10 Product Positioning Lessons Small Business Owners Can Learn from Consumer Behavior Studies

Transform your retail environment into a conducive setup for making a purchase. Pick up helpful tips straight from consumer behavior studies. Here are ten of them to consider adopting for your store. 

1. The products at the back of the shelf look far more attractive to customers than the ones they can easily reach. 

According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, effort and value are inextricably intertwined in the consumer’s mind. Compared to hard-to-reach products like those at the back of the display shelf, the ones readily attainable are considered less attractive by consumers. Moreover, consumers demonstrate a preference for products that are available only, for example, in another town where they need to exert an effort in order to obtain the product.  

2. It only takes a few seconds of a customer touching a product to increase the likelihood of a purchase. 

Researchers based in Illinois State University and Ohio State University found out that the slightest touching of an item is enough to compel a shopper to buy. This is the first study that pinpointed how long (as little as 30 seconds) a consumer needs to touch an item to establish the feeling of ownership that can translate into a buying impulse. 

3. Consumers are willing to pay more for products they can touch. 

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology published a study in the American Economic Review showing how the presentation of products affects the value assigned to them by consumers. In the study, the test subjects were much more willing to pay for food placed on a tray in front of them than the same food presented in a high-resolution image or a text-only description.  

4. Placing related products close to each other in grocery aisles can do wonders for your sales. 

A paper published in the Journal of Marketing showed how grouping related products, like soda and chips, near each other in store shelves can increase sales for those items.  

5. Matching products from the same manufacturer is preferred by consumers.  

A consumer is much more likely to buy a jar of Tostitos salsa to go with a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips than, say, the same salsa with non-Tostitos chips. Published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the study demonstrated how brand combinations are perceived by shoppers to go well together. This is also the phenomenon exemplified by the tendency to buy shampoo and conditioner with matching packaging contrived to look as if they are supposed to be used together. 

6. The products in the middle part of the display shelf are the most likely to be bought. 

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms that consumers are unconsciously drawn to buying products found in the middle of the store shelf. Eye-tracking devices were employed in the study and the findings reinforced how a product’s location on the shelf greatly influences a shopper’s buying decision. 

7. Sold-out signs make a product look attractive to a buyer. 

The sense of immediacy conjured up by a “sold out” sign can tempt a consumer to develop an interest in the product. The same can be said for an empty store shelf. Published in the Journal of Retailing, the study was also able to show that the desirability of a certain “sold out” product can be transferred to another similar but available product.  

8. Consumers are likely to buy products featuring “matching” colors.  

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology uncovered how shoppers frown at products with contrasting colorations. An example given was the lack of interest to buy a shoe with red and yellow elements, while a shoe with blue and gray elements elicited a positive buying response.  

9. Buying one high-end and unique product, usually a designer item, can drive a consumer to buy more. 

According to a study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, an innocent purchase of a high-end product or a luxury brand can lead to an uncontrollable buying spree. The researchers attributed it to a phenomenon they called an “aesthetic mismatch.” Once the consumer takes home the item, it can look out of place alongside the person’s other possessions. And this drives the person to buy more of those unique, high-end items to eliminate the aesthetic mismatch. 

10. The behavior of your employees deeply impacts how your business and your brand are perceived by the customer. 

The findings of the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research may sound intuitive, but it helps to reiterate how an instance of incivility toward a customer or another employee can affect your bottom line. It is also recommended to reprimand your employees only in private, because other customers witnessing an incident of employee-to-customer or employee-to-employee incivility can develop strong negative feelings toward your store.