RECIPROSITY USED WELL CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE RETURNS In a series of studies carried out in restaurants in the United States it was found that when a customer was offered: A complimentary mint with the bill, there was a 3% increase in the average tip. Two complimentary mints with the bill, there was a 14% increase […]

RECIPROSITY USED WELL CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE RETURNS In a series of studies carried out in restaurants in the United States it was found that when a customer was offered: A complimentary mint with the bill, there was a 3% increase in the average tip. Two complimentary mints with the bill, there was a 14% increase in the average tip. A personalised and unexpected offering, there was a 23% increase in the average tip. This research pointed to a common consumer behavioural response resulting from a perceived obligation to give when after having received. This behavioural response is also found when: An individual is invited to a friend’s home for dinner. A work colleague gives an individual a lead. A family member does an individual a favour. This notion of RECEPROCITY has been found time and again in research and is clearly a potentially powerful tool is the process of persuading…