Less is more

We all know someone in our acquaintances who is a genuine ‘Apple fanboy’ or ‘Mac Loyalist’. He or she is really passionate with Apple. The major question other companies should try to answer in order to allure their own zealots is: “what drives their passion for Apple products?” Surprisingly, the answer is rather simple.

Customers don’t desire choice and freedom, they desire to be satisfied. In contrast with what many companies believe, freedom doesn’t give people greater satisfaction. Apple is one of few companies who understand this, hence they offer a limited assortment. People don’t lose their valuable time trying to find out which product fits them best, as a result they are truly satisfied with their purchase.

Apple’s competitors on the other hand, present an exhaustive selection of slightly different MP3 players. Customers have to spend their time selecting the most suitable MP3 player, and often they have the feeling that they should have bought another, more applicable one. Therefore they are less satisfied with their purchase.

This analysis matches to my own experience: a lot of companies offer so many alternatives that I can’t see the wood for trees. In that case, I tend to postpone my shoppings.

Annelies Martens
(The secret behind apple's loyal customer base)