Refunds get spent like free money
Research confirms what you may already know to be true.
People are more likely to spend refunded money.
Let’s say you return a $100 jacket. According to Yu, Cryder and LeBoeuf (2024) you are more likely to spend that $100 refund on a discretionary purchase than if you’d received the same amount as either income, an unexpected windfall or even a tax refund.
That’s because the money has already been designated as ‘spent’.
It feels like free money...
Zebra crossing
There’s a zebra crossing that runs between my two local supermarkets.
To use it, people have to go out of their way about 10 metres.
Instead, a majority run the gauntlet, crossing the busy and chaotic road at a more convenient point.
People on walking frames. People with shopping bags. People with pets and children. Me.
We’re willing to sacrifice safety for convenience.
What’s the trade you are asking people to make?
When it comes to your processes...
Should you really promote how new something is?
Should you promote that something is new? Like under new management or a new product release?
In this video I share:
- new research on 'revision framing';
- whether people prefer something new over a functionally superior option; and
- how customer expertise changes things.
This is a sample of content from the Just Do This small business program. Find out how you can join.
Two types of hows
What is your customer really asking for?
Customers often use “how” questions to find you, like “how to increase sales” or “How to improve conversion?”
But not all “how” questions are alike.
In fact, there are two types of “hows”.
If you’re answering the wrong type of how, you won’t capture their attention.
The first type of “how” question is procedural.
Questions like “how...
Typing vs. telling
Typing rather than talking changes behaviour.
Customers are more willing to buy, for example, when they type their search rather than use a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa.
When we type, we subconsciously associate it with taking action.
When we use a voice assistant, we instead associate it with gathering information and deliberating.
Unfortunately, customers are unlikely to tell you they decided to buy because they typed rather than talked. They can’t.
They won’t...
How to sell if you don't like selling
I hate selling.
Now, that's a problem if you are someone like me who runs their own business, or you're in a role that requires you to bring in the dollars.
Or maybe you are trying to 'sell' your credentials in a job interview or sell the benefits of a new project?
Bottomline, how to sell if you don't like selling?
In this video I explain how to think differently about selling, and the ONLY three reasons people don't buy.
This is a sample of content from my Just Do This...
Influencing people to give a "crap"
Who Gives a Crap is a fast growing, direct-to-consumer social enterprise in the toilet paper business.
For my Just Do This members last month, I did a deep dive into five techniques they use to influence customer behaviour.
So you can sample Just Do This content, I've decided to share this video with you.
In it I cover:
- Onboarding email messages
- How they build customer confidence
- What sender address and subject lines they use
- How...
Five pitfalls of behavioural economics
There is plenty of upside in applying behavioural science, but there are five pitfalls that you should know about too.
In this video I’m going to take you through the 5 pitfalls of behavioural economics, and how to avoid them.
Pitfall #1. Thinking it only applies to customers
Behavioural economics is the study of how emotional, social and cognitive biases and heuristics impact behaviour.
Behaviour is the operative word here, because the same forces that impact your...
Is this manipulative?
What do you think of this?
It’s the product order page for a pet supplies website.
More specifically, what do you think about the auto delivery being defaulted?
Well, from personal experience I can tell you it is difficult to recognise you are committing yourself to auto-delivery and this inadvertent decision only occurs to you when boxes of Chicken Breast keep appearing on your doorstep.
So, is this business manipulating its customers?
Is nudging manipulative?
It’s an important...
Three hard truths about customer behaviour
There are three hard truths about your customer.
- They write the script
- They are the hero of their story, and
- They run on batteries
The accompanying article is available on my blog archive: https://blogbriwilliams.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/three-truths-about-people/
