Can A Goldfish Show You How To Excite Your Customers?
In the competitive hospitality market today, hotels are forced to take the next step to market themselves to consumers. The Soho Grand, in New York City, offers guests a simple, yet memorable, gold fish during their stay. The "gold fish touch"generates prosperous word of mouth status from the delighted guests staying at the prized hotel. The word of mouth rave reviews greatly increase customer satisfaction and future sales (ding, ding, ding...jackpot).
Studies show that word of mouth advice generates 20 - 50 % of all purchasing decisions and a 10% word of mouth increase boosts sales by 1.5%. In the linked article below, there are ways in which companies can differentiate themselves to boost word of mouth sales and sales in general! The bullets pertain to technological apps, hotels, and anything and everything that could attract a consumer.
1. Simplicity
2. Quality
3. Exceptional Service
4. Innovative Technology
5. Hedonism
6. Exclusivity
7. Mystique
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mckinsey/2014/02/14/can-a-goldfish-show-you-how-to-excite-your-customers/
It's definitely thought-provoking to see that offering a goldfish generated such positive responses from guests at the SoHo Grand. I wouldn't think being given a pet by a hotel would attract me to stay there at all, but once I put myself in the shoes of a guest, I could see how this could create interesting conversation and almost entice me to check out the scene. This finding shows that the smallest, most unexpected things can prove as effective and can be seen as thoughtful. The concept is one to consider when marketing for a company in the future. After all, humans aren't all numbers and surveys.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is an interesting tactic that the hotel uses. The fact that people are satisfied with the goldfish at the hotel has several implications. The first thing that made the goldfish stand out to me was the concept of ownership. When individuals go on vacation the main objective is for a unique experience that is followed by positive emotions. There is not typically a tangible representation of their trip; however the goldfish can be seen as this physical reminder of their experiences. I see the idea of the "free" gift having a big impact on people's perception of the hotel as well.
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