June 24, 2009
Dr. Eric: Simplicity Is Key to Becoming a “Reflex Brand”
There are many factors that influence purchasing choices such as brand, time, emotional state, categories of options, and memories. But having too much information at our fingertips may not be the best option for encouraging consumers to engage with a brand or buy.
In his research, Dr. Barry Schwartz calls this the “Paradox of Choice.” He has found that having too many choices can be paralyzing and can lead making no choice at all. When a purchase was finally made among the many options to choose from, feelings of dissatisfaction often followed. Similar to buyer’s remorse.
In a recent study using Decision Field Theory, researchers found that when people are faced with having to make choices between very similar items, when there’s not enough information to distinguish among them or when there’s not enough time, they become indecisive and, subsequently, don’t buy anything at all. There is obviously a fine line between providing too much information and not enough, between having too many choices and too few.
With the Internet, and now mobile, we have the ability to buy just about anything at any given time. And it would seem that being able to locate and purchase whatever we wanted anywhere, at anytime, through our own research and efforts would lead to more efficient and more satisfying choices. But mobile is an even more unique environment in that it relies heavily on combinations of immediacy, location and time in purchasing or participation behavior. There is less reliance on research and more on goal orientation.
Data and analytics make it easy to target consumers with products and introduce them to a slew of new options from which they’ll potentially buy. They also help companies get to know their customer. To support these efforts and effectively target and engage mobile consumers, companies can address consumer purchase indecision by offering an informative but limited interface that doesn’t overwhelm, but clearly defines and informs among the available options.
Moreover, supporting and enhancing purchases can reduce buyer’s remorse, increase satisfaction and make a future purchase more likely. For a customer, this can breed good feelings about their purchase and about a brand. In doing so, they generate positive emotions and memories, thus increasing the likelihood of future engagements.
Just as importantly, these things make consumers more loyal, reducing the overload of having to decide among too many options. Choosing a brand becomes more reflexive. To attain this “reflex brand” status, marketers should focus on serving the goal-oriented mobile consumer with highly targeted, relevant and, above all, simple content and messaging.
- Dr. Eric Weinstein is a Practicing Clinical Psychologist specializing in youth and a consultant with MobileBehavior
