How considered are those purchases?

When it comes to “considered purchases”, how much consideration do people put into them?

I mean, they're usually pretty expensive items, so we hem & haw more about what we get. But how much do we reeeeally analyze our choices more?

For instance, if you're in the market for an SUV or a pick-up, wouldn't it make sense to visit a bunch of dealers and actually drive some around before deciding? They're expensive!

Data from DMEautomotive suggests our appetite for serious consideration is fairly light.

For instance, over 60% of buyers only visit 1 or 2 dealers. And 5% didn't even visit a dealership.

(I visited 6 on my last go-round. But my legs are reeealy long, so I need to make sure I fit in the thing. Dork.)

This bit of data, added to a bunch of others, suggests that most of the thinking — even for big-ticket items like trucks — is subconscious. It's based on experience, comfort, familiarity, vague associations, & old memories.

Facts and logic are used more as rationale for a decision your subconscious already made.

Granted, we might be trying out our friend's cars, or renting a bunch from Avis, or doing tons on online research (which, yes, we are, a lot more for cars than for candles). But we fairly quickly narrow down the field and say, "Ya, that's good enough."

(Fancy name alert: this is called "satisficing". Some people want the best, but most people just want good enough. This applies equally to burgers and SUVs.)

So if you sell big-ticket items, absolutely provide the RTBs for the rationale to close the sale. But as System1 Research says, focus on cultivating fame, feelings, and fluency to win over the subconscious.

Previous
Previous

What Your Media Says About Your Brand

Next
Next

The marketing-academia gap