Page 64 - Decoding Decisions ~ Making sense of the messy middle

64 CHAPTER 4 INFLUENCING THE MESSY MIDDLE

Authority bias

Although our simulation shows it to be less powerful than its close cousin,
social proof, authority bias is still a very effective way to reassure shoppers
through citation of awards and expert reviews. This proved particularly
effective in categories where consumers might feel at a disadvantage
through lack of domain-specific knowledge, such as home furnishing, home
improvement, and electronics. Unsurprisingly, our simulation also found
that when it comes to authority, the endorsement of a publication known

to be impartial tended to carry more weight than a review from an industry
publication (figure 9).

Figure 9

1st choice brand 2nd choice brand

100
100 30 43
75

70
50
57

25

0
Stated 1st choice brand Introduction of 2nd choice brand 2nd choice + stronger authority bias

Sources of authority tested: Which? and TechRadar. Transfer of preference from first choice to second choice
brand – authority bias analysis, TV category.

Scarcity bias

Scarcity messaging is perhaps one of the more immediately recognisable
executions of behavioural science in our list. However, in our simulations
it was most often the least effective bias. While it can be effective as a
clinching factor during final evaluation, for exploring shoppers scarcity could
feel restrictive and provoke a negative reaction.

Source: Google / The Behavioural Architects. 10,000 simulated TV purchase scenarios. n=1,000 category buyers, UK online shoppers, aged 18–65.