Where to put your clothing in a department store dressing room might not be the most pressing problem that civilization faces right now.  But Eileen Boswell sends this solution-through-signage.  As you see below, one peg says “POSSIBLY,” the other “DEFINITELY.”

Not bad. It’s simple, clever, and no doubt effective. The only thing missing is a third peg that says “NO WAY.”

19 Responses to “Emotionally intelligent signage undressed”

  1. Julie says:

    The only *other* thing they need is a hook for you to put your *own* clothes on. As in, the ones you walked into the store wearing. I’m always annoyed at stores that offer no place for you to put your own clothes except on the dirty floor of the changing room or a teeny-tiny purse holder.

    That said, I like the idea. They just need more hooks.

  2. Jane says:

    The first rule of selling is never to give the customer the “no way” option.

  3. Terry says:

    actually, the most creative part about this, from a sales perspective, is the “possibly” sign combined with the lack of “no way” sign. This way, every item you try on you associate with potentially purchasing, just at varying degrees. Pretty smart and subtle.

  4. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    I think there’s a chance that including the NO WAY sign could actually increase sales. There’s a pile of intriguing research in behavioral economics showing that adding a third option can change the dynamics of how people choose.

  5. Jake says:

    I think a ‘no way’ one would help. With only ‘possibly’ and ‘definitely’, all the clothes that I might get will go in the same pile as the ones I hated. If there are only 2 options, it is a pass/fail test. If there are 3, it makes the ‘possibly’ pile into something I might consider again.

  6. PeterH says:

    Pick something off the rail in the shop and there is a 13% chance you’ll buy it. Take the same item to a fitting room, and that percentage jumps up to 73%..

    Retailers know this, yet so many of them neglect their fitting room environment.

  7. Carol Roth says:

    I believe it is Kohl’s that has these in their dressing rooms and there are in fact 3- the third says something like “back to the rack” a kinder/gentler way of saying no-way.

    The first two are clever as well, I can’t remember off hand, but it follows the definitely/possibly scheme with bolder language.

  8. Dan, you might be interested in the blogfest we did a couple of years ago, featuring forgotten spaces like dressing rooms. More than 20 bloggers from around the world participated… it grew out of a group of us blogging about the importance of bathrooms in the customer experience. http://www.bathroomblogfest.com/

  9. Jack Istik says:

    There could also be a *WAIT UNTIL THIS GOES ON SALE* sign.

  10. Steve says:

    Wouldn’t the “no way” and “what you were wearing” hook be redundnant?

  11. Jane says:

    Now they just need to make sure that they have mood lighting and skinny mirrors

  12. Perry says:

    Now I don’t have to remember which ones I want to buy. Great idea – as always the simplest solutions are great.

    Now, air conditioned and decent lighting would help too.

  13. Sam says:

    Speaking as someone that has worked at a clothing retail chain, the “no way” hook is unnecessary. Those will be in a pile at your feet.

  14. David says:

    Whenever I see a toy I think of a worker in a factory in China looking at the things he/she is making, and wondering ‘What the #%@$ is this?’, – which applies very nicely to these hooks, also.

  15. Nick Kellet says:

    Funny,

    “No Way” is one of the four choices you make when playing GifTRAP, a game all about emotional intelligence

    It’s themed around trying to gifts people want .

    You can say that gifts are “Great”, “Good”, “OK” or “No Way”

    Cool to see the concept implemented in a changing room

  16. Grace Bammer says:

    I have always wondered why they use florescent light in dressing rooms when incandescent make everyone look so much better.

  17. Discount Shopper says:

    I just saw this in Marshall’s and in fact the 3rd and final hook is on the other wall and says “Tomorrow”. Not THAT is good marketing!

  18. MAGlCK says:

    i was about to post some pictures and didn’t think i would actually find it anywhere, but i surprisingly stumbled upon this. i know it’s a little old, but i might as well post this just in case anyone was curious about the third hook (which discount shopper is telling the truth for any doubters):

    http://img294.imageshack.us/f/tomorrow.png/

  19. Ping Chu says:

    Love all the commments. How about ” not for today ” as an option so, subconsciously, you are not completely rejecting it. It also makes the whole process a more postive experience.