Instant Gratification Edge
Posted by in Marketing Tips Monday, 8 March 2010 21:58
Is it just me or does it just seem our society’s penchant for immediate gratification has recently jumped to warp speed? I personally have always been the type that wanted instant gratification so much so, that I oftentimes would avoid buying anything on the internet, even if it was potentially nicer and/or less expensive, simply because I wanted to have the product in hand in an hour instead of 2 to 3 days. Well, nowadays, I might as well be a Buddhist priest in terms of enduring delayed gratification compared to the general consuming public. And the funny thing is it’s a real chicken and egg conundrum. Did consumers demand immediate gratification and businesses / media meet it? Or did new forms of media and delivery systems set the expectation level and we as consumers willingly went along? I believe both parties contributed to this rise in “NOWISM”, a term coined by Trendwatching.com and defined as “Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification…where consumers jump on something the moment they actually can, fulfilling a need that is not necessarily new, but the new way to fulfill it is.”
Consider Haiti relief, as of last week, American’s have donated a record $1 billion and many of us didn’t even have to even lift a finger to donate. Mobile phone carriers and grocery stores made contributions on our behalf with simply a nod at the cash register or via your regular monthly bill. It personally took me 2 or 3 days before someone removed the need for any overt action on my part (like going online for 5 minutes to make a donation for goodness sakes!) and asked me if a $10 Haiti Relief Donation could be added to my grocery bill of which I graciously accepted. It “got ‘er done” faster than I could swipe my debit card!!
“The future will not be about big beating small, but fast beating slow.” Rupert Murdock
The point is that instant gratification is here and growing. Consequently, if you are in business or are thinking about opening a business, design ways you can communicate and deliver your product/service at light speed or faster. And one sure way to take advantage of this trend is to equip your business with an intuitive vanity / branding phone number. Instant gratification could translate into having an easy to remember phone number like 1-800-YUMPIZZA so that dinner doesn’t have to be delayed because Mom had to work late or 1-800-CARCARE to set up an appointment to have the car serviced while dropping off the kids at school. Just remember to make it simple, make it compelling and make it fast and they will come!
