Lauren
For better or worse, we all have certain habits that influence our daily actions and behavior.
Maybe we can’t start our day without a cup of coffee or we have to make our bed as soon as we wake up in the morning. Maybe we automatically turn left when we get to the stop sign at the end of the street by our office. Maybe we always embarrass ourselves by saying “you too!” without thinking after a movie theater employee tells us to enjoy our movie.
While we may often think about habits in a negative context and think about phrases like “kicking a bad habit,” habits can be a good thing. There are many habits that are good for us to adopt because they are good for us. They can improve our physical and mental health and our overall well-being. We definitely want to make sure we have a habit of brushing our teeth every day, for instance.
When we pay attention to our habits, it can help us to take care of ourselves without much thought, energy, and effort.
We are not the only ones who stand to benefit from being mindful of different habits.
Businesses also have a lot to gain from understanding how and why consumers form habits. When businesses are able to incorporate habit formation into their marketing strategies, it can help them gain consumers who continue to interact with their brand and make repeat purchases.
It’s no longer good enough for businesses to have customers who are familiar with their products and services. Businesses need people who rely on their products and services and have a habit of using them regularly.
This is why businesses benefit from creating marketing campaigns that are habit-forming.
Take Panera’s coffee subscription service, for example. With this subscription, Panera allows customers to have unlimited refills on beverages of any size and flavor once up to every 2 hours while they’re in the cafe.
For people who rely on coffee to get them through their day, this subscription is perfect. They are able to power through their school work or remote Zoom meetings with unlimited coffee so long as they stay at Panera. This helps encourage subscribers to think about going to Panera anytime they need a cup of coffee or anytime they need a place to work for a few hours.
Instead of opting to work on a group project somewhere else, Panera’s subscribers will start to have a habit of thinking about Panera first, for instance. Instead of going elsewhere for coffee, Panera’s subscribers will start heading to Panera on “autopilot” because this is where they have developed a habit of going to get their coffee every day.
Creating a habit-forming marketing strategy
Businesses that want to have a successful marketing strategy should consider how habit formation can help them engage with their customers.
Research shows that habits are formed when cues trigger behaviors that lead to a reward. When marketers keep this in mind, they can help their consumers form habits that will increase engagement with their brand.
Here are a few ways marketers can create a habit-forming marketing strategy:
Sending push notifications
Push notifications serve as a cue that can trigger smartphone users to read the notification and open a company’s app. If that app provides a rewarding experience, it will encourage mobile users to make a habit of reading notifications and opening the related app every time they receive a push notification.
If every time a specific company sends a push notification, it is to alert the consumer of a sale, potential customers will start to correlate the notifications with savings, causing them to form a habit that benefits the company.
Offering frequent shopper discounts
When consumers have a punch card or loyalty card that offers them a discount or a free item after a certain number of purchases, it can help form a habit.
If a donut shop, for example, provides a free donut after customers buy a baker’s dozen donuts, it will encourage customers to visit the store frequently, which will start to create a habit. The more these consumers visit the shop, the better the chances are that they will want to go to that donut shop without thinking the next time they are craving something sweet. If they get in the habit of going to the donut shop for a donut and a coffee before work each day in order to earn their discount, it will be harder for them to stop going to this shop in the future.
Offering app log-in rewards
If a consumer is able to earn points toward a reward or a discount for logging into a company’s app each day, eventually they will have a habit of opening the app every day without even consciously thinking about it.
This is a great way for businesses to put their products and services in front of their target markets because the habit loop will cause them to open the app and look at these goods on a daily basis.
Successful marketing is the process of using knowledge about forming habits to encourage potential customers to interact with a brand. When businesses are able to do this effectively, it can help them develop a loyal customer base who will make repeat purchases.
