Do users want the form to be shortened? Do they want more clarity or explanation around form fields? Is it the delivery options that they may not understand? Now this where the perception gap is likely to form. After analyzing the results it seems the top reason users are not converting is they are finding the web form confusing. You decide to run an on-site survey to gather some insight into why users may not be completing the forms, and therefore are not purchasing. However, conducting and analyzing research is often where the perception gap begins to form.įor example, say you are optimizing a checkout flow for a retailer. Understanding that this perception gap existed allowed them to address these in their campaign, which has successfully changed users perceptions of their brand.įor most digital practices, research plays an important part in allowing a company or brand to understand their customer base. chicken nuggets made of chicken beaks and feet.
fast food made with high quality ingredients, and what potential customers thought of McDonalds, e.g. McDonalds understood the differences between what they thought of themselves e.g. This myth-busting campaign was launched off the back of comprehensive market research using multiple techniques. McDonalds launching their “Good to Know” campaign is an example of how understanding this perception gap can lead to branding success. Starbucks and Pepsi launching Mazagran was an example of how perception gaps can lead to the failure of new products. Ultimately, this means we are losing out on turning visitors into customers. Unfortunately, they are often the start of vicious cycles, where small misinterpretations of what the customer wants or needs are made worse when we try to fix them. One thing that is for sure, perception gaps certainly occur between websites and their online users. Perception gaps within ecommerce mainly appear due to customers forming opinions about your company and products on their broader experiences and beliefs. Perception gaps mainly occur in social situations, but they can also heavily impact e-commerce businesses, from branding and product to marketing and online experience. In addition, many natural cognitive biases can influence the degree of the perception gap, biasing ourselves to believe we know what other people are thinking, more than we actually do. This depends on the different levels of value that you, or your customers, attach to each factor.
Not only can these gaps occur, but they vary in size. Due to different forms of human communication, a perception gap can occur when communication styles are different to your own. A perception gap occurs when you attempt to communicate this assessment of information but it is misunderstood by your audience.Īssessing information in your surroundings is strongly influenced by communication. Perception is seen as the (active) process of assessing information in your surroundings. What is the perception gap and why does it occur? Luckily for Starbucks, Mazagran was a stepping stone to the huge success that came with bottled Frappucinos what the consumers actually wanted. The failure of this product was down to the asymmetry that existed between what the customers wanted and what Starbucks believed the customer wanted.ĭespite Starbucks conducting market research, this gap in communication still occurred, often known as the perception gap. Starbucks correctly collected market research that told them customers wanted a cold, sweet, bottled coffee beverage that they could conveniently purchase in stores.Įvidently not! Mazagran was not what the consumers actually wanted. Have you ever heard of Mazagran? A coffee-flavoured bottled soda that Starbucks and Pepsi launched back in the mid-1990s? No, you haven’t, and there is a good reason for that!