The effect of crowds
You probably know that people are affected by crowds. We sometimes call this ‘herd behaviour’ i.e. the tendency to follow a ‘herd’ of people. This latest study tested this on social media, giving people 60 different claims to agree with. People generally agreed with a consensus view, especially when the view was ‘knowable’ – based on some form of evidence, rather than a prediction
https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976251344549
Concreteness and product perception
This week we explained the concept of ‘concrete’ language. Well, research now also shows that thinking about owned products in either concrete or abstract terms affects the degree of ownership a person feels. For example, a consumer can consider their own physical use of the product (concrete) or potential and broad purposes of that product (abstract). Concreteness seems to increase a sense of ownership – and value.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2025.05.003
Premium customers don’t like chatbots
Using chatbots may seem like an easy way to handle customer enquiries, but customers who perceive themselves as ‘high tier’ expect a unique experience. If they have been labelled as being important to the brand (such as perhaps travelling in first class, or holding a platinum credit card) they expect to be treated differently to other customers of that brand.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10949968251322513
Photo by Adam Nowakowski on Unsplash
