and therefore influences their personality. A store employee with a name tag is more likely than one without to form the sort of relationship with a shopper which leads to store loyalty. One reason for this is that the shopper feels they’re dealing with a real person who has, indeed, revealed information about themself. But research identifies another aspect as well: The employee who is aware they’re wearing a name tag tends to be more conscientious in their behavior with shoppers.
     The last name effect gets consumers to respond, but the name-to-name of shopper and retail staff member helps close the sale.

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

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Use Staff Name Tags for Accountability 
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