A sense of connection with a loved one may be more important than the quality of service or event experience. Consumer Psychology Association reports.
A research team led by Jimena Garcia-Rada found that consumers prioritize physical connection with their relationship partner over “better” or higher quality experiences. For example, a couple in a movie theater would rather sit together in the front row than sit in two non-adjacent seats, which will provide the best view for both. Five experiments showed that in such situations, people are driven by the desire to create shared memories. This becomes especially noticeable when the consumer and his partner are presented with different quality options to receive the service. Conversely, people are less likely to compromise on the quality of the experience when they’re with someone they don’t feel close to.
In an experiment conducted in a university lab, the authors found that students preferred to eat two chocolates instead of four that they could eat separately with a friend. In another study, when asked to imagine attending a Cirque du Soleil performance with a close friend rather than a casual acquaintance, most participants preferred two adjacent seats far from the stage, compared to two unadjacent seats close to the stage. Additionally, volunteers were less likely to prefer togetherness over quality if the activity was presented to them as utilitarian rather than recreational.
According to the authors, the results of this study will be of interest to marketers looking to fill airplane seats and auditorium seats.
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