Fling Shoppers for Thrills

Market researchers at Harvard University, Boston University, and GfK caution that with the emphasis on collecting and analyzing all the data we can get on customers, we’re overlooking the importance of person-to-person relationships. It’s a particular danger with large retail businesses, so that danger gives an advantage to smaller retailers. Choose to use your advantage.
     Sometimes, developing the person-to-person relationship involves transforming shoppers into what the researchers refer to as teammates—customers who maintain high loyalty toward and advocacy for your store. However, another caution expressed by the researchers, based on their study results, is against us assuming all shoppers seek a teammate’s commitment. In reality, there are consumers who prefer to have what comes closer to being a fling with the retailer than a love affair. Flings are business transactions characterized as both “passionate” and “fleeting.”
     Shoppers seeking flings are seen most often in the retail realms of consumer technology, fashion apparel, and gaming. As for other retail categories, the shopper’s motivation for a fling could be to explore a new identity, such as after a breakup of a personal relationship. In these instances, the shopper is seeking the thrill of novelty and the license of frivolity.
     Because of the passion, shoppers seeking flings are willing to pay more than are those seeking a more settled retailing relationship. Because the relationship is fleeting, the retailer can afford to relax fears these customers will be alienated if the price is perceived as even slightly excessive.
     It’s safest to deliver good customer service, though. What the researchers call flings are not as extreme as what they’ve labeled “one-night stands.” Even passionate, fleeting customers who are trying on a new identity might choose to return for another fling in the future or stay with and strengthen their revised identity.
     Still, the customer service could be delivered with suspense. Researchers at Stanford University and Dartmouth College recruited consumers for two online photo processing and album websites, one of the sites appealing especially to a fling-seeker. Two months later, half of the participants using each of the websites were told, “Your online photo album was accidentally erased,” and then three days later, “Your album has been fully restored.”
     Unlike in the standard-condition group, participants dealing with the fling-oriented website started out having strong commitment and satisfaction, but this slowly faded until the album destruction and recovery, at which point the commitment and satisfaction grew markedly.

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

Click below for more: 
Keep Creating Advocates for Your Business
Naturalize Citizens to Serve Your Store
Elucidate with Close Business Friends
Know the Tradeoffs in Being Sincere
Love Your Role as Store Matchmaker