Male customers will choose to buy a dirty shirt if it's been worn by an attractive saleswoman, a University of Alberta study has found.
Good-looking people sell more stuff, concluded the study led by Prof. Jennifer Argo of the U of A School of Business.
In one part of the study, male participants were sent to try on a unisex shirt but were told by a female clerk, played by either a model or an average-looking person, that she had worn it on her prior shift.
'They want part of that other person to rub off on them, basically.'— Jennifer Argo,
U of A business professor
The men were later asked how much they would pay for the shirt, how likely it was they would buy it and how desirable it was to them.
"The dirty shirt won for the men when the salesperson was highly attractive," said Argo, who analyzed 300 responses.
"People actually want what we would call the essence — germs — of the other person to come into contact with them. They want part of that other person to rub off on them, basically."
Argo said the results show it's profitable for stores to hire highly attractive people, or at least have staff dress well and be well-groomed.
But she warned businesses have to be careful when hiring based on looks.
In 2003, nine people who applied for sales jobs at Abercrombie & Fitch sued the U.S. clothing chain, alleging it favoured blue-eyed, blonde-haired salespeople. The company, which has employed shirtless male models to greet customers at some of its stores, settled the lawsuit for $40 million.
Attractiveness heightens interest in products
Another part of the study evaluated how people responded when they saw either a model or an average-looking person trying on the same shirt right before they did.
"We found that if a shirt had been touched by someone who is highly attractive and of the opposite gender, the shoppers evaluated the products higher and they're willing to drop more money on it," said Argo.
Lori Therrien, who owns Etzio, a women's clothing store in Edmonton, agrees.
"If somebody nice looking puts something on and it fits them well and it looks good on them, it does generate interest from other customers," she said.
Consumers should not be swayed by good looks
Argo said the message to consumers is to be aware of how outside factors influence their purchases.
"If somebody beautiful comes up and takes a product from you and tries to help you — put it in the change room for example — don't think it's suddenly worth a lot more than what it truly is," she warned.
"Think of the product based on its own attributes rather than the people around you."
Related
Video
- Trish Estabrooks reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 1:59)
- Play: QuickTime »
- Play: Real Media »
More Consumer Headlines »
- Florida cold snap didn't harm orange crops, say growers
- A blast of unusually cold weather doesn't appear to have damaged Florida's multibillion-dollar citrus crop, an industry spokesperson said Thursday.
- Drug makers spend more on marketing than research: study
- U.S. drug companies spend almost twice as much on marketing and promoting medications than on research and development, a new Canadian study says.
- Kids' stomach remedies contaminated with microbes: Health Canada
- Health Canada is advising consumers not to use two natural health products to treat digestive upset in children because of contamination.
- Lawyers hammer out deal in Crocus class-action suit
- An out-of-court settlement is in the works in the $200-million class-action lawsuit over the Manitoba-based Crocus Investment Fund, which collapsed in 2005.
- Military personnel in Alberta get cost-of-living boost
- Alberta's booming economy has prompted the Defence Department to revise an allowance that gives soldiers, sailors and aircrew posted in major urban centres a cost-of-living bonus.
Consumer Life Features
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - link will open in new window
