Quiet voices are being heard amongst the noise, brands like The Ordinary gain huge popularity and chatter by leading with simplicity. There’s something about it that feels so natural. You might think all winners at the moment are intuitive, almost magic, but it’s an illusion! Emerging brands mislead us, it looks natural, when really it’s anything but. They purposely employ tactics to use our cognitive biases against us.
The latest store opening of Neon Sheep got us thinking. The store itself has a lot of energy, lots of buzzing customers…. but look closer and you can see it’s a masterclass in consumer nudging. And it looks to be working! Customers seem to be looking past the extreme use of plastic – very much a feel first, act second environment.
Primed to fall in love
Intention or coincidence, I’m not sure…but many Neon Sheep have opened next to brands like Oliver Bonas, Paperchase and card stores, where we are already primed to seek uniqueness and little impulse buys. So we can’t help but be drawn inside.
Attention seeking disruption
Neon colours strike from a distance, a giant pink sheep welcomes customers in and a family of lambs graze on the ceiling grass. There are lots of memorable, fun elements which both disrupt and provide us with something new for the gram.
Irresistible at arms reach
The layout places nearly all product at touching distance. It feels fun, we feel compelled to pick things up. But we know, once we physically hold something, it increases our attachment to it and we’re far more likely to buy.
Prices that feel almost consequence free
Simple, low price points on design-led and desirable product is a recipe for temptation. Blanket price points also help accelerate your need to buy – £2 all their greetings cards, a category renowned for quickly tipping into a little too expensive. The magic of the single-price point is that suddenly the only choice is ‘which design?’.
Chiming with millennials desire to ‘shelfie’
As the generation who boomerang to parents homes or rent for what feels like forever – it’s hard to create hygge escapes at home. We rely on accessories, no-nails-needed decorations to lift our spaces and give them our own stamp. Neon Sheep is bursting with products to create an enviable shelfie.
