The 6 principles of Influence : Master the art of Persuasion in Product Management
In 1984 , Dr. Robert B. Cialdini published a book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Since then , it’s considered to be a pioneer book on improving conversions in digital products.
In Product Management , persuasion is the key skill to master . When a user casually visit your app/website , the role of the PM is to convert that casual shopper into a serious buyer through effective cues throughout the user journey. In this post, we’ll explore the six principles more closely and how you can use them.
1. Reciprocity : Offer something to get a little something in return.
Cialdini’s first principle of persuasion mention that we are wired to return favors and pay back debts — to treat others as they’ve treated us. This idea of reciprocity is a powerful one. It says that human being , by nature, feel obliged to provide discounts or concessions to others if they’ve received favors from other peoples.
Example of Reciprocity
One of the best examples of this Cialdini principle in practice is Product School’s website. The website is centered around online courses , certifications, free resources for interview preparation, online events & blog. It aims to provide the necessary information & guidance to the aspiring & seasoned product managers.
Even though the user hasn’t signed up on the website yet but product school is offering a free copy of their bestseller book “The Product Book “.
Thanks to this very informative content, regular website visitors are more likely to sign up for the paid courses offered by product school.
2. Commitment : Human being expects their beliefs to be consistent with their values.
The principle of commitment declares that humans have a deep desire to be seen as consistent. As such, once a product publicly commit to their user , the chances are higher that it will deliver on that commitment as well. Such repeated behavior by the product delivers consistency in the long term.
Example of Commitment
Let’s look at the Zomatos’ cart page. While the user is placing an order and reviewing the items in the cart, Zomato is exclusively calling out the “42 mins or FREE” commitment to the user.
Clearly, this form of public commitment reinforces the faith of the user & turns him into a Zomato customer.
3. Social Proof :Human being intrinsically requires validation based on what other people are doing.
Cialdini highlighted social proof as people doing what they observe other people are doing. It’s more conducive in an environment where people are unsure about themselves. They are more comfortable to be influenced by someone who is similar to them.
For instance, in workplace , if our colleagues are working late , we are likely to do the same.
Examples of Social Proof
- Once you fire up the Flipkart app & browse through the items , you will notice the Reviews & Ratings section which gives all the necessary validation required for the user in order to make a decision regarding the purchase.
- On Swiggy , post COVID-19 , it was important to build the confidence of the customers & thus information related to the orders was shared on regular basis. Once the customer notices that 2000+ order has been placed in his neighborhood , he is more convinced to make a decision to place a food order.
4. Liking: Higher the likability quotient, higher the chances to get persuaded by them.
According to Cialdini, principle no 4 : Liking , impact the chances of you being influenced by that product. Liking is based on sharing something similar or a more superficial interest, like an attractive website or App.
Example of Liking
Let’s look at the CRED app closely. Starting from the communication , welcome message , startup screen ; the design screams of exclusivity & privilege for the user. Through its holistic home screen , it beautifully conveys the message of making the user feel important. The section “Your opinion matters” further reinstate the fact that user feedback is considered valuable by CRED.
5. Authority : A stamp of confidence
Many a times domain experts are able to offer a shortcut to good decisions that would otherwise take a long time to arrive themselves. A credible product with a stamp of authority from the experts helps in fast tracking the decision making for the users.
Example of Authority
A user is looking to invest in mutual funds using the Paytm Money App. The app offers a bouquet mutual funds to invest in. Moreover , it also offers a category of “Top Rated funds“ rated by the top credit rating agencies of India — CRISIL , Morningstar & Value Research.
Rating given by the top credit rating agency added a stamp of confidence & authority to the “ Axis Midcap Direct Plan -Growth” since it’s rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by all the 3 agencies. It assists the user in making an informed decision about investment.
6. Scarcity: The thumb rule of demand & supply
As things become scarce , they become more valuable & furthermore push the customers to complete their pending purchase. A product which offers limited period offer or discount creates a sense of scarcity in the mind of customers. Basically, customers hate to miss out, and that fear is a powerful motivator to encourage them to act quickly.
Examples of Scarcity
- Booking.com is the most common example exhibiting this principle on the search results page. It urges the traveler to make the booking by creating a sense of scarcity through its communication of “ Only 1 room like this left on our site “
- Myntra also uses this same principle on their Product details page. It highlights that 43 people are viewing this product right now & 53 people have added it to their bag. This also convinces the user that it’s a relatively popular product ,liked by other people as well & might get “Out of stock” soon.
- Amazon does it many a times with their “Lightening deals”. These are limited period deals which offers product at a better price. For instance , below shown product is offered at Rs 1040 for next 5 hours. Post that , the price will change to regular price of Rs 1095.
Let’s talk about one 2 more additional principles which plays a key role in persuasion in modern times- The Exclusivity Approach & Power of Recency.
7. Exclusivity
In this 7th principle , a limited set of people are given access to information or services , thus creating a sense of exclusivity.
Example of Exclusivity
Let’s talk about the hot topic these days — Clubhouse. Clubhouse is an iOS only app & can connect you with some of the world’s most prominent business and industry leaders via live voice interaction. It garnered a ton of buzz on the social media platforms due to its exclusive invite strategy. You have to be invited by someone who is already on Clubhouse & only iOS users can use this app. Each person currently receives only a few invites, so it’s still super exclusive. In fact , the craze has reached to its peak in Bengaluru where the Clubhouse invite is being sold with iPhone on Olx.
8. Recency
This final principle adds an element of freshness to the content & information displayed to the user in your product. The more recent the information, the chances are more that the user will consume it & trust it to make a decision.
Examples of Recency
- COVID-19 pushed the food delivery apps such as Zomato , Swiggy & Dunzo to display the restaurant staff temperature & rider temperature . Swiggy also included the time at which those temperature were measured. For instance, regarding Anjappar restaurant , temperature of the staff was last checked at 11:26 AM. This instills confidence in the customer about the safety standards being followed by the restaurant & thus helps him to place the order.
- Booking.com excels in this . It shows how many times the property has been booked in last 24 hours & that too for the dates which the traveler has been searching. This creates further urgency & the confidence that the property is worthy to book.
Mastering these 8 principles of influence will enable you to build digital products which possess great persuasion power & thus increasing the conversion rate.
Thanks for reading! If you’ve got ideas to contribute to this conversation please comment. If you like what you read and want to see more, clap me some love! Follow here, or connect with me on Linkedin.
