We prefer to talk to people when we feel they're on the same wavelength as we are, a truism that extends into business: If we trust that the seller thinks the way we do, we're more likely to buy.
Of course, our trust doesn't come just from what a company or person says, but from how they say it. Not just the message, in other words, but how it's delivered. That's because we're all primed to process information differently. We have different “cognitive styles,” which means that we are predisposed to like different forms of communication, depending on those we find most aligned with the way we naturally think.
For instance, some people are analytical and want to take messages apart, to study each component in depth. Others look at messages holistically. Some are deliberative, wanting to consider ideas carefully, while others are impulsive. Some people are visual thinkers; others process words better.
In business terms, this means that if companies can convey information in the way that makes the most sense to the visitors of their Web sites, they will reach greater critical success. Good salespeople have known this for years. They modify their approaches based upon their assessment of their clients. They vary their pitch. But could a Web site do that?
Think of how a Web site works now. Web site designers realize that people come to sites with different informational needs. A classic site design allows people to find everything easily through multiple tabs, drop-down menus and search boxes. Often this means that a Web site is crowded and complex. Someone who is analytical might not mind this, but someone more holistic might find the site hard to navigate and confusing. In this scenario, a company is probably losing customers and sales.
Some designers recognize this problem and therefore create sites that use a lot of visuals and open space. These sites are good for holistic, visual users but then fail for those who are more deliberate -- those who might find this kind of site lacking any real content.
Now imagine a Web site that detects a visitor's cognitive style and morphs its look and feel to suit that style. A site like this will communicate well to many different people, and therefore create more sales.
In fact, this process of Web site morphing is now possible. Web pages can modify to match customers' varying cognitive styles. Using a technical algorithm, a site can infer a customer's cognitive style from the early clicks he or she makes, and then change its look and feel to match that style. The technology to do this is publicly available and ready to use, but the applications are still in their infancy.
Some pioneers are beginning to test such systems. A recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study demonstrated that a global telecommunications company could increase online sales of its broadband product by 20% after morphing its site to match individual cognitive styles. How? Analytical customers had more data and technical details to look at, while holistic information processors, who prefer succinct recommendations, had that amount of information reduced. Deliberative customers had more learning experiences to consider. Overall, all of these Web site visitors were more likely to make purchases.
Currently, only a few companies are aware of this technology and are testing it -- including Google Inc. and General Motors Corp. The technology isn't for all companies, either, given all the additional Web site programming it requires. However the technology's development is advancing rapidly. And for those willing to innovate, this technology has significant potential benefits.
Further, cognitive styles are just the starting place for ways the Web will morph. Companies might experiment with other variables: innovators versus late adopters, for instance, or tech-savvy versus low-tech. A Web site tailored to innovators would stress the benefit of getting something first while also acknowledging risks. A site for late adopters might include testimonials from those who have already bought the product, and could emphasize data to show how risk can be mediated.
Morphing might also be extended to call centers if the inquiries to the call center come after customers have visited a company's Web site. An analytical and deliberative consumer might want to talk to a technically trained representative, while a holistic and impulsive consumer might want to talk to someone who is warm and understanding.
In fact, this morphing will create a more empathic Web, since improving communication will create greater trust between consumers and companies. Be on the lookout for leading-edge applications that will use this capability to customize user interfaces to dynamically match visitors' cognitive styles.
This article is adapted from “Morph the Web to Build Empathy, Trust and Sales” by Glen L. Urban, John R. Hauser, Guilherme Liberali, Michael Braun and Fareena Sultan, which appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of MIT Sloan Management Review. The complete article is available at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/smr.