Fry Frustration

A shopper who enters your store in a frustrated state could be a prime purchaser. Offer her what it takes to dismantle the frustration. But a shopper who becomes more frustrated while in your store is at risk of losing interest in buying. To fry that frustration, use what’s been discovered by researchers at James Madison University, University of North Texas, and California State Polytechnic University:
     Some people are, by nature, more likely than others to become frustrated while shopping. You’ve limited control over the reactions of the frustration-prone, but still can make a difference in these people by addressing four triggers:

• Unfairness. Be sure that shoppers are served in turn and that the waiting time for each customer is as equal as possible. 
• Disrespect. Every shopper feels entitled to respect. Take care not to minimize or disregard your shoppers’ expressions of frustration. 
• Disappointment. If you can’t gratify one desire of the shopper, look for ways to gratify two others. 
• Losing. Complete the transaction with the customer in a way that bestows a sense of crowning achievement. 

     Next, realize that consumer reactions to frustration vary widely. Frustration-aggression-displacement theory, which has inspired psychology studies for about 75 years, posits that if the frustrated shopper doesn’t strike out at the salesclerk, he’s at higher risk of striking out at his partner, kids, or dog back home. At the other extreme, more recent research finds that some consumers who become frustrated while shopping accept this as a necessary evil and move on. They self-fry frustration.
     Then recognize that asking a shopper to exert self-control can cause frustration. Researchers at Northwestern University and University of California-San Diego documented how study participants who convinced themselves to choose an apple over a chocolate bar as a snack became more likely to later prefer to see a movie about revenge than a movie missing that theme. Those who chose a reward of groceries over a reward for a spa session showed an elevated interest in looking at angry faces instead of fearful ones.
     Something as small as allowing the customers to ventilate their anger—but only briefly—can help when retailers ask shoppers to exert self-control:

• Weight-loss programs keep their customers by convincing them to make sacrifices and then seeing to it that they do. 
• Merchants who allow purchasers to pay off an item over time, such as on layaway, depend on the person disciplining themselves. 

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Ventilate Frustration When Promoting Self-Control