Bracket to Prevent Overshot Shoppers

The best retail transaction is one in which the salesperson provides the combination of products and/or services which are just sufficient to meet the shopper’s needs and/or desires.
     Studies at University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Melbourne, and University of New South Wales concluded that this idealized match often doesn’t occur. Instead, there is a tendency for salespeople to overshoot, going for more than is necessary. This can alienate the consumer at the time of the selling or later when the consumer feels exploited.
     The overshooting isn’t always profiteering. It might be a form of insurance. A hardware store salesperson suggests the customer buy more caulk than is needed for the job with an offer to accept back in unopened containers whatever isn’t used. A sporting goods salesperson suggests the novice golfer buy clubs to grow into rather than a set fitting the beginner status.
     The Wisconsin/Melbourne/New South Wales researchers attribute overshooting to the store’s culture. With that in mind, I suggest you maintain a store culture which favors “bracketing.” This term comes from target shooting. The procedure is to first intentionally aim a little above the bull’s-eye. The next shot aims a little below the bull’s-eye. The shooter then examines the target to see the results, and based on this, aims directly for the bull’s-eye.
     In making the sale, assess what would exceed the shopper’s needs and desires and what would fall short. Then use the results of your bracketing to make your recommendation. If what you recommend exceeds current specifications for the shopper, you and the shopper are aware why.
     To help bracket when selling multifunction products, ask the shopper to estimate how often he will be using the various functions.
     A substantial body of consumer behavior research has found that people tend to prefer products with many functions when shopping, but then, after purchase, often become frustrated while trying to master all the different functions. It’s called “feature fatigue.”
     Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and University of South Carolina say feature fatigue crosses product categories and is most likely with shoppers who are driven to learn a large amount about a product before purchasing it, have difficulty distinguishing important from trivial capabilities of alternatives, and buy items in large part to impress others. With these consumers especially, asking for estimates of the frequency of use of the different functions can help ease later dissatisfaction.

Click below for more: 
Encourage Customers to Buy Extra Items 
Ask Shoppers to Estimate Multifunction Usage