Warm and Fuzzy: Crank up the Thermostat, Crank up the Sales
Picture this: you have a gigantic neon digital sign announcing a 40% off discount for items in your store. All your bestsellers are near the cashier and the placement of products underwent a careful process. You have done everything to encourage impulse buys and sell more products, but there might be one thing you are forgetting to do: turn up the thermostat.
Yes, you read that right. The secret to cranking up sales is to crank up the thermostat. Apparently, people find products more appealing when they feel warm. If you are thinking about installing new commercial air conditioning unit, that may just be a perfect ‘strategy’ to boost your sales.
The Warm and Fuzzy Effect
A recent research found that warm environments encouraged participants to give higher value to certain products. In the experiment, the participants had to evaluate products in a 26°C room and a 22°C room. The researchers found that people perceived products in the warmer environment as more desirable and valuable. The experts ran a series of varied tests after and the results were the same: warmth boosts the perceived value of the items.
The Science Behind It
Experts explained that sensory warmth translates to emotional warmth. As people get warmer, the positive emotion influences how they perceive products. They tend to place more value to the items they see. The researchers call this the “spill over effect”.
Warmth in Retail Spaces
Using these research results to your advantage will help you boost retail sales. The simplest thing you can do is to increase the temperature in your store by a little bit, especially in areas where customers evaluate your products.
Of course, it should not just be warmth you are after. A retail store that is too hot may backfire, drawing customers away even before they even get to look around. Strike a balance between warmth and comfort. You may want to leave it at 26 °C. This, of course, is still subjective as you may have to consider average outdoor temperatures.
Make your store warm and fuzzy—literally and figuratively. As customers get cosy inside your space, get ready for the biggest sale of your business!
