I'll Have What She Was Wearing

Past marketing research has shown that, although consumers like to touch products themselves, they often don't like it when other people do so. But does that always hold true? A recent retail experiment says no—especially when an attractive other person is involved. In this study, staff at a clothing store told shoppers interested in a certain style of T-shirt that there was only one left—and that someone else was trying it on. They invited each shopper to wait outside the dressing room.

Unbeknownst to the shopper, the "person" trying it on was one of two variables: either another "average" shopper, or a model. The "person" exited past the shopper, and left the shirt hanging in the dressing room for the shopper to try on.

OK, it probably comes as no surprise that most shoppers rated the shirt higher, and were willing to pay more for it, when it had been worn by a model. But there's one big caveat here: this only worked when the model was of the opposite sex.

When women encountered a female model leaving the dressing room, so what? When men encountered a male model, big deal. But when shoppers encountered a gorgeous member of the opposite sex having just tried on the shirt—its approval ratings shot through the roof.

The Po!nt: Touchy-feely can work in retail. The key may be to insist that staff be well-groomed, and consider layouts that encourage interaction with products, these researchers advise.

Source: "Positive Consumer Contagion: Responses to Attractive Others in a Retail Context," by Jennifer J. Argo, Darren W. Dahl and Andrea C. Morales. Journal of Marketing Research, 2008.

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