I know that we live in a crazy, fast-paced world. And that you’re currently sitting at a computer where at any moment you might be alerted to the arrival of what could be an important email (but is probably someone selling pills or informing you of the inheritance you’re due to receive from a long lost diplomat relative).

But forget all that.

Just slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy this moment of tranquillity.

Allow yourself to drift into the scene above, here the waves brushing over the sand and feel the gentle breeze on your skin. Your phone is turned off and no one is going to bother you.

Relax.

Incidentally, whilst you have nothing else to do with your time, take a look at this clock. I’d be interested to know what you think it’s worth?

As an astute judge of an item’s value I’m sure your valuation is accurate.  But here’s the thing…

If you were relaxed when you considered its value, the chances are that you thought it was worth more than you would have done otherwise.

Such revelations can be hard to believe, so convinced are we that we’re the conscious agents of our actions.

But don’t take my word for it. Researchers have conducted carefully designed studies to compare how people value products when they’re relaxed.

I say ‘carefully designed’ because they took care to make sure that they weren’t comparing people who were happily relaxed with people who were bored, or impatient.

Across four studies and with products ranging from ice cream sundaes to bungee jumping sessions they found that people consistently valued items more highly when they were relaxed. For example, they bid 11% more for a digital camera.

To feel relaxed normally requires that we feel no threat or anxiety in the environment we’re in. Whilst an unfamiliar environment is likely not to feel relaxing, a retailer that we’ve visited frequently, or a brand we’re accustomed to buying, should allow us to feel comfortable.

However, frequently both brands and retailers induce anxiety in consumers:
• Offering complicated choices.
• Allowing hectic store environments.
• Creating cluttered fixtures that are hard to navigate.
• Encouraging sales people to act in ways that people find threatening.
• Not managing the noises or temperature appropriately.
• Producing packaging that is difficult to use.
• Moving products without signalling that they’re somewhere else.
…I won’t go on, but the list is almost endless.

Marketers would do well to recognise the importance of creating a relaxing and comfortable environment for their products or stores.

I strongly suspect the same applies to websites too. Certainly the research I’ve seen on limiting choice options, providing fast loading times and the benefits of ‘secure website’ logos would suggest that making people feel comfortable is worthwhile.

It is understandable in the current economic climate that marketing people will want to throw everything they can at potential customers and that their eagerness to convert people who consider their products might easily be evident to people considering a purchase. It’s certainly possible to be too keen to win people over.

I’m not suggesting that organisations shouldn’t work industriously to win customers but there is a benefit to keeping such endeavours below the surface of the consumer experience. Facilitating a relaxed frame of mind when people encounter your store, website or product can enhance the perceived value of what you have to sell.

Source: Columbia Business School (2011, August 1). The role of relaxation in consumer behavior. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 4, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2011/07/110728123126.htm

Image courtesy: Jeremy Hockin