Sell Optimism

The California Lottery aimed to leverage consumer optimism with their tag line, “Believe in Something Bigger.” backed up with a choral arrangement of the song “California Dreamin’.”
     Since the odds of a net gain on the lottery are truly small, any optimism might be considered misplaced. Still, optimism itself is a valuable commodity. As long as costs to the consumer are not too great, using existing optimism to sell an item which prolongs optimism makes sense.
     By and large, we’re an optimistic lot. Researchers find that, if asked to compare ourselves to others, about 80% of us will say we perform better than the average person. That is, of course, a mathematical impossibility. You can’t have 80% better than the 50% benchmark. My favorite of those research studies found that 80% of us even believe we are more likely than are our neighbors to go to Heaven.
     Combine even unrealistic optimism with an irrational belief in magic, such as you might find in purchasers of lottery tickets, and it becomes a force of consumer motivation. Researchers at HEC-Montreal and at Queen’s University-Kingston analyzed how magical thinking helps people stay on a diet. The researchers recommend against confronting dieters with the objective odds of success, since those odds would discourage them from persevering.
     Don’t lie to consumers. The California Lottery website said in boldface type that the odds of winning anything in the MEGA Millions lottery are only about 1 in 40. However, stoking the magical optimism can facilitate success. Keep things in the spirit of the children’s book The Little Engine That Could, with its mantra of “I think I can, I think I can.”
     Acknowledge the power of shopper superstitions and distinguish between two types. Researchers at University of Texas-Pan American, Ohio University, and China’s Chongqing Technology and Business University differentiate between consumers who do things like carry good luck charms and those who believe in the power of fate or karma regardless of what lucky charms they're packing.
     Researchers at Dartmouth College and Columbia University suggest that for those who respect karma, you show extra perseverance in resolving any complaints. Research at St. Louis University and Oklahoma University suggests that the other type of superstitious consumer will become a fan of your store if you pair positive shopping experiences with a memory aid, like items carrying your store logo.

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

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