Understand Your Buyer > How to connect with your buyer > The Product Code Effect
What is it?
If you have a large offering, using codes and short codes can help buyers to navigate your offering with a minimum of fuss.
Why does it work?
A variation of The Path of Least Resistance, product codes are a simple but powerful convenience to make it easier to understand your offering.
How can you use it?
Depending on your offering, if you have a large number of things to offer then choose a 2/4/5 digit system to provide either alphabetical or numerical codes – just like Lego and Playmobil.
Example:
Let’s say you sell 150 different lamp designs.
Rather than asking buyers to remember names like “Vintage Bronze Reading Lamp with Curved Arm,” you assign each product a simple code like LB204 (Lamp Bronze, style 204). Your catalogue, website, and customer service all reference the same codes.
Why it works in practice:
A returning customer might call and say,
“Hi, I want to reorder LB204 and also get two of the LB208 in black.”
This is faster, easier, and reduces miscommunication compared to trying to describe products in full each time. It also adds a professional, streamlined feel to your offering – especially when customers are browsing or comparing multiple items.
Bonus tip:
Use meaningful codes that help categorise your range. For example:
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CH = Chair
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TB = Table
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SO = Sofa
Then add a number (e.g., CH102) to keep it consistent and scalable.
See also
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