Display Good Deals in Ugly Fonts
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Overview
Fluency is usually persuasive.
If a message is easy to read, it feels good. So the message feels good.
But sometimes disfluency is persuasive.
When a message is unusual or hard to read, customers are forced to encode this information in more detail.
Do you offer a sizable discount? An ugly or unusual font can help customers notice it:
...the increased effort required to process disfluent price information can lead to deeper information processing. If the advertised price offer represents a good value, it can enhance purchase decisions, even if customers prefer the disfluent display less (Motyka et al., 2016, p. 627)
Across four weeks, researchers alternated the font — Helvetica or Bradley — for a 15% discount on Doritos at a convenience store in the US.
Bradley was more difficult to read, yet this font increased conversions by 23 percent (Motyka et al., 2016).
Don't choose an ugly font, per se.
Just slightly unusual (e.g., Lobster, Caveat, Bodoni)
Add Visual Contrast
When two things look different, they feel different.
Keep your original price in a simple font; this visual difference feels like a numerical difference.
- Hmm, this new price feels different. Must be a great deal.
If possible, add more differences (e.g., font size, color, digit type).
Stronger for Existing Desire
Ugly discounts might feel negative for undecided customers:
- Hmm, do I want Doritos? This price doesn't feel right. Guess I don't want it.
With an existing desire, ugly discounts pull their attention:
- Ah, Doritos. How much are they? *looks harder* Oh, great deal.
Customers need enough motivation to overcome this ugliness.
Therefore, try ugly discounts for:
- Loyal customers
- Checkouts
- Rebates
But you could test them anywhere because of their visual contrast (which is also persuasive).
Other New Stuff
- More Research = Less Confidence - Ironically, some claims (e.g., drug efficacy) appear weaker with more research. It implies that more research was needed because this context is more uncertain.
- Writing Reviews = Therapy - Customers recover from negative experiences faster when they write a review because it acts like a pseudo therapy session. Perhaps marketers should help customers write any negative experience before it reaches a public domain. Much like journaling, this act of writing can alleviate their negative emotions.
- Sleepy Managers Act More Authoritarian - Is your boss more controlling on certain days? They might be lacking sleep.