Keep ’Em Down on the Firm

Are people more likely to buy self-enhancement products and services on the first floor of a store than on an upper floor? Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Baruch College, and Copenhagen Business School suggest this. When people even imagine moving upwards—such as on stairs or an elevator—their motivation to look or perform better decreases.
     The researchers noted that a history of laboratory experiments and anecdotal evidence shows how consumers subconsciously associate upward movements with positivity—such as high self-esteem—and downward movements with negativity. Using this, the researchers conducted a series of five studies in which they produced feelings of social confidence in people by having them vividly think about riding up on an elevator or taking off in an airplane.
     When then presented with challenging tasks, these people were less motivated to look good than were an equivalent group who hadn’t been asked to think up. Another group of people were instructed to imagine moving downwards, and they performed better on the subsequent tasks than did those not given the instructions.
     These findings might help explain why beauty products are most often sold on the ground floor of department stores. The Wisconsin/Baruch/Copenhagen research conclusions suggest you stock self-improvement items close to the store entrance. If a shopper has to exert an effort to get to the items, they may feel they’ve already moved sufficiently toward greatness.
     Other studies, too, have shown a relationship between physical movement and purchase intentions:

• In a International University Bremen study, consumers who were induced to nod their head up and down afterwards thought more positively about purchase alternatives than those who had not done the nodding. This worked only with shoppers from cultures which associate nodding with agreement. With those shoppers, spiral in on the sale by asking the right questions and nodding your own head to generate feelings of yes. 
• Researchers at Cornell University and University of Toronto suggest that when the shopper is feeling overwhelmed by a difficult decision, and you want to make the sale, you encourage the shopper to back off. Consumers were presented with two equally attractive products and invited to either choose one of the products right then or defer the decision. Next, some of the consumers were asked to lean in toward the item display. The others were asked to lean away. Those leaning in were more likely to ask to come back later. 

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

Click below for more: 
Start Your Shoppers Feeling Yes 
Lean Away from Big Fat Shopper Decisions 
Feather Your Shoppers with Light Thoughts 
Push Shopping Baskets’ Pull for Sweet Items 
Limit Mouth-Watering Evaluations