See the Handwriting at the Mall

Brands managing to consistently distinguish themselves amidst the maelstrom of surrounding suction on shoppers’ attention must humanize relationships with consumers. You have been warned!
     Researchers at Babson College and University of Innsbruck, recognizing this handwriting on the wall, propose a novel method to accomplish the humanization—use fonts which resemble hand printing, incorporating the slight imperfections and inconsistencies absent from machine-written typefaces generally found on labels, ads, and signage. The handwriting-style fonts used in the studies included Moon Flower and All Things Pink.
     Indeed, the researchers did find that the use of these fonts enhanced the perception of a human connection with the shopper, resulting in more favorable brand evaluations and actions. However, this was true only for entities in which emotional attachment sells. For strictly utilitarian store and product brands, handwriting-style fonts can come across as unprofessional. In one of the research studies, a handwriting-style font in place of a machine-written font enhanced impressions of a decorative candle, but worsened perceptions of an insect repellent candle.
     There are other ways beyond use of type font to develop the human connection, and the researchers found that when a strong emotional bond with the item already existed, use of one font or another made little difference. Among these other methods is anthropomorphizing. Anthropomorphized products have human-like characteristics. This might come from how the item looks, in a picture or name of a person on the packaging, or in the way an advertisement or the salesperson describes the item. Anthropomorphism makes the item more like a friend.
     Researchers at Northwestern University, University of Cologne, and South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University find that a properly anthropomorphized item gains the persuasiveness of a human salesperson. This decreases the shopper’s feelings of responsibility for purchasing the item. The shopper can blame the item for them giving in, just as they would blame a compelling sales pitch. “I couldn’t help myself.
     Beware the risks, though. Research at Drexel University, Lehigh University, and Monmouth University indicates that humanization of the store increases sensitivity to price changes. Shoppers are more likely to see price increases as efforts by the store owner and the item supplier to profiteer. And do stop short of making the humanization so precious it impedes consumption. A striking example of anthropomorphism given by one group of researchers was for Crunchy Cheetos snacks: “Schedule a break with some crunchy orange friends. Then eat your friends.”

For your success: Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology

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