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The trials of retailing
Musings about a puzzling notice on a box of breakfast cereals
Just recently, I noticed that the breakfast cereal I often eat carries a notice on the box, saying ‘Try me!’. It expresses a strong conviction on the part of the retailer that I will like it, and in the unlikely event I don’t, I am entitled to return it for a full refund. Does such a message actually work — does it change consumer behaviour?
For that, influencing customers’ behaviour, is what retailers try to do — whether we realize, or indeed like it, or not. What they want customers to do is simple: buy more. And they have a bag full of promotional tools at their disposal, from the gentle persuasion of eye-catching, colourful displays on shelves and packaging, to unmistakable bribes like price reductions and coupons.
The message that changes shopping behaviour
One particular tactic is to encourage customers to purchase a product they have not bought before, in the expectation that they then become a regular buyer of it, and so permanently increase their overall spend. This is not a new idea. Back in the days when most people still obtained their groceries from the corner shop, it might have gone as follows:
Customer: Say, Mr Arkwright, I see you sell a new kind of…
