Design Psychology: 10 Ways to Convert Users into Buyers
For many inventors and design companies, one successful product paves the way for even better-selling products that follow. How and why this occurs comes down to fundamentals of design psychology and the highly developed human capacity to develop trust for and reliance on a perceived good source of something essential. As will be explained, there is a rough sequence of steps that can be taken, while avoiding certain pitfalls that can lead to a bond of trust and consumer fidelity once users decide that a particular company creates high-quality and dependable products. Therefore, building your brand name is key. Let’s consider some steps to get there from our friends at Custom Writing:
1. Chose your product quality and customer base; high-end, mid-range or throw-away cheap. The advantage of producing quality goods is that people will actually want these products. Low-end is for people who don’t care and/or need to spend the bare minimum. Therefore the only kind of customer loyalty you can develop for low-end goods is through maintaining the lowest price possible. This is not easy with overseas production and is a constant battle to the bottom.
2. Make products distinct but recognizably from the same company. This underlying esthetic is essential to making your brand instantly recognizable and associated with whenever one of your products is seen. This is an all-too-common example but a good one; think of Apple, each and every one of their products follows similar design esthetics; smooth, rounded corners, understated, minimalist design. Unmistakable and instantly admired.
3. Market yourself sufficiently and then some: Never underestimate the importance of marketing. Ideally, you want your marketing strategy to include online commercials and features, social media promotion, through printed magazine and catalog advertising and also through in-store shelf-space. Remember, the more shelf-space your product take, the less taken by competitors. Of course, representation in all these sectors is not practical, especially at the early stages for a small start-up. Allocate your time and resources wisely. If your product(s) is garden or carpentry tools, you might choose to target store shelf advertising and catalogs. Perhaps you will want to favor online advertising and social media if your product is an electronic accessory or for a niche market. Certain sectors like clothes and tools prefer to be bought and sold in stores rather than online because the customer needs to feel the quality and fit for themselves. Social media is a must no matter what, and it’s nearly free! You can run Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram pages all by yourself, at least for a while. Eventually, it will become a full-time job and if you are trying to run a business that’s actively expanding, you’ll need to hire a social media manager. If writing advertisements and online marketing pieces is not your strong suit and you don’t have the time to spare to learn, this online professional writing group, Custom Writing, is an affordable, time-saving and an excellent choice for producing high-quality written advertising layouts for printed and online formats.
4. Distribute widely, sell in online, sell in catalogs, sell in department stores, everywhere! In-store demos are great. Make your product as visible and recognizable as possible. Also, consider if you should market your goods in other countries. Shipping in bulk can be fairly affordable, learn more about logistics to see if pursuing foreign markets could work in your favor.
5. Offer loyalty bonuses to loyal clients. Offer discounts for buying several products together, or services like a free tune-up or a trade-in coupon. This can pay off and help you keep in touch with your customers and shows appreciation.
6. Make your products last! Consumers are becoming more and more concerned about environmental issues and leaning towards products that make smaller carbon footprints. Make your products durable, fixable (replacement parts are a great money maker and really help with clientele loyalty) and recyclable (if possible).
7. Make your product sustainable. As mentioned, there is a serious movement towards environmentally responsible product design and consumers are voting with their dollars. Reduce the packaging to the bare minimum (often lowers the price too) and use recycled or renewable materials whenever you can, and brag about it. Explain how your product is more environmentally friendly than other competing brands and you will have a strong selling point to the young and the high-end markets. Start with this online resource for an overview of sustainable design.
8. Make your product a good deal. This is basic but important. If people feel that they are getting a superior quality product, one that is smartly designed and solidly built and it lasts for a long time, they will surely remember. It will be a good deal. If you have an established name for durability, like Carhart, you can even charge a premium price and still be considered a “good deal” in the long run!
9. Have excellent customer service. Handle any negative feedback from customers as if it is a fire in your house. Remember the exploding Samsung phone battery a few years ago? Any sensational story about a fatally flawed product can harm your business reputation for years. Even for a world leader like Samsung! Hire customer service reps that you treat well and respect. Let your customer service team know how important it is to the company that they listen and report any problem that has merit to the management and design teams.
10- Innovate! Take the time to evaluate your product’s final performance and make updates. Continuing to invest in your product shows your customers that you are actively trying to refine your products and improve. This can be a subtle but strong sentiment that results in added respect and loyalty from customers who expect that your company is always busy innovating and therefore is offering better, more cutting-edge products than your competitors.
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