Slow Decision Making Among Shortcutters

Sometimes we’re pleased to have our customers make choices quickly, allowing us to move on to other shoppers or other tasks. However, sometimes we’d like to slow down the shopper as they settle on a course of action. Premature purchases can have bad consequences ranging from returned items to safety risk.
     Easing the speed is a particular challenge when serving people high in a personality trait called “need for cognitive closure.” These consumers want to make shopping decisions promptly and then lock in those decisions. They’re uncomfortable with ambiguity. They are the polar opposite of shoppers who evidence a strong need to analyze as much information as possible before deciding. Researchers at Baylor University and University of Cincinnati report prior findings that this urge to achieve finality actually increases blood pressure and heart rate when decision making is delayed.
     That is, unless the shopper with high need for cognitive closure chooses to put noticeable time and effort into the choice. Specifically, those researchers found these people will slow down their decision making and work harder to analyze information when they believe the effort will be useful for making similar decisions in the future. An example of this is when the choice is about a newly introduced item or experience which is likely to be encountered repeatedly in the foreseeable future. A marketer can encourage more contemplation during a transaction by highlighting those characteristics of a choice.
     Trying to stop premature decision making by interrupting the NFCC consumer can irritate them. Most consumers are open to interruptions early in the purchase process. However, researchers at New Mexico State University and Sacred Heart University suggest that the retailer look out for the potential customer who seems pressed for time but is continuously evaluating choices. Minimize interruptions of these people early on and never interrupt early on with content not directly related to the purchase selection, such as with an extended greeting or casual conversation. With the shopper who is in this frame of mind, later interruptions are okay, and can actually create good will, as long as the interruptions are pleasant, such as reassurance or gratitude, and the interruptions aren’t frequent.
     Shopping is exposed to a plethora of interruptions from sources other than the retailer—phone calls, impatient children. Stanford University studies found that a disruptive interruption during the climax of a current transaction increases the NFCC for immediately subsequent purchases.

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