Snobbish Sales People Might Increase Luxury Sales The haughty sales clerk who barely deigns to notice the customer eyeing that Louis Vuitton hand bag is probably well on the way to making a sale, according to research by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. Customers who desire luxury brands only want them more if they are treated rudely, the study found. The best advice, in such cases, is to leave the store and come back later, or just buy online. The study, “Should the Devil Sell Prada?” will be published in October in the Journal of Consumer Research. Researchers at the Sauder School of Business presented potential buyers with scenarios – real and imagined – in which sales clerks were either snobby or not. They were then asked to rate their feelings about the experiences and their desire to own specific brands. In many instances, the snobbier the sales clerk the more the buyer wanted the expensive brand. There were caveats, however. The sales clerk’s attitude had to feel real, not fake. And, the desire to own the socially elite brands faded after two weeks. When it came to less expensive, mass-market brands, rudeness didn’t seem to increase sales. “It appears that snobbiness might actually be a qualification worth considering for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci,” says co-author and Sauder Marketing Professor Darren Dahl. “Our research indicates they can end up having a similar effect to an ‘in-group’ in high school that others aspire to join.” Posted by: Dafe Ojaide Read more businessadministrationinformation/news/snobbish-sales-people-might-increase-luxury-sales
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 22:41:52 +0000