Experience influences buying decisions but it starts with the packa...

Sofia decided to go on a feasibility study and she found out something that made my heart leap. It's something that I read once in the book, Adventure Capitalists. Sir Terence Conran had said and I quote;

As a creative retailer, my belief is simply that if reasonable and intelligent people are offered products that are well made, well designed, work well, are of decent quality, and at a price they can afford, then they will like and buy them. Sir Terence Conran, designer, retailer, and restauranteur - The Adventure Capitalists

When I watched Sofia explain the psychology behind the buying decisions of consumers, Coran came to mind. And I remember the first time I read it, I was tiny all around including my brains, so I was skeptical about his ideology around the workings of his business. You see he made furniture and he trusted that he would not have a lot of struggle if he was able to come up with good and satisfying pieces of furniture and showcase them in his neighborhood. People will connect with better products at a price they can afford, and a sale agreement will be met.

Experience influences buying decisions but it starts with the packaging.png
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During Sofia's feasibility study, she made different kids try different cereals and asked about their thoughts. The first child said she liked the cereals in the red pack. Why? According to her, it wasn't the taste of the cereals she loved, it was because of the drawings on the pack.

She noted that and moved on to the next kid who mentioned he liked one of the cereals, alright, but not completely because the pack had no games. I can't tell if the games were supposed to be inside the cereals or on the pack. Sofia went further to ask if he liked the chocolate and he answered yes but was still worried over the absence of games.

This was the turning point for her because once she met Pablo, she explained to him a bit further to buttress the kids' concerns.

According to Sofia if you walk into a store to buy yogurt, you are surely going to meet varieties. At that point, you have no idea what each tastes like, whether or not you will love it. You wouldn't know which one to pick or what you truly want. Sofia mentions that the decision you will make at that point will be 40% influenced by the packaging.

She used the kids to explain that they do not care what's in the pack, but rather, the box itself. This is where everything starts according to her. Businesses aren't supposed to assume that customers know what they want. This part reminded me of Conran because he mentioned the same thing in his interview. He outrightly said consumers do not know what they want entirely so it was up to him to show them what they want and they will buy.

Sofia said the same thing, and two can never be wrong, right? Since the customers may not know what they want, it's up to anyone trying to provide value and make money to show that they know what their customers need to see, so they buy it, and own it.

She did not stop there, she went ahead and reminded me why a lot of fine places have more patronage than their competitors, who, if tested would have better products. "It's the experience," Sofia hammered upon. All the stores have yogurt or coffee, of course, but no one wants to buy them in a corner store. They would prefer to go to a place that smells good, with better lighting, and amazing music. They want to spend their money in places that uplift their spirit and bring them the best experiences.

In fact, writing about this just now I remember reading somewhere that Mcdonalds' isn't successful because they make the best hamburger. No, a lot of people make better hamburgers than the ones people buy in McDonalds but it's that experience. The system that he had put in place is replicable around the world in all the branches of his that count to consumers.

No matter how much you push this psychology away, it will always hurt your business if you don't implement it. You need to make sure that your customers do not wait to have a taste of the product before they take the bait into becoming customers. Give them the desired exposure and they will hand their money over to you without breaking a sweat.

Better packaging equals better business... Pick a side.