Pattern Choices for Frightened Shoppers

When people’s security is threatened, they seek structure for the sense of control it offers. They’ll repeat patterns in their consumption activities. This was seen in studies by researchers at Peking University, Auckland University of Technology, University of Central Arkansas, Dongguk University, and Florida International University.
     In one of the experiments, a group of participants were asked to read an article titled “Can COVID-19 Damage the Brain?” To allow comparison with this high-threat group, the article assigned to another set of participants was “This One-Pan Meal Shows Just How Joyful Tofu Can Be.” All participants were then asked to assume they’d eaten six jellybeans in order from least-favorite flavor to favorite flavor and then asked to select between eating more jelly beans either in order from least- to most- favored or from most- to least- favored.
     Starting with the most-favored would seem to be objectively better, since you get your enjoyment sooner. But the high-threat group were more likely than the comparison group to select repeating the sequence of least- to most- favored. This finding supports the idea that frightened consumers will repeat a consumption pattern, even if that pattern is an inferior alternative.
     Another in the set of studies—this one involving the order of listening to favorite and not-so-favorite songs—found that the draw toward a repeated pattern when frightened is stronger among consumers whose childhood was spent in a less wealthy neighborhood. The researchers’ interpretation is that children in financially strained circumstances adopt uncertainty management strategies, including adherence to predictable patterns of consumption whenever possible.
     To earn shopper goodwill during periods when those shoppers are likely to feel frightened, make it easier to them to repeat patterns of consumption. Offer bundles of favorites. This doesn’t mean limiting the variety of choice or expecting consumers to limit the variety, though. If everything’s the same, there’s no opportunity to form a pattern.
     Pattern-seeking when we’re scared produces effects well beyond the order in which we eat jelly beans and listen to songs. We’ll not only establish patterns, but we’ll also see patterns when none exist. In the face of widespread social ambiguity—such as occurred early in the COVID-19 pandemic—we’d expect to find more conspiracy theories and information distortion, especially among people who grew up in financially insecure circumstances. It’s another uncertainty management strategy example, mobilized in this case as an effort to transform chaos into predictability.

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