the checkout charity trap
Post on 06-Aug-2015
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The Checkout Charity Trap
Jonathan Offt
Asking for donations at retail checkout counters is becoming an increasingly common trend,
particularly during this time of the year
Research indicates that such drives, although not a major contributor to driving up sales for
a retailer, is not altogether a wasted effort
Most of it depends on the category of the donation and also on the execution strategies employed
Perry Yeatman, in his article for Philanthropy.com, says that generally, charity at checkout does not tend to
increase spending more or enable the customer to warm up to the retailer
Sometimes, quite the opposite may happen when people feel somewhat
ambushed by the expected pitch when they have their wallets already open
Most people feel guilty and awkward with people standing in line behind them within
hearing range and end up donating to something they probably weren’t even listening
about until the registrar asked for money
A little resentment towards the retailer after this socially-awkward interaction is therefore, warranted
Nowadays, people are more deeply involved in charitable givings than ever before
People tend to research thoroughly about the cause and the organization before fully committing and such surprise petty pitches
on something they may not even be interested in is rarely welcomed
Besides, as more retailers adopt this method, making it a regular check-out custom, people will eventually learn to be indifferent and simply say no
without second thoughts
The ‘Impact per dollar’ knowledge helps the donor understand how their money
will be used and makes them more inclined to whip out their wallets
Short-term techniques like checkout charity will only create short-term donors
Economist James Andreoni, explains that people do not only donate to affect change, but also to
feel positive about themselves afterwards
Impulse charity like checkout charity leaves the donor feeling confused, which is not exactly a
desirable first impression on the people you want to keep dedicated to your cause
Nonetheless, checkout charity is gaining popularity simply because
of how simple it is to implement
The retailers appear generous to the customers without having to invest anything in the charitable cause
For retailers who choose to implement checkout charity, the least they can do is make sure it is a charity
that resonates with the customer on some level
To read full article, visit: !
http://philanthropy.com/blogs/measuring-up/the-ups-and-downs-of-charity-at-the-
checkout-counter/371
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