Practical Sales Training™ > How To Connect With Your Buyer > The Where To Buy Effect
The Where To Buy Effect
What Is It?
Telling people exactly where they can buy from you sounds obvious. But it’s one of the most overlooked parts of a messaging strategy. If your buyer has to guess, you’ve already lost some of them.
Why Does It Work?
It works because not everyone knows where you actually sell. Some buyers assume, wrongly, that you’re online only, or instore only, or somewhere specific they’ve never checked. So spelling it out removes the guesswork.
How Can You Use It?
List every place someone can buy from you. Cover your website, your marketing, and your social posts. Don’t assume it’s obvious just because it feels obvious to you.
Here are the most common options worth listing.
- Instore
- Online
- On your app
- At a named retailer
- At a named location
- At a named event
When It Works Best
This works best when you sell through more than one channel. Buyers often only know about one of them. It also helps after any launch or expansion. Old assumptions about where to buy take time to catch up.
When It Becomes Dangerous
This becomes a problem if your buying options change. Your messaging might not keep up. Then you’re actively sending buyers to a channel that no longer works. So review this messaging whenever anything about your availability shifts.
Common Mistakes
Only Saying It Once
Don’t assume people already know where to buy just because you’ve told them once. Reminders work, especially across different channels and different audiences.
Hiding The Information
Never bury this information somewhere buyers won’t find it. If it takes real effort to discover where to buy, most people won’t bother.
The Where To Buy Effect – An Example
A Local Bakery’s Chocolate Range
A local bakery launches a new range of handmade chocolates. Many customers admire them on social media without ever making a purchase. When asked, several say the same thing:
“I didn’t realise you sell them online!”
The bakery updates its messaging to fix that:
“Order our handmade chocolates online, pick up in-store, or grab them at our stall every Saturday at the farmer’s market.”
By explicitly telling people where and how to buy, sales increase immediately. Buyers no longer have to guess, or ask.
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