Throw Shoppers a Curve with Cursive

On labels, ads, and signage, fonts which resemble cursive handwriting will project to the viewing consumer a sense of connection. Researchers at University of Massachusetts and University of Houston find that the reasons go beyond the warmth portrayed by the curves and the personalization implied by the slight imperfections and inconsistencies absent in machine-written typefaces. Their studies showed that, for many products, cursive characteristics stimulate the brain to connect by touch. Shoppers became more likely to pick up the item, open the box to look, and carry the item toward checkout. Decades of prior research have shown that haptic engagement like this enhances purchase probability, so cursive fonts build profitability.
     Curves bestow on inanimate objects an association to cute, sweet little babies, and we’re drawn to reach out toward cute, sweet little babies. It’s not true for all consumer packaged goods, though. This set of studies found it didn’t make much difference for items the consumer thought of as risky. It worked with jams and air fresheners. However, handwritten label fonts don’t, in themselves, overcome hesitancies to pick up roach spray or hug the hot sauce.
     Handwriting is tied to psychological identity. In a University of Alberta project, some participants were asked to print their name as part of a task while the rest were asked to write their signature. Then each participant was asked to shop for a pair of running shoes. Among participants who had said they consider running an important component of their self-identity, those who had written their signature ended up spending more time in the store and trying on more shoes than did those who had been previously asked to print their name.
     The cursive-triggered desire to hold will hold for pleasure-oriented items much more than for utilitarian items. Toward making use of this finding, researchers at Zhejiang University note that many items might be positioned as hedonic instead of utilitarian. A headset could be featured as fashionably designed in addition to or instead of as having a long battery life. A soap might be advertised as having a rich foam rather than as deep cleaning. In this way, cursive fonts could be employed quite widely.
     The Zhejiang results also broaden the scope in another way: The advantages of curves held for both English and Chinese characters. English-language cursive-style fonts used in these studies include Ribiohead, Ænigma Scrawl, Moon Flower, and All Things Pink.

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See the Handwriting at the Mall
Reach Out for What Will Touch Your Shoppers
Put It to People to Put It in Writing
Shape Benefits As Hedonic or Utilitarian