Do you want a chocolate bar with your gas (part 2 of 2)?

The button would print an instant coupon with a discount on chocolate bars, candies, hot dogs etc, valid for just 5 minutes (this would exploit the Scarcity principle that Dr. Cialdini describes in “Influence” and in this article). What is the worst that can happen? The person would not walk in the store… big deal… He/she is not walking in the store anyway… so, there is only upside to this.

I can hear people asking “But how about the margins on chocolate and hot dogs?”… hmm, quick fix: just raise the price of the items by the discount you will provide… people don’t normally remember how much a Sneaker bar costs (quick, how much did you pay the last one you bought? Was it cheaper than at the station on the other side of the street?). The important thing is not to touch staples like milk and bread, as the interesting article “Mind your Pricing Cues” (link) on Harvard Business Review, explains.

The same principle for a car-wash 5-minute-valid discount. Ehi, probably just one person out of 20 (5%) washes the car: what if we could raise the percentage to 10% with a situational, time limited, mind-blurring, decision-altering, time-limited coupon (wow, what a long sentence…)? It’s free money in the bank… the washing apparatus has been bought anyway, best is to use is as much as possible.

And how about an instant coupon for windshield wiper liquid? I would love that: I always forget to buy it… a coupon would propel me into the store.

And a fresh bottle of Gatorade? Maybe “Gatorade + sneaker bar” at reduced price…

Bottom line: the Situation Permission that a gas station has can be elegantly leveraged to solicit more business from the clients, with low risk and good potential for extra, free profit.

Mau in Austin