How can we make users feel that products are more valuable? Users do not need diamond or gold-based products. The answer may be simpler than you think. That is, add DIY elements to the products.
A few years ago, scholars conducted a series of surveys and found that when people build their own products, they will cherish them more and think they are more valuable. This mentality was later called the IKEA effect ". As we all know, most of IKEA's homes are scattered components, and people need to assemble themselves after they go home. In this way, IKEA can increase product prices to some extent.
This mentality is actually quite understandable: users need to spend time and energy creating a product. The additional value and memories generated here are part of the value-added. Users will think they have spent money and bought more things. In addition, because the product contains users' "painstaking efforts", they will cherish this product more. For manufacturers, they can maintain the same factory price, but save assembly costs, so they make more money.
Of course, IKEA is not the only manufacturer that makes profits through this method. In other countries, you can build a bear to create your own teddy bear. A store named dinner by design invited customers to shop, study recipes, and then go home to complete cooking. Previously, makeblock and uarm were all such products. The test version of Xiaomi router also needs to be assembled by the user.
It is not easy to operate on the "IKEA effect". Below are some suggestions.
Only allow users to assemble products
Generally, users cannot engage in technical work, such as code writing or welding wearable devices. They look forward to "assembling" The action. To be honest, they don't need much customization. On Children's Day, I gave a gift to everyone. Some people took the model as high as possible. Although everyone has the same model, most people think this process is very valuable.
Therefore, the user only wants to "complete the product", instead of thinking about what it will do.
Don't make Assembly too troublesome
This is easy to understand. too troublesome Assembly programs will dispel user enthusiasm. Therefore, most of the things should be assembled, or different "players" may have different difficulties. If the product you provide is indeed a little complicated, you must provide related tools in it. Without tools, many consumers will be driven away.
However, this balance point is very difficult to grasp, and it is very important to grasp the psychology of prospective users.
Establish user expectations in advance
Let them see how this product is made and what changes can be made to their lives. The user will feel "Yes, this is what I want !" This expectation will eventually return to the additional value.
The IKEA method is to create a more beautiful idea for users at a lower price. They will display beautiful home scenarios on the packaging, and there is no need to spend a lot of money in such a life, and customers will pay for it in the end.
Don't expect too much
Not everyone likes DIY, but most people have this mentality. Or everyone has different levels of DIY. As mentioned above, different "players" have different requirements. The most important thing is to meet the requirements.
I think this gives smart hardware more imagination, especially smart hardware in the home class. Smart Home robots, or purely entertaining hardware, can exploit this effect. How Should hardware be used to lay a "Humanistic card "? DIY is a good choice.
How can we make users feel that products are more valuable? Let them DIY it!