Posts by Sherwette

I don’t like designer stuff, or so I say – [Black Friday – part 4]

Consumer Behavior Customer experience December 11, 2019 1 Comment

I don’t like designer stuff, or so I say.

Of course I like designer stuff, but I’d rather spend my money in experiences, travel or courses. Yes, courses, you would be surprised how much I spent my money on that department.

Never stop learning, and the best investment is you.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to go to Gucci “just to have a look”. The queue was crazy from the moment I arrived and all the way up until 8:00 p.m. when I decided to leave the outlet. I didn’t make it to Gucci, but I did make it to Furla.

Are you telling me there is an additional discount to the Black Friday discount? [ Black Friday — Part 3]

Consumer Behavior Customer experience December 6, 2019 1 Comment

I got out of the bus and made sure to know where is the pickup location to head to when I want to go back to Port Authority.

The first thing I see is the Information Center, and people queuing up. Ok, the first thing I saw was actually the different stores. I asked, “Why are people queuing up here?” A nice lady answered me and said, “You get additional discounts with the voucher they give you.”

I didn’t have to think twice and queued up. It was also warm inside and freezing cold outside so I didn’t mind the queue.

After I got my discount vouchers and the outlet map, I started wandering and thought I might as well check it out first, and then go into the stores. To tell you the truth, I didn’t have the chance to get into my favorite stores, for the simple reason that people queued like crazy in front of those stores. Gucci, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger were the craziest. Most of the stores had long queues.

The weather was cold, like 1 or 2 degrees Celsius. Let me remind you, I live in Dubai, which is smoking hot all year long. I couldn’t simply stand the cold and wasn’t willing to stand in the queues.

It’s like what I have seen in those videos on social media, or rather the movies. People were walking around with big suitcases to stack up the purchases.

“Is it really that good?” I wondered.

Was I going to catch the bus on time [Black Friday — Part 2]

Customer experience December 4, 2019 1 Comment

Was I going to catch the bus on time? I panicked a little bit.

My hotel, Element by Westin, was right next to the Port Authority in Times Square, and I planned to catch the 10 a.m. bus, which is pretty chill. I would take my time getting ready in the morning and have a good breakfast.

In case you were wondering, no, I wasn’t really willing to take the 6 a.m. bus.

Not that crazy, not that crazy yet at least.

The lift at my hotel was incredibly slow though. It took me over 15 minutes just waiting for the lift to go down, and I was on the 16th floor. Now that I am thinking about it, I should have taken the stairs.
According to the Groupon voucher, the bus either leaves at 10 a.m or 11:15 a.m., so in my mind, if I have missed the 10 a.m. bus, then I am kind of screwed and have to wait for another hour and 15 minutes, but hey as Hal Elrod, the author of the Miracle Morning, says, “If you can’t change it, then let it go.” I couldn’t change the lift situation.

It was 9:53 a.m.

Tick tock tick tock. The clock was ticking.

The curiosity made me take part in Black Friday [Black Friday – Part 1]

Consumer Behavior Customer experience December 2, 2019 2 Comments

Recently, I spent five days in New York.

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really planning on buying anything in New York, let alone participate in Black Friday, and even though that was my intention, I totally gave up and took part of it.

If I go back in time, about four month ago when I planned this trip to New York, everyone in Dubai told me the shopping is incredibly amazing in the US. I thought, “Really?” Almost every single person who used to live in the US or visited said, “You go to the US with an empty suitcase.”

I wasn’t sure what to think. I do live in Dubai and shopping in Dubai is also a “real” thing. There is sale almost all the time and loads of brands. There are multiple outlets, and did I tell you I am also not so much into “Designer” stuff.

4 Scarcity tactics that will make your customers ready to buy now

Consumer Behavior Consumer Marketing Sales skills November 20, 2019

Tell them they can’t have it and they will come running for it.

I think that advice works best with dating, not that I am an expert in relationships or anything, but hey consumers are also human. 😉

“The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.” - G. K. Chesterton

Haven’t you always noticed? When one partner says, “I am done, I am not accepting this,” and moves away, the other partner in the relationship who might have been taking his/her partner for granted realizes what s/he is about to lose, or perhaps even just lost?

That’s my friend is scarcity.

The “scarcity” consumer behavior principle says,

“Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited.” - Robert B Cialdini, Influence

Learn how favor banks can help you influence others

Book Reviews Consumer Behavior Self development November 15, 2019

The favor bank lingered with me.

If you are a millennial, then there is a high chance that one way or another, at some point in your life, you were influenced by Paulo Coelho.

I am a big fan, and I remember during my adolescent years how much I was obsessed with his novels.

One of the concepts mentioned in
one of his novels, The Zahir, is the favor bank concept. That concept has been lingering with me since I read the novel.

The favor bank concept explains how favors are exchanged. When you deposit favors to someone’s bank, they become indebted to you, and so when, in return, you ask them for a favor, they will have no choice but to accept it. Otherwise, you will not be trusted, without you saying a word about them.

5 Traits that make people ‘cool’

Consumer Behavior November 5, 2019

Cool people.

Huh?

What does that even mean?

Have you ever met someone, who without even opening his mouth to speak seems ‘cool’ to you.
It’s a big party. People are trying to socialize. Some work to impress others. Others seem like they don’t belong.

Yet, that there is this one person who seems, without interacting much, ‘cool’.

How does he do that?

It wouldn’t be long before you see him interacting with others. He is comfortable in his own skin. Whether he is speaking to others or not, it doesn’t matter. He is ‘cool’ right there, where he is.

Learn how modeling can influence behavior

Cognitive Bias Consumer Behavior November 2, 2019 1 Comment

One of the key principles of persuasion is being liked. If people like you, they would be more likely to be influenced by your behavior. If they like anyone, they would be influenced by what they do.

Robert Cialdini had a whole section in his book, Influence just about liking.

… which brings me to talk about ‘modeling’ as a tool to influence behavior.

To persuade, ask, don’t tell

Cognitive Bias Consumer Behavior Sales skills October 25, 2019

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To persuade” could be one of the hardest things you can come across. I have been there. Multiple times. Every single day if you ask me.

Having a sound and logical arguments may work with some people, especially engineers and programmers, but at the end of the day, we are human. Humans are emotional, and whether you can do a good job hiding it or not, your emotions have an unneglectable impact on your decisions.

I have mentioned before the “endowment effect”. It’s such a powerful cognitive bias, and because it’s so powerful, you can use it in multiple ways.

The endowment effect basically says,
“We place greater value on items because we own them.” – Adam Ferrier, The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour

Previously, I have demonstrated how you can use the best of the endowment effect before consumers buy your product so that they feel they own it, value it even more, then take out their credit cards.

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But…

What if all you want is to persuade someone to buy into your idea?

Are you an impulsive shopper? Wash your hands

Cognitive Bias Consumer Behavior Spending money October 22, 2019

Do you know an impulsive shopper? Ask them to wash their hands

Anyone one of us could be an impulsive shopper.

You could be having a bad day. Then find yourself at the mall, doing some retail therapy, and buying tons of things you don’t need. Perhaps even buy one item; however, that one item is so damn expensive.

You are always one moment away from making yet another impulsive shopper decision.
One of the key factors that influences you, as a consumer, to buy is the endowment effect.

The endowment effect basically says, “We place greater value on items because we own them.”
Adam Ferrier, The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour