Using interactive design to drive online sales

In the US, the smell of cinnamon and cloves, vibrant reds and greens, cheery holiday music all signify that the annual retail spectacular is afoot. On the surface, it appears to be merely a subscription to the merriment of the season but on a subconscious level, all the sights and sounds of holiday retail are a deliberate, strategic means of connecting with consumers emotionally.

'The Impact of 3D Virtual Haptics in Marketing', a research report issued by Psychology and Marketing, documented that auto retailers whose consumers physically touch and interact with cars have more positive product evaluations, experience more enjoyment during the test-driving phase and exhibit a stronger connection with the brand.

Similarly, Cinnabon, a baked goods retailer, sets up kiosks in high-traffic areas and uses the aroma of a proprietary spice blend to seduce passers-by. Dr Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, notes that good smells create a halo effect that positively affects consumers' moods. According to Hirsch, "If something smells good, it is good. If you view a product in a positive way, you are more likely to buy."

Three design tools for online

Online retail brands do not have the ability to use cinnamon to capture shoppers' attention but they do have a significant opportunity to use interactive tools in much the same way. Online retailers can use technology to affect consumer sensibilities through design, including interactive mechanisms, aesthetics and applications that add value. All of these techniques encourage a pleasurable shopping experience and engages consumers using a variety of sensory methods.

There are three persuasive design tools that are especially effective in triggering consumers sensually - social, urgency and authority.

Firstly, designs, which incorporate social media tools to persuade consumers to evangelize, reap the benefits of exposure to multiple networks.

Secondly, design that illustrates scarcity, such as time tickers and inventory data, is effective in consumer persuasion. For instance, Groupon uses a time clock and publishes the number of purchases. These techniques translate a sense of urgency and help consumers feel more comfortable in reaching a buying decision since others 'have done so.' This is especially important for relatively unknown or new online retailers, which may cause consumers to be sceptical at the point of sale.

Thirdly, testimonials persuade consumers to buy by establishing brand authority using real world, narrative examples of customer satisfaction. This is particularly effective in targeting women consumers, who account for some 83% of all consumer spending.

Use captology to reach consumers

Captology, a term coined and studied extensively by Dr BJ Fogg and his Stanford University team at the Persuasive Technology Lab, is the concept of using technology to influence consumer behaviour.

Using Facebook as an example, he shows how touch points stimulate consumer interaction or involvement to achieve a desired behaviour. An example of captology is Jawbone's UP wristband, which passively collects health-related data and sends it to an application when synched online so consumers can make purposeful healthy lifestyle changes.

How do sensory persuasive techniques translate into online retail markets? They illustrate the role of interaction in influencing consumer purchasing decisions and brand evangelism. To be persuasive, design technology needs to bring an aesthetically sound framework to the table in addition to utility to allow consumer customization and manipulation. With consumers already motivated to make superfluous purchases, the season is ripe for brands to put their best marketing foot forward when it comes to optimizing design technology to persuade them to do so.

PixInk is a San Francisco-based digital design micro-agency serving a macro niche - businesses marketing to women, who drive 83% of purchase decisions. It works for iconic yet nimble brands such as Apple, Facebook, Oracle, Cat Footwear, Riverbed, Camel, Sephora and Picaboo, among others.