You can look --- But can't touch!

Customers often confide that if they break an item, they will definitely buy it. However, a recent study said that if customers only need to touch something a few seconds, they will definitely stop the intention to buy it.

Researchers from Ohio State University and Illinois have conducted experiments on how to touch goods before purchasing has an impact on customers' decision to buy the product. A simple experiment done with coffee revealed a lot of things: in many cases just touching customers with coffee cups will make people tend to buy more. This result was published in the journal Criticism and Decision, which found that people felt very close to touching the cup in the first 30 seconds.

If people hold a cup of coffee for longer than a few seconds, it seems that they are not only drawn to higher prices than others at that auction, but they are also willing to pay the price much higher than the price. retail of that item.

'The most surprising part of this study is that people can quickly become attached to an object even if it is not worth it like a cup of coffee.' Research author James Wolf began his career while he was a graduate student in Ohio State.

'Simply touching the cup and feeling it in your hand, many people feel the cup is like their own cup. When they have felt it like their own, they will be ready to go further to have it. '

Previous research also proved that many customers want to have a feeling of owning something for a long time before they actually have it. But this is the first study to analyze this issue. The feeling of ownership is often available immediately after the customer has a direct contact with the object for about 30 seconds, according to Mr. Wolf, an assistant to the Information Department at Illinois State University.

Customers often confide that if they break an item, they will definitely buy it. However, a recent study said that if customers only need to touch something a few seconds, they will definitely stop the intention to buy it. (Photo: iStockphoto / Carmen Martínez Banús) To explain the feeling of touching things can affect a person's assessment of the material, the researchers conducted a test on 144 people in one. great university. Everyone was asked to bid on the cup of tea in the auction open or closed after checking the time when people touched and felt the cup.

Participants were given the cup first of the experiment. Experts in a short period of time are required to review the cup for 10 seconds while those who are weak to the test for a longer period are required to review it within 30 seconds.

After careful consideration, they were asked to pay the cup. Participants in private auctions are required to write their maximum bid for a cup worth $ 3.95 on a piece of paper at the bookstore near the school. Then learn to fold the paper so no one can see the bidding price at the auction. And those at the open auction are allowed to know the offer prices of others. Open bidders bid for a $ 4.95 cup for a computer auction similar to eBay, where they can see the highest bid price and the remaining bid time.

Open auctions with an ending period usually move more, meaning that the auction time can be extended for each bid price in the last 15 seconds. Each round ended so as to alleviate the pressure of the last auction.

All participants of the auction were told the retail price of the cup before the auction started. They also reported that some typical cups are available for sale near the test site.

Everyone gets $ 10 if they participate in this experiment; and they are also informed that if the winning bidder has the right to receive free products.

The results prove that if anyone touches the cup within 30 seconds, the price will be higher than those who only touch it for 10 seconds. The average price paid in each open auction is $ 2.44 if the person touches the cup for 10 seconds and $ 3.91 if the person touches it within 30 seconds. This finding is also true for cases in private auctions like touching objects for 10 seconds, paying $ 2.24 and $ 3.07 if touching for 30 seconds. In fact, researchers often use cheap cups of tea and are not worth the price, says Hal Arkes.

'We use accessories that are not a new car or a new suit, but a cup. And we've found a big difference in how people evaluate their timing. ' Arkes, honorary psychology professor in Ohio State.

The difference continued to be discovered when researchers observed that the winning bid price often exceeded the retail price of the cup.

All participants are told the retail price of the cup before they bid. However, when people hold the cup for 30 seconds, they will pay 4 to 7 times higher than the retail price.Although the cups cost up to $ 4.49, the price of the cup is bid up to $ 10 when it is held longer.

In contrast, those who win in a 10-second auction only exceed the one-time retail price.
Study co-author Waleed Muhanna, an associate professor of information management at Ohio State, talks about the trend that participants who hold longer cups will pay a much higher price than retail prices that can fall by the level. stick with things.

Muhanna said 'The level of attachment with things seems to increase as well if the mechanical contact is large. And one explanation for this trend is that if someone owns a longer object, they will feel more intimate and excited to keep things. Everyone becomes attached and ready to pay more to not lose it. '

While this study can help researchers understand more about customers' buying habits, many retailers apply trial and buy tips for many years. Car dealers often send customers to test drive home and pet shops to encourage shoppers to play with stuffed animals because they know the proximity to animals will make their customers ready to buy. more products.

But Wolf says that understanding this attachment will help buyers get a smart choice.

'When you sit behind a new car, you know you're getting more appreciation for it and maybe you're willing to pay more to buy it. But as you continue to understand that you are pushing prices higher, you may be in the mood if you don't buy in a hurry, you'll regret it later. '

This paper is funded in part by Jensen-Wallin-Young Ohio State Foundation.