When Consumers Feel Less Powerful, They Seek More Variety

From holding a higher-paying job to sitting in a taller chair, there are numerous components that may make us really feel roughly {powerful}. But how do perceptions of energy affect customers’ shopping for selections? The authors’ latest analysis explores this query and finds that clients who really feel much less {powerful} usually tend to hunt down a greater diversity of merchandise, equivalent to a spread pack of candies or a combo of a number of forms of espresso beans, however that interventions that increase customers’ autonomy can ameliorate this impact. In mild of those findings, the authors recommend that if a retailer has motive to suppose that its buyer base is prone to really feel comparatively powerless, then it could profit from showcasing a wider vary of merchandise. At the identical time, if providing a spread of merchandise is infeasible, they recommend that it could be price pursuing methods to deliberately increase clients’ sense of autonomy, equivalent to specializing in empowering messaging and providing customization choices, to cut back less-powerful clients’ want for selection and thus enhance the possibilities that they’ll make a purchase order.

How {powerful} do you’re feeling proper now? While we could assume that our perceptions of energy come from the precise authority we have now over ourselves and others, there are in reality many components that may trigger us to really feel roughly {powerful} in a given context. When the financial system worsens, fears of rising costs or job losses could make us really feel powerless. When we get a high-paying job, it may possibly make us really feel {powerful}. Even seemingly banal experiences equivalent to seeing a favourite sports activities crew win the large recreation or simply sitting in a taller chair can enhance our sense of energy — and this could have a serious affect on how we make selections.
In specific, our latest analysis demonstrates that customers’ perceptions of energy can have a serious affect on their purchasing habits. Building on prior analysis on compensatory consumption (the notion that folks purchase issues not only for their utilitarian worth, but additionally to compensate for some type of psychological menace), we discover that clients who really feel much less {powerful} usually tend to hunt down a greater diversity of merchandise, in a unconscious effort to revive their autonomy. For instance, less-powerful consumers usually tend to go for a spread pack of candies, whereas more-powerful consumers usually tend to go for a package deal with fewer completely different flavors.
This could appear counterintuitive. After all, one may anticipate that clients who really feel {powerful} would flaunt their energy by shopping for as many alternative sorts of merchandise as potential, simply because they’ll. But our research recommend that the other is true. Powerful clients know that they’ll get what they need, so that they don’t really feel a must show it by sampling as many several types of merchandise as potential. In distinction, we discovered that powerless clients really feel a necessity to revive their sense of autonomy and remind themselves that they are often in management — and the flexibility to decide on six completely different ice cream flavors as a substitute of only one helps them do this.
To take a look at this within the lab, we performed a sequence of research wherein we manipulated individuals’ sense of energy both by having them recall an expertise wherein they felt {powerful} or powerless, or by randomly assigning them to be both managers or subordinates. We then requested in the event that they would favor a combo pack of several types of a product (equivalent to sweet, ice cream, or espresso) or a package deal with only one sort, and we persistently discovered that less-powerful individuals have been extra prone to hunt down selection.
However, we additionally discovered that boosting individuals’ sense of autonomy ameliorated this impact. In one examine, we offered individuals with product slogans, a few of which have been impartial and a few of which have been designed to revive autonomy (equivalent to “Always keep in mind: You are your personal boss”). In one other, we supplied some individuals a product with customization choices (i.e., a mug that could possibly be printed with a customized message), and we offered others with a non-customizable product. While these interventions didn’t enhance individuals’ emotions of energy, they did enhance their emotions of autonomy, and this increase in autonomy lowered the will for selection amongst individuals who felt powerless. As a outcome, amongst individuals who learn an autonomy-restoring slogan or who have been supplied a customizable product, ranges of perceived powerfulness had no affect on whether or not they have been roughly possible to decide on a spread pack.
We then performed an identical experiment in a real-world restaurant setting. We manipulated perceptions of energy by having individuals sit in a taller or shorter chair, after which we requested them to pick out both a sampler platter or a single dish of comparable dimension and worth. Again, we discovered that when individuals have been made to really feel much less {powerful}, they have been extra possible to decide on the higher-variety choice.
We additionally discovered that feeding a lower-power buyer’s need for selection can enhance the possibilities that they are going to make a purchase order. We ran two related experiments wherein we supplied clients roughly selection (on this case, we supplied both single-flavor or combo-packs of espresso beans, and two-item or four-item bento bins), and we discovered that clients who felt extra powerless have been 20% extra taken with making a purchase order after they have been offered with a higher-variety package deal.
So, what does this imply for retailers? First, if a retailer has motive to suppose that its buyer base is prone to really feel comparatively powerless (whether or not on account of financial situations equivalent to having low revenue or substantial debt, occupational situations equivalent to holding a more-junior job title or working in a lower-status business, and even contextual situations equivalent to relative age or seat top), they could profit from showcasing a broader vary of merchandise. Whether in social media advertising and marketing, web sites, or brick-and-mortar retailer shows, retailers can deliberately draw consideration to the alternatives accessible to clients relatively than highlighting a single product. For occasion, a comfort retailer supervisor may select a window show that highlights the variety of ice cream flavors accessible, relatively than the standard of the ice cream, or supply bundle offers wherein clients can strive three flavors for the worth of two. Of course, providing too many decisions will be overwhelming — however our analysis means that only a small quantity of selection will be interesting to clients who don’t really feel very {powerful}.
At the identical time, our research additionally spotlight that perceptions of energy are changeable. As such, particularly if providing a spread of merchandise is infeasible for your enterprise, it could be price pursuing methods that deliberately increase clients’ sense of autonomy, equivalent to specializing in empowering messaging and providing customization choices, to cut back less-powerful clients’ want for selection. These approaches are already widespread: Burger King’s well-known slogan “Have it your approach” and L’Oreal’s “Because you’re price it” each emphasize clients’ freedom and autonomy, thus possible lowering their need for a spread of merchandise. Similarly, providing customization choices equivalent to the flexibility so as to add your identify or a singular design to a product can increase autonomy, making merchandise extra interesting even with out a big number of flavors or varieties.
Of course, these efforts have to be balanced with different advertising and marketing priorities. If your model is all about simplicity, for instance, then customization choices and slogans targeted on autonomy could not make a lot sense. In addition, emotions of powerlessness are dynamic and affected by a variety of things, so retailers could wrestle to find out or persistently affect clients’ perceptions. That stated, our findings recommend that particularly within the context of an financial downturn (when many shoppers could also be feeling significantly powerless), retailers could stand to profit from both providing a greater diversity of merchandise, or taking steps to proactively increase clients’ sense of autonomy.

https://hbr.org/2022/10/research-when-consumers-feel-less-powerful-they-seek-more-variety