Friday Research: Feeling Down In The Dumps? Go Shopping!

When Will You Use This?  

Creating "retail therapy" campaigns and not feeling guilty about it.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

The so called “retail therapy” is considered wasteful and negative by majority of general public. But can an occasional episode of retail therapy help to alleviate distress?

Current research* explores whether making shopping choices could help to reduce residual (lasting for long time) sadness. The results reveal that making shopping choices helps to restore a sense of personal control over one’s environment, and thus helps to alleviate residual sadness (results based on hypothetical and real shopping). Shopping is all about choice (where to shop, whether to buy, what to buy), and previous research suggests that exercising choice can enhance one’s sense of control.

"I'll shop till I become happy as a flea in a doghouse!"

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

  

As a standing policy (“shop whenever your heart sinks”), retail therapy seems like a bad idea. However, don't be afraid to use the "retail therapy" card in your marketing on occasional basis. Based on the insights of current studies, shopping can help to alleviate sadness and no one has to feel guilty about it.

*Rick, Scott; Pereira, Beatriz; Burson, Katherine Alicia The Benefits of Retail Therapy: Making Purchase Decisions Reduces Residual Sadness. Journal of Consumer Psychology: December, 2013. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with retial therapy? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.