|
|
I Just Want to Say Thank You
December 1, 2009 Retailers know that offering customers a little something extra with their purchases is always a crowd-pleaser. Unexpected better deal, happy customer. Now comes research that digs a bit deeper into relationship marketing (RM) to explore the hidden power of customer gratitude—for both short-term and long-term seller benefit.
These researchers monitored customers in a preset "clothing store" situation. A "sales person" offered help above-and-beyond the norm—a cup of coffee, extra assistance, valuable information—to different customers at different times.
Based on results, the researchers concluded that customer gratitude can play a role in purchase decisions when specific conditions are met. "Gratitude for an RM investment increases as the customer's perception of: (a) the seller's free will, (b) the benevolence of the seller's motives for the investment, and (c) the risk to the seller in making the investment increases, and (d) as the customer's need for the benefit received increases," they report.
They offer advice for marketers based on these findings. Among their tips:
The intention behind the gift is critical to the activation of gratitude. "Companies should avoid benefits that appear to provide personal gain for the salesperson," they advise. (Instead, think of a Macy's employee sending a customer to another store for a Christmas gift it doesn't stock.)
A seller can leverage RM investments by providing a benefit when the customer's need is the highest and the benefit provides the most perceived value. (Think of a spontaneous flight upgrade for a loyal flyer at holiday time.)
Sellers should give customers opportunities to reciprocate soon after providing them with an RM benefit. This "takes advantage of their high levels of gratitude ... and leads to cycles of reciprocation," the researchers report. (Think of Macy's mailing a 15% discount coupon to that grateful customer.)
The Po!nt: Surprise them. As the holiday shopping season approaches, consider giving employees the option of offering small perks to customers when they feel it appropriate. You could reap short- and long-term benefits based on customer gratitude.
|
Latest News
July 20, 2010
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is providing opportunities to disadvantaged businesses in Northeast Ohio for nearly $67.5 million in construction, supplies, trucking and professional services contracts. The work is for the new I-90 Innerbelt Bridge project. These business opportunities reflect a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation goal of 15 percent of the estimated $450 million design-build project. In an extraordinary move, ODOT has set the aspirational DBE participation goal to $90 million, or 20 percent of the project.
May 10, 2010
Dr. Rachel Talton has been named a recipient of one of the Top 10 Women Business Owners of Northeast Ohio awards by the Cleveland chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).
May 4, 2010
Dr. Beth Fitz Gibbon, a Senior Consultant with Synergy, is a practitioner in strategy, research, marketing, new business and new product development. She has consulted with and held senior management positions at Fortune 500 corporations, small and medium enterprises, and non-profits. Fitz Gibbon earned her doctorate in Business Management at Case Western Reserve University, where her research focused on the strategic outsourcing of innovation and its implications for long term competitiveness. She holds an MBA in International Marketing from Emory University and a BA in English and Psychology from Rutgers University.
May 4, 2010
Social media has forever changed the way businesses market goods and services. The use of blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, video-sharing sites, Facebook, and other social networking tools is growing exponentially, with interested parties both contributing and voraciously consuming content.
March 3, 2010
TRUST is the critical component many organizations miss when designing corporate strategy. It's one of those things we think we understand - yet we continually take it for granted. Toyota's recent woes are an important case study in the significance of building, driving, and maintaining trust in order to maintain profits.
Collaborative engagement is one of the many positive deliverables gained from building trusted stakeholder relationships. One of our partners in TRUST, Christine Zust, found this piece today. Although the authors use a limited definition of trust (herein defined as "integrity," not the scientific definition of trust: i.e. competence, benevolence AND integrity), we hope you find article and the study valuable!
|
|
