Andrew Parker - The Gong Show: Friction and Perceived Value

December 16, 2008

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Friction and Perceived Value

The online sample sale market is wild to me. It’s a group of ecommerce sites (such as Gilt Group, Ideeli, Editors’ Closet) that intentionally make it difficult to enter and browse.

On these sites you cannot simply sign up. You have to be invited by an existing member. These sites are designed to emulate the difficulty of finding real world sample sales. Exclusivity increases perceived value.

On these sites many of the items listed are “sold out.” The sold out items are not immediately removed from the site because they are designed to remind you of the fleeting, temporary nature of these sales. If you find something still available, you better buy it quick, lest it sells out. Again, this is emulating the fleeting nature of real world sample sales. Rarity increases perceived value.

By increasing the friction and hurdles in the ecommerce experience, these sites raise the perceived value of the goods they sell. But, it’s not just any friction… if they made the shopping cart difficult to use or the navigation was broken, the perceived value of the goods would be less. It’s very intentional choices of friction that create valuable real world metaphors.