••• consumer psychology

Group-focused deals appeal to worried shoppers

Colorful image of abstract people.

Offering discounts to consumers based on the affinity groups they belong to – teachers, military members, health care workers, etc. – has a strong appeal, according to a recent study by Centiment for marketing firm SheerID.

The survey of more than 4,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers examined shopper habits in the face of an expected economic downturn. Against that backdrop, when asked what would motivate them to try a new brand, 66% indicated “an exclusive discount for my community” as the preferred option. This was by far the most popular tactic, beating out a general discount (55%), better customer service (37%), access to buy-now-pay-later financing (26%) and personalized offers based on interests collected from their website activity (19%).

Sixty-two percent of students, 65% of the military and 78% of teachers said receiving a special discount for their communities would motivate them to try a new brand. More than 60% of the consumer communities surveyed said they feel more emotionally connected to brands that give them an exclusive offer. Surveyed students said they feel excited (58%), while other communities – health care workers (58%), teachers (63%), first responders (63%) and military (63%) – feel appreciated.

Seven in 10 consumers belonging to identity-based communities said they are more loyal to brands that give them an exclusive offer. And exclusive offers turn consumer communities into brand advocates at an even higher rate. More than nine in 10 said they would share an exclusive offer with others who were eligible for it.

••• health care research

Software seen as Rx for health care leaders

A health care professional touching a 3D technology figure.

Faced with two widely publicized health care industry headwinds – clinician burnout and a potential recession – 94% of leaders who are responsible for implementing and purchasing technology at health care provider organizations plan to invest in software to proactively address them.

The survey of than 300 provider leaders, conducted by PureSpectrum for health care data enablement company Intelligent Medical Objects, found that while they are experiencing a multitude of threats – both internal and external – 71% cited maintaining or improving clinical care quality as the most important internal risk, followed by clinical staff burnout at 65%, administrative staff burnout at 50% and data issues (fragmentation, management, optimization) at 45%.

Almost all (98%) respondents openly acknowledged that their organization must improve the way it leverages data to confront its challenges, citing investment in software to address administrative challenges as a priority. Trouble is, that requires working with software vendors, and 84% of provider organizations report working with more than 20 individual vendors, which can create integration and management nightmares for everyone involved. The most-cited frustrations about software vendors included: trouble with software integrations (32%), inadequate training provided by vendors (29%) and long implementation timelines (17%).