Curiosity Effect
We're driven to seek missing info that closes our knowledge gap
Our intense, spontaneous desire to close the void between what we know and what we don’t means that…
Hill et al. (2016). Shopping under the influence of curiosity: How retailers use mystery to drive purchase motivation. Journal of Business Research.
The study
Setup
105 people were shown an online promotional offer, with the final offer value of 40% revealed either immediately or only at checkout.
Results
Those in the extended curiosity condition were more likely to buy with the promotion than those who were told of the offer value immediately.
In detail
Key Takeaways
…curiosity will always be effective.
A recent campaign by Cancer Research UK to fill missing letters of the second-most common cause of cancer led to a 22% increase in its awareness.
How can you use curiosity to drive a desire to learn about a new product or important message?
Create positive curiosity.
Vacation company srprs.me let you choose the number of people, dates and continent. You then get a scratch card to reveal your destination…but only at the airport!
Use to convert free to paid.
Popular dating app Bumble uses curiosity to drive conversions. People who’ve already liked you are shown, but with their faces pixelated and no further information shown. Users are then prompted to buy BumbleBoost to close the information void.
Curiosity Effect
We're driven to seek missing info that closes our knowledge gap
Our intense, spontaneous desire to close the void between what we know and what we don’t means that…
Hill et al. (2016). Shopping under the influence of curiosity: How retailers use mystery to drive purchase motivation. Journal of Business Research.
The study
Setup
105 people were shown an online promotional offer, with the final offer value of 40% revealed either immediately or only at checkout.
Results
Those in the extended curiosity condition were more likely to buy with the promotion than those who were told of the offer value immediately.
Key Takeaways
…curiosity will always be effective.
A recent campaign by Cancer Research UK to fill missing letters of the second-most common cause of cancer led to a 22% increase in its awareness.
How can you use curiosity to drive a desire to learn about a new product or important message?
Create positive curiosity.
Vacation company srprs.me let you choose the number of people, dates and continent. You then get a scratch card to reveal your destination…but only at the airport!
Use to convert free to paid.
Popular dating app Bumble uses curiosity to drive conversions. People who’ve already liked you are shown, but with their faces pixelated and no further information shown. Users are then prompted to buy BumbleBoost to close the information void.
Curiosity Effect
We're driven to seek missing info that closes our knowledge gap
The study
Setup
105 people were shown an online promotional offer, with the final offer value of 40% revealed either immediately or only at checkout.
Results
Those in the extended curiosity condition were more likely to buy with the promotion than those who were told of the offer value immediately.
In detail
Pairings
Encourage action by offering closure on mystery
Make it easy for people to want to develop a curiosity in your products with playful, suggestive messaging regarding its outcomes.
Even reframing an initial call to action, like:
"Sign up to get started"
As something more curious and goal-orientated, like:
"Sign up to see how to do it"
...shows us that curiosity needn't be a grand event, but instead can operate in subtle, suggestive ways that playfully motivate by holding back certain information.
Where can you inspire explorative inquisition within people with in subtle ways at the beginning of their journey with you?
Offer a mix of constant and changing choices
In our product choices, we humans crave a complex mix of familiarity and newness. We know what we like, but we're also keen to seek out new experiences. Brands should embrace this, offering a small range of product choices that are either immovable, or variable.
UK eatery Honest Burgers do a great job here, providing a small number of always-on-the-menu burger options alongside other burgers that change by month or by store location.
Where can you provide this mix in the product choices you present to users? First, define what products or features should *never* change.
Second, how you can encourage curiosity and exploration with new ideas, driven by cross-brand collaboration, season or a new technology or ingredient, for instance?
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Curiosity Effect
