Hello my nerdy friends,
Did you know we pay attention to different product features when buying for ourselves vs. buying a gift?
Let’s take a look.
The study:
Researchers gave people pairs of products.
One option was more practical, like a work laptop, documentary, or fruit.
The other option was more fun, like an entertainment tablet, comedy, or cake.
Participants were randomly split into two groups. One group chose what they would buy for themselves. The other group first named a friend, then chose what they would buy for that friend.
Researchers also asked how guilty people would feel picking the fun option (Lu et al., 2016).
🧪What they found:
People were more likely to pick the fun product or features when buying for someone else and the practical product or features when buying for themselves.
They also felt less guilty choosing the fun option for a friend. Average guilt was 4.61 for a friend vs 5.60 for themselves.
Why?
When we buy something for themselves, our brains ask: “Do I reeeally need this?”
If the product feels fun but unnecessary, we feel guilt and that guilt makes the practical choice feel like more emotionally comfortable.
When we‘re buying for someone else, we don’t feel guilty, so the fun option is easier to justify.
Caveat
The study measured lab choices, not real purchases with people’s own money.
💡Takeaway
If your ad targets gift buyers, lead with the fun, emotional, or pleasure-based benefits of the product.
If your ad targets people buying for themselves, lead with the practical benefits that make the purchase easier to justify.
See you next week,
Ksenia (the biggest nerd)
P.S. a word from today’s sponsor, minisocial!
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