Volunteer Recommendations of Combinations

When I shop at a florist for a bouquet, I expect to pay more than if I bought the same flowers at a plant nursery and paraphernalia at a crafts shop and then put the bouquet together myself. I’m paying for the expertise of the shopkeeper in knowing what fits well and how best to arrange it.
     Studies at Texas Christian University and University of Washington suggest that combinatory advice of this type not only enhances the value of the combination, but also enhances the value of the salesperson. Persuasion agents who volunteer advice about what goes well with what else establish greater credibility. Advice about what additional items would clash with a prior choice also has this effect.
     It is in the act of recommendation that the persuasion agent gains greater influence when giving subsequent advice, whether that subsequent advice is about product combinations or individual items. However, the perception of expertise has more to do with the depth of the advisor’s knowledge than with the breadth of that knowledge.
     The effect is reduced when the components are separated further in space—a shirt paired with socks compared to a shirt paired with a tie—or time—food items to be served on separate plates during the meal rather than on the same plate.
     The value of combinatory advice applies beyond face-to-face in-store selling. A social media influencer could benefit both the vendors who pay them as well as their own reputations by volunteering such recommendations.
     Also, the appeal to shoppers of item bundles applies beyond the provision of combinatory advice. Researchers at University of Minnesota began their inquiry by noting how a woman buying corn chips often looks next for salsa bottles. The researchers then went on to find that when the chips and salsa carry the same brand name, the woman will enjoy the items more than when the items carry different brands.
     Evidence from the studies showed how the greater enjoyment occurs because matching brand labels indicate to shoppers that the products were specifically designed and tested to work well together. This may, in reality, be the case. Maybe the corn chips are flavored delicately so as not to interfere with the zing of the salsa, and the chips don’t wilt when this brand of salsa is slathered on. Noting the synergy on the labels of each product will enhance this perception and, consequently, sales.

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