Today, if you’re in retail,
you’ll see last minute shoppers.
These shoppers
are often procrastinators.
Why do people procrastinate?
According to Dr. Pamela Wiegartz,
there are three main reasons
– they fear failure
– they fear success
or
– they’re perfectionists.
A few years ago,
I went to the mall on Christmas Eve.
Every time I looked at something,
that item would be swamped
with other shoppers.
I had shoppers ask me
“Would I like this?”
or
“What would I buy?”
These shoppers didn’t want
to make the buying decision.
They wanted me to make it for them.
So how do you market to the procrastinator?
You use recommendations.
You market the product as the “hot” gift.
(you should be able to share with shoppers
what your hottest selling item is)
You have staff say “This is what I would buy.”
You take the buying decision,
the blame for wrong or right or imperfect purchases,
out of the shopper’s hands.
Seth Godin has a wonderful article
on the appeal of the hot toy.