Selling impressions: what is more important in business than products and services
People all over the world do not buy products and services - nobody needs them by themselves. Everyone needs impressions and emotions from the purchase.
In conditions of increasing competition, the business is obliged to think not about how to sell more, but about how to make the lives of customers better. In this case, you can count on real success. In our article today, we will look at what experiences successful companies sell.
Perhaps the most famous story about how the company reoriented to “selling impressions” and succeeded is the case of Apple. After Steve Jobs left, the company went through hard times and suffered one defeat after another. Apple was saved because it changed its approach to business - the company stopped selling computers and gadgets, these gray boring boxes that you need to stare at in order to carry out some kind of action.
From the iPod era to Watch, all Apple products have become an element that allows its owner to “think differently” (the famous slogan “think different”), that is, stand out from the crowd, be more creative.
It is the emphasis on facilitating the online shopping process that has made Amazon a leading global player in the e-commerce industry. This is achieved with the help of sometimes inconspicuous, but important for convenience things - for example, when making the first purchase, the system remembers the customer’s data, and then he does not need to enter from again.
In addition, the Amazon site itself is divided into different subsections devoted to specific types of products, which facilitates the search. Do not forget that Amazon was one of the first to use recommender algorithms that offer users to purchase products related to their previous purchases.
The mobile operator Virgin Mobile offers its customers a variety of surprises and profitable promotions from its partners (and they select brands that the target audience loves among the partners). When a client sees a message from the operator that he is waiting for a mug of free coffee at Starbucks nearby - this is a very pleasant surprise that helps to establish an emotional connection with the person.
The Republic Bike bicycle shop gave customers the opportunity to participate in the creation of their unique two-wheeled vehicle, offering various design variations. The proposal turned out to be so popular that many well-known organizations began to ask the company to arrange master classes in assembling bicycles for their employees.
The importance of selling impressions is also beginning to be recognized by Russian companies, which is partly due to the difficult economic situation in the country. In our blog, we already talked about how several Nissan car dealers in St. Petersburg managed to increase website visitors' loyalty by installing a callback widget on their pages .
People accustomed to a high level of service in offline car centers (where you can always quickly get comprehensive answers to your questions), appreciated the opportunity to order a call back at a convenient time for themselves instead of having to fill in frightening contact forms (which you still have to manage to find on the site). All this led to an increase in loyalty, expressed in numbers, and thousands of conversations with potential customers, which otherwise would most likely simply not have taken place.
“Selling impressions” can be a very effective approach to doing business, but just wanting to start working on such a scheme is not enough. The entire business model should be built in such a way that users are not deceived in their expectations and receive products and services of the highest quality. Then they will better perceive the story that the business is trying to tell them and share it with their friends and acquaintances.
Life style
Perhaps the most famous story about how the company reoriented to “selling impressions” and succeeded is the case of Apple. After Steve Jobs left, the company went through hard times and suffered one defeat after another. Apple was saved because it changed its approach to business - the company stopped selling computers and gadgets, these gray boring boxes that you need to stare at in order to carry out some kind of action.
From the iPod era to Watch, all Apple products have become an element that allows its owner to “think differently” (the famous slogan “think different”), that is, stand out from the crowd, be more creative.
Simplicity and speed
It is the emphasis on facilitating the online shopping process that has made Amazon a leading global player in the e-commerce industry. This is achieved with the help of sometimes inconspicuous, but important for convenience things - for example, when making the first purchase, the system remembers the customer’s data, and then he does not need to enter from again.
In addition, the Amazon site itself is divided into different subsections devoted to specific types of products, which facilitates the search. Do not forget that Amazon was one of the first to use recommender algorithms that offer users to purchase products related to their previous purchases.
Pleasant surprises
The mobile operator Virgin Mobile offers its customers a variety of surprises and profitable promotions from its partners (and they select brands that the target audience loves among the partners). When a client sees a message from the operator that he is waiting for a mug of free coffee at Starbucks nearby - this is a very pleasant surprise that helps to establish an emotional connection with the person.
Uniqueness
The Republic Bike bicycle shop gave customers the opportunity to participate in the creation of their unique two-wheeled vehicle, offering various design variations. The proposal turned out to be so popular that many well-known organizations began to ask the company to arrange master classes in assembling bicycles for their employees.
Convenience offline on the Internet
The importance of selling impressions is also beginning to be recognized by Russian companies, which is partly due to the difficult economic situation in the country. In our blog, we already talked about how several Nissan car dealers in St. Petersburg managed to increase website visitors' loyalty by installing a callback widget on their pages .
People accustomed to a high level of service in offline car centers (where you can always quickly get comprehensive answers to your questions), appreciated the opportunity to order a call back at a convenient time for themselves instead of having to fill in frightening contact forms (which you still have to manage to find on the site). All this led to an increase in loyalty, expressed in numbers, and thousands of conversations with potential customers, which otherwise would most likely simply not have taken place.
Conclusion
“Selling impressions” can be a very effective approach to doing business, but just wanting to start working on such a scheme is not enough. The entire business model should be built in such a way that users are not deceived in their expectations and receive products and services of the highest quality. Then they will better perceive the story that the business is trying to tell them and share it with their friends and acquaintances.