Post by sifatahmed on Dec 27, 2021 5:35:43 GMT
Consumers value the opinions of other buyers and seek them before making purchasing decisions. That is why we end up scanning the comments they have left in the online store in which we are going to buy something, so we read opinions on the network or through which we see videos on social networks in which someone talks about a product that we interested. Making the decision to buy something - especially something important - without considering what others are saying no longer seems like a good idea.
In addition to the opinions of other consumers, there are also those of the Last Database immediate circle, much more important and much more valuable. That is why we end up preferring the companies and brands that our friends and family love or why we turn to their testimonials when we go to buy something. Who has not ended up asking in a WhatsApp group if this or that thing has been tried or what is recommended for that need?
All of this has created a context in which consumer opinions are crucial and in which brands need buyers to speak about them. The companies are present in the forums in which their sector is discussed, they ask consumers to recommend them to their friends or leave a comment or simplify the formats so that it is so easy that you do not get lazy (there there is, for example, the ubiquitous post in airports with sad and happy faces to leave evaluations about the experiences in various services).
Companies seek to activate word of mouth, testimonials of their shopping experiences and that their consumers are the ones who activate the messages and who transmit valuable information about their products and services, who attract and convince other consumers.
But are all avenues equally useful to convey that information and to get buyers talking about you? Are all the mechanisms that brands use really effective to kick off these processes?
That is what researchers from Arizona State University, New York University and Northwestern University have asked themselves, who have studied how consumers react to actions with which companies seek to get consumers to talk about them in a positive way.
When it goes wrong
At the outset, researchers have determined that these mechanisms can exploit companies in the face. The results achieved depend a lot on what the company has done and the experience that the consumer has had. If they have just had a bad experience or are very unhappy with the product, the consumer usually ends up seeing the incentives that the company offers to leave opinions as a kind of blackmail.
The consumer processes that the company is trying to manipulate him, which causes him to be hostile to it. This is what happens with utilities companies or banks, which are often viewed negatively and which usually manage to activate this type of sentiment.
It can't seem like an obligation
It is not the only, nor the main, of the study's conclusions. Researchers have focused on studying how the benefits that companies give their consumers impact to encourage opinions and comments. In general, incentives, such as rewards, benefits or gifts, tend to work, causing the consumer to leave comments or talk about the brand.
However, not everything goes and not everything can be launched in the same way. According to those responsible for the study, it is very important how this incentive is contextualized. It works much better if it is seen as something that is given away, with no strings attached.
If the consumer feels that they are activating an obligation, if they feel obliged to leave the comment or give their opinion for the gift (it looks like a contract), the reaction is negative. This is what happens, for example, when the incentive is linked to completing a survey or making X number of purchases.