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Newsletter #953: The “Make Transactions More Fun” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

The customer experience you create is about more than just your atmosphere and service. You have opportunities to do remarkable stuff every step along the way — even with something as simple as handing out a coupon or giving away a product.

Here are some inspiring examples of transactions worth talking about:

1. Make them jump for it
2. Make it hurt so good
3. Make it entertaining
4. Check it out: Genetic Portraits

1. Make them jump for it

At an Adidas pop-up shop in London, customers couldn’t pay for their basketball shoes. Instead, they had to jump for them. The shop put their shoes on a 10-foot-tall shelf so customers had to be able to reach them before they could take them home. This is a great example of trading an instant profit for long-term word of mouth.

The lesson: While Adidas didn’t charge money for these shoes, they gave customers who went home with a pair bragging rights. And bragging rights are great conversation starters.

Learn more: Adverblog

2. Make it hurt so good

Clipping a coupon from a newspaper is hardly noteworthy, but earning a coupon from this waxing salon in Toronto is. To get people to talk about their store and their tagline, “So good, it hurts,” Fuzz Wax Bar sent out a man covered in waxing strips that doubled as coupons. But to get the coupon, customers had to pull them off of the poor guy first. What they’re left with is a decent discount (and a gross memento), but more importantly, a memorable impression of Fuzz Wax Bar.

The lesson: When’s the last time you’ve heard of a coupon drawing a crowd? It’s weird, but it’s also an experience (and product demo) people won’t easily forget.

Learn more: Adweek

3. Make it entertaining

Did you know that at Cold Stone Creamery, if you put money in the tip jar, the staff sings a song? Most of the songs are employee-originals — think Vanilla-Ice-inspired “Ice Cream Baby.” People love it. Customers have posted YouTube videos of the performances, and there’s even a blog for “Cold Stone Songs.” And while there are differing opinions on whether it encourages or discourages tippers, people are still spreading the word.

The lesson: When you have a similar product and business model to your competitors, providing a remarkable customer experience is more important than ever.

Learn more: YouTube

4. Check it out: Genetic Portraits

This photo series by Ulrich Collette compares family members’ features by combining them into one face. The uncanny resemblances of fathers and daughters, siblings, and mothers and sons make the collages look like glimpses into an alternate reality for each person.

Check it out: Ulrich Collette

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