Check Out Tactics for Donations at Checkout

When a customer is asked during store purchase checkout to donate to a charity, they feel put on the spot, researchers at San Diego State University point out. Their studies find that the consequences can be higher donations than if the request is made in private, but also leave negative attitudes toward the store and the charity. The researchers then went on to show how downsides are eased if the request at checkout is made in writing instead of verbally.
     For purposes of the study, a fictitious charity name, Kids’ Wishes Fund, was used. Two groups of American consumers were asked to imagine being in line at a register at a store, with the cashier and several other customers looking at them, when a solicitation for a children's charity appeared on their checkout screen. The message read, “Help make the wishes of deserving children come true. Give today.” The ad also included a Kids’ Wishes Fund logo.
     Each study participant in one group was then instructed to imagine the cashier asked if they wanted to make a donation to the charity. Study participants in the second group were not instructed to imagine the cashier asked them if they wanted to donate.
     Compared to those in the first group, people in this second group reported feeling less intruded upon. They also had a higher donation rate along with more positive attitudes toward the store and greater willingness for future donations to the charity.
     The written solicitation in this San Diego State University study used a typewritten-style font. Results of another set of studies, conducted by researchers at Nanjing University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Shanghai Tech University indicate that donation amounts are higher if a handwriting-style font is used. Amounts deposited in donation boxes located in some stores in Taiwan were greater when the solicitation used actual handwriting than when a typewritten Mandarin character font was used. Another of the studies, using a real charity (Save the Children Fund) and American participants found that self-reported donation likelihood was higher when a handwriting-style font (My Lucky Penny) was used for the solicitation text than when a typewritten-style font (Times New Roman) was used.
     The researchers’ explanation for their findings is that handwriting-style fonts establish a higher level of connectedness to a charity than do typewritten-style fonts. This explanation is consistent with other studies showing the persuasion advantages of handwriting.

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