Consumer Strategy May Backfire in Covering Up Embarassing Buys
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MECKY/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — You’re in the drugstore and need to make your move–the cold sore cream is down the aisle and a reliable wart remover is second on your list–but how can you save yourself the embarrassment at the checkout counter?
A new study from the Journal of Consumer Research says consumers uncomfortable with buying embarassing products will likely purchase additional items to diminish the anticipated judgment. But the tactic can make matters worse, research says, because what matters is the set of products, not individual items.
Some may think packing a shopping basket with underwear will make a purchase of diarrhea treatment more discreet, but the extra products can further exacerbate the image. Instead, buying something like toothpaste with the treatment tends to lower the chances of embarrassment.
It all depends on whether the items are complementary or unrelated.
One experiment asked participants how embarrassed they would feel buying The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Improving Your IQ. Half were purchasing only the book, while the other half were told they were also buying a Rubik’s cube and an issue of Scientific American.
The additional products made participants feel less embarrassed because the “intelligent” products seemingly cancelled out the “unintelligent” one.
Another experiment showed that the more shoppers believed products cancelled out the embarrassing item, the less distressing the situation.
Consumers believe a product’s meaning can change depending on what else is being purchased at the same time, says the study, and self-consciousness is a key factor.
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