![]() People in the study haggled over the price of a new car while sitting in either hard, wooden chairs or softer, cushioned chairs. In a final study, researchers investigated the tactile sensation of hardness. Phones designed using metal rather than plastic casings, and heavy, solid packaging rather than light, plastic clamshell packaging may increase the value people perceive in the product itself. For example, cell phones are arguably the most important tool in the modern consumer’s life. Given such findings, firms may benefit by emphasizing product and package weight when customers are shopping for important needs. In one study, people given mineral water to drink rated the same water as being of better quality when served in a firm rather than a flimsy cup. Other researchers have shown that related effects can be achieved by modifying not products themselves, but their packaging. When people held the heavy clipboard, they viewed the candidate as expressing a more serious interest in the job, suggesting that the sensation of holding a heavy object brings gravitas to people and issues, making them seem “weightier.” Some auto manufacturers apply a similar principle when they add dampeners to car doors specifically to make them sound heavier when they close. In another experiment, people were asked to evaluate a potential job candidate while holding either a light or heavyweight clipboard. In these settings, a simple gesture such as a warm cup of coffee or a warm handshake can convey trustworthiness, going a long way towards easing consumers into transactions. Utilizing physical warmth to engender trust should be especially effective in retail settings involving high-risk decisions and a high degree of interpersonal contact between salespeople and customers, such as car dealerships and clothing stores. In other words, tactile warmth made people see metaphorical warmth in others and act in warmer ways. In fact, people invested 43% more money after briefly holding the warm pad, suggesting that the physical sensation of warmth led people to feel psychologically warmer, safer, and more trusting. ![]() Unbeknownst to them, the researchers were actually interested in whether warmth sensations would alter people’s behavior in subsequent, unrelated investment decisions. They believed that the researchers were interested in their evaluations of the products. In one experiment, people were asked to hold either a warm or cold therapeutic pad. ![]() Understanding the precise manner in which touch shapes these mindsets can help managers hit the right note when designing retail spaces.Ĭonsider several recent studies and their implications. Along these lines, research has found that waitresses who touch restaurant patrons earn more in tips, and customers innocently touched by female bartenders drink more alcohol.ĭifferent tactile sensations can even lead customers to interpret and interact with their surroundings in unique ways. (This is especially true when the person doing the touching is a woman). Additionally, interpersonal touch, such as a handshake or light pat on the shoulder, can lead people to feel safer and subsequently spend and consume more. This idea may underlie the push to move inventory from display cases into customers’ hands, a trend seen in many electronics outlets such as the Apple Store and Best Buy. Physically holding products can create a sense of psychological ownership, driving must-have purchase decisions. However, touch can also create symbolic connections between people and products, and between buyers and sellers. We tend to think about consumers using touch primarily because they have to - in order to examine packages and to fill shopping carts. In addition to the more common sensory marketing approaches that focus on sight, sound or smell, research has now begun to highlight the forgotten sense of touch. Such marketing efforts leverage the ability of sensation to create brand attachment and drive retail sales. Think of Singapore Airlines’ signature scent or the Intel jingle, which is one of the most recognizable sounds in the world. It’s a reminder of how managers are often encouraged to help consumers connect with brands by amplifying the sensory qualities of products and retail spaces. On a recent visit to a boutique bath shop, one of us became so overwhelmed by the intensity of the scent circulating through the store that he was forced to flee within seconds. This post is part of the HBR Forum, The Future of Retail.
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