How convenience can overpower preference

[Harold Mansfield]

I live in an area that is just outside of what they call "Chinatown". There are a ton of Chinese, Thai, Korean, and Japanese restaurants within a 2 mile area of where I live and quite a few that deliver.

There is a Thai place that I like a lot and it is actually right around the corner from me. And then there is a Chinese place about 2 miles away that is pretty good.
I like the food at the Thai place, more than I do the food at the Chinese place, but I order from the Chinese place more often and here is why:

1. The Thai place is closer, but it takes them longer to deliver.

2. The Chinese place has caller ID integrated into their system so that when you call, they already know your address. When I call the Thai place I have to go through the address every time and with the broken English problem, there is a lot of repeating.

3. The person at the Chinese place that answers the phone speaks good English so you only have to say things once, and you can give a CC # number quickly. With the Thai place, ordering is long and giving a CC # is a nightmare.

4. The Thai place charges extra for menial stuff like extra sauces, while the Chinese place doesn't. (Of course I expect to pay extra for special orders).

5. The menu for the Thai place has really small font and is hard to read. The menu for the Chinese place has regular to large fonts and is easy to read even by low light.

6. The Chinese place sends a menu every time they deliver. The Thai place doesn't, so the one I have is old.

I like the food at the Thai place better, but it's easier to do business with the Chinese place so I order from there 75 percent more than the other place.

It's amazing how a little organization, convenience and ease of use for your customers can make all of the difference in the world, keep repeat customers, and increase your bottom line.

[greenoak]

thats such a good example..
.i have one too...at auctions around here we go to 2 guys who give their most active buyers a permanent number..its great, ..no standing in line, no id, no waiting...its so nice and easy and simple...the auctioneer and clerk and ringmen know our number..at other auctions we might have to stand in line for half an hour..and go thru the whole id process, when theyve known us for years......its a big plus , sometimes its the tipping point in the decision of which auction to go to...
i try and think of the hassle factor a lot...it really is an issue for me...

[ParaTed2k]

The saying goes, "if you build a better mousetrap, they'll beat a path to your door", but my corollary to that is, "but the mousetrap maker that beats a path from you door will still get the sale.

Better product is important, but is rarely so much better that people are willing to put up with mediocre (or worse) service to get it. How many times have we hear variations of your story? I can think of a few products or services I go out of my way for, but that's because the ones I do are so far superior to the others, it is worth the inconvenience and extra time.

Which is another example of why we want to Be Preferred.

[huggytree]

i think your idea of better service wins can be correct, but it depends on the dollar amount....sure who cares if its $1 or $2 more.....but what if it was a larger item...say a snow blower....would you pay $300 more? ......the answer is probably not....the higher the dollar amount of the item the more people tend to go for the lower price and put up with the poor service....

i constantly have brand new builders complaining about their current plumbers service and quality....i bid against them and when my bids turn out to be $500-$1000 more i typically lose the job....they dont seem to realize that by going with the lowest bid you get the lowest service/quality...

with medium and large priced items the masses always go with the lowest price....reguardless of service or quality..

a small thai restaurant can get away with charging $1 or $2 more because who cares about $1 or $2 if you have less headache