I’ve blogged before about how factors like the price of a product and the cuteness of the salesperson can affect how you perceive the quality of a product. Now here’s a new study that shows that your purchase intent can influenced by how the product container feels.
Are You An Autoelic?
As reported by Science Daily, researchers at the University of Michigan and Rutgers University found that the firmness of a drinking cup can impact how much consumers like the beverage inside it.
But here’s the part I found the most interesting: they found that people can be classified into two groups: those who like to touch things before they buy them (high autotelics) and those who don’t (low autotelics). Surprisingly the people who like to touch are less likely to be influenced by the feel of the product. Those who are less touch involved are more likely to be fooled into believing the product quality is better because of the container feel.
I’m not sure what this for cosmetics, but it makes me wonder what the implications are for internet shopping. Does this mean we’re more likely to buy stuff that we’ve previously touched?
What do YOU think? Do you pay attention to the way something feels before you buy it? Have you ever been tricked into buying a cheap product in an expensive container? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Reference:
Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com
–Mid Brain
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Jeanie Says:
as a knitter and spinner, i have noticed i am a high autotelic. (Glad there is an actual term for it!) I even rub my sheets as i fall asleep! Thanks for posting this, it’s very interesting.
Science Girl Says:
My name is Alexis and I work at L’Oreal USA in NYC, supporting the For Women in Science program. L’Oreal partnered with UNESCO on this program ten years ago to help advance the role of women in science and to encourage more young women scientists to continue their pursuits in the field.
Since the inception of this partnership, the For Women in Science program has awarded more than $4 million in grants to over 150 female scientists in 85 countries.
In 2004, the company also established a US national fellowship program which each year awards five post-doctoral female researchers with fellowship grants of $40,000. To date, this program has awarded research grants of $500,000.
You can learn more about the international or national fellowships or laureate awards at http://www.forwomeninscience.com.
In May we will be recognizing the five 2008 US Fellows at the annual awards luncheon held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The call for 2008/2009 applicants begins in August and applications close on October 31, 2008. I hope you’ll share this with any colleagues who might be eligible to apply or to check out the website for more information.
Janis Says:
Depends on what it is — if it’s a touchy-feely object, then yes. Yarn, fabric, that sort of thing. Otherwise, not so much.
When it comes to personal care, I generally read the ingredients and smell it. Scent matters more to me. Scent and color.
Courtney Says:
I’m a knitter, too, and it’s tough for me to buy yarn online because I always like to feel it first! It’s the same with teddy bears, towels, and bed sheets with me. I figure, if part of the item’s job is to come in contact with my skin, it had better feel good.
Marie Says:
I love to feel everything! Tablecloths,linens, glassware, clothing, hair, pets…everything!
dez crawford Says:
I touch everything before I buy it, but if I am not able to touch or smell what is inside the container, the feel of the container has little to do with whether I buy the contents. If I don’t want to drink out of a flimsy cup it has nothing to do with what’s inside the cup.
I think this study may be somewhat flawed. I am a highly tactile person and the feel of an object will influence whether or not I buy the object. But if the object is in a container, I’m not interested in the feel of the container AT ALL.
For example: Let us suppose that the exact same cereal is offered in a cardboard box or a plastic bag. I regret that I can’t sample the cereal before I buy it, but the feel of the container has nothing to do with the cereal, so I read the ingredient label to decide which to buy.
However, I must touch certain things to determine whether I will buy them — not the package, but the thing itself. I don’t buy plastic-wrapped vegetables, and I very rarely buy garments sight unseen from a catalog unless I am very, very familiar with the manufacturer (I already know what an LL Bean cotton shirt feels like). I have to touch towels, shirts, sheets, garments of all kinds before purchase, anything made of wood, ceramic or glass, etc.
Anastasia Says:
I’m high autotelic, and it’s the first time I have come across the term, but I do touch things before I buy them. With clothes I want to feel the texture of the fabric, which is why I don’t buy apparel online. For products I am accustomed to, like perfume, or other beauty products, I won’t be so touchy feely, but for anything cosmetic involving color (lipstick, eyeshadow, etc), I do have to try it before I buy it. With eyeshadow I do like to touch, meaning I will apply the shade using a cotton tip on my hand first.