February 11, 2008

Fear of Comparison Shopping

Everybody likes comparison shopping, right?

I do, you do, and so do millions of people. What's not to like?

Yet, people can be actively, aggressively anti-comparison. At least in certain situations. You see that kind of resistance with the candidate-matching sites.

I suspect many people do NOT want to know how they disagree with their favorite candidate. Or, heaven forbid, discover they align with another candidate.

So they do the most logical illogical thing... avoid these sites completely.

Okay, I can understand the people who are busy, see the longer quizzes, do a quick cost-benefit analysis and say not now. I'm not thinking about them. I'm thinking about the people who see a comparison-matrix as a real threat to their brand loyalty. Can the "anti-comparers" be brought around to a comparison mindset? Is it worth the effort? What kind of anti-comparison sentiments are present in other markets?

In building a niche comparison engine, I'm compelled to consider these questions. Because depending on the answers, I might spend less time on features and more time on communication.

Fear of Comparison Shopping
Posted by Sean O'Rourke on February 11, 2008 at 7:44 AM
Archived at The Shopping Process