Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Meech17]

"The customer is always right." - People who like to use that expression either don't know, or don't want you to know, the rest: "... in matters of taste." So the customer is always right, unless they're wrong.

As someone who has worked in retail, customer service, and sales, this is one of my favorites. It really does hold true in a marketing sense.

The idea being that say you are selling two products. A, and B. You feel that A is the stronger, and better product. So for your first run you produce 1000 units of A and only 250 units of B. After your first week of sales you've found that you've only sold 200 units of A, but you very quickly sold out of unit B.

As the creator you may be confused. Why would people take B? It's not as good as A. Perhaps it's more expensive, or a lesser value proposition.

But ultimately you should trust the customer with this, and lean into the more popular product for future production.

Which is funny, because:

Look, I'm not one to say that vehicle choice is, or should be, gendered. People like what they like, and gendered stereotypes do a lot of harm and no good. And yet ...

Today, for the first time, I saw a woman driving a cybertruck.

I have questions.

The Ford Mustang was originally marketed as being a Woman's car. Compared to other popular sports cars of the era, it was smaller, lighter, cuter. Back in the late 50's and early 60's more women were starting to drive, more families were starting to buy second cars for the wife, etc.. So Ford wanted to try and capitalize on that. I believe they even focused the price point to be "Affordable for a secretary's salary"

It ended up being so popular that it inspired the whole Pony Car classification of sports cars. Lighter weight, long hood, short body two door coupes.

They saw that men wanted Mustangs too, so they pivoted.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Good lord, apparently this is Launch a Crowdfunding Project Day. My inbox just exploded.

 

[Mannahnin]

As someone who has worked in retail, customer service, and sales, this is one of my favorites. It really does hold true in a marketing sense.

The idea being that say you are selling two products. A, and B. You feel that A is the stronger, and better product. So for your first run you produce 1000 units of A and only 250 units of B. After your first week of sales you've found that you've only sold 200 units of A, but you very quickly sold out of unit B.

As the creator you may be confused. Why would people take B? It's not as good as A. Perhaps it's more expensive, or a lesser value proposition.

But ultimately you should trust the customer with this, and lean into the more popular product for future production.

Absolutely. The classic example I always hear, though, is about the ugly hat. If the customer wants to buy a hat you think is ugly, just sell it to them! Each person is right in matters of their own personal taste.

 

[Velderan]

Today's fun fact!

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the World Series! For the first time since 1993, when they WON the World Series. A lot of people are talking about how long it has been since Toronto, a city in the made-up country of ... Mordor? No, Timhortonstan, last won the World Series.

But that's not the fun fact. The fun fact? It was the exact same year as the last time Timhortonstan won the Stanley Cup.

The '90s are back!

 

[Maxperson]

They look... unfinished. It's like somebody built a life-sized metal version of a Pinewood Derby car.

 

[Maxperson]

Absolutely. The classic example I always hear, though, is about the ugly hat. If the customer wants to buy a hat you think is ugly, just sell it to them! Each person is right in matters of their own personal taste.

You'd think, but way back when I did retail sales I worked at a bed and bath store. A woman walked up to me with an arm full of stuff she had picked out for her new bathroom and asked me what color I thought would go best with her bathroom(I forget the color now). I recommended a different color and before I could even finish talking, she had discarded everything she had picked out that she liked in order to go with what I recommended.

Sometimes people will go with a perceived "expert," even to the point of discarding what they like.

 

[Mannahnin]

You'd think, but way back when I did retail sales I worked at a bed and bath store. A woman walked up to me with an arm full of stuff she had picked out for her new bathroom and asked me what color I thought would go best with her bathroom(I forget the color now). I recommended a different color and before I could even finish talking, she had discarded everything she had picked out that she liked in order to go with what I recommended.

Sometimes people will go with a perceived "expert," even to the point of discarding what they like.

But she ASKED. So that doesn't run afoul of the maxim.

And while she did ask, if you had fewer products/options available in the color you thought was nicer, you'd have lost out on sales.

But mostly it's about the fact that she asked for that feedback. You didn't try to convince her not to buy the stuff she genuinely liked.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You'd think, but way back when I did retail sales I worked at a bed and bath store. A woman walked up to me with an arm full of stuff she had picked out for her new bathroom and asked me what color I thought would go best with her bathroom(I forget the color now). I recommended a different color and before I could even finish talking, she had discarded everything she had picked out that she liked in order to go with what I recommended.

Sometimes people will go with a perceived "expert," even to the point of discarding what they like.

I wonder what impact the rise of YouTube/Tiktok interior designer influencers has had on this phenomenon. (Other than, you know, people being sure they all want to live in a farmhouse for several years.)

I know when we moved, I certainly watched a lot of videos about picking out a color scheme and being intentional with it, along with the value of multiple smaller lights, rather than relying on a super-bright blue-toned overhead "boob light."

 

[Maxperson]

I wonder what impact the rise of YouTube/Tiktok interior designer influencers has had on this phenomenon. (Other than, you know, people being sure they all want to live in a farmhouse for several years.)

I know when we moved, I certainly watched a lot of videos about picking out a color scheme and being intentional, along with the value of multiple smaller lights, rather than relying on a super-bright blue-toned overhead "boob light."

I'd be curious to know as well. It has been a very long time since I've done retail. Well before the influencer craze that has hit us.

 

[overgeeked]

Absolutely. The classic example I always hear, though, is about the ugly hat. If the customer wants to buy a hat you think is ugly, just sell it to them! Each person is right in matters of their own personal taste.

Are we still supposed to pretend it's about taste instead of money?