Can Customer Effort Change How Consumers Value a Brand?

Shoppers often complain about long checkout lines and complicated payment screens because they want fast, convenient service. However, there is an interesting rule in consumer behavior: making a task too easy can sometimes reduce a product’s appeal. This highlights the limits of customer effort.

In the 1950s, General Mills introduced a Betty Crocker cake mix that required customers to add only water. Sales were disappointing because some buyers felt they had not contributed enough to the baking process. The company later changed the recipe and asked customers to add a fresh egg. Sales increased significantly.

Behavioral researchers at Harvard Business School suggest that a small amount of customer effort can make people feel more involved and proud of the final result. Customers may value the finished product more because they played an active role in creating it.

Danger of Zero Customer Effort in Retail

Selling fully assembled products is not always the most effective business strategy. IKEA, for example, sells furniture in flat-pack boxes with separate parts that customers assemble at home using basic tools. This physical customer effort can change how buyers feel about the finished product.

A 2011 study from Harvard University examined this behavior and identified it as the IKEA effect. The researchers found that people were willing to pay 63% more for furniture they assembled themselves than for identical pre-assembled items. The customer effort made the buyers feel more emotionally connected to the furniture. 

Instead of seeing it as an inexpensive store purchase, they saw it as something they had helped create. A smart company can sometimes increase perceived value by allowing customers to complete the final step.

This principle also applies to websites. Travel apps can search thousands of flight options in less than a second, but displaying the results instantly may make users wonder whether the search was thorough. To build trust, some travel companies intentionally introduce a brief delay and show a loading screen that explains which airlines are being checked.

This small amount of digital customer effort can make users feel more confident in the final price. As we discussed in our recent article about brand contrast, a distinctive online experience can also keep customers focused on one website instead of comparing it with competitors. When users can see the search process, waiting feels justified, and they may be more willing to pay for the ticket.

Many local coffee shops use loyalty cards to encourage repeat visits. If a customer receives a card with no stamps, they may throw it away because the reward feels too far away. However, when the card includes a small amount of customer effort already completed, such as an initial stamp, the customer is more likely to keep it and work toward the reward.

A study by consumer psychologists at the University of Southern California explored this idea through two car wash locations. The researchers found that customers completed reward programs more quickly when they felt they had already made progress. When a brand requires some customer effort, the final reward can feel more meaningful and valuable. Free gifts may attract attention, but people often feel more attached to rewards they worked to earn.

A business owner needs to understand the difference between creating value and causing frustration. Good customer effort gives customers a meaningful task, such as mixing ingredients or assembling parts for a new shelf. In contrast, making them wait in a long checkout line or forcing them to deal with a broken website is simply poor service.

Bad service can quickly reduce sales, so smart sellers remove unnecessary steps that cause frustration. At the same time, they keep small, purposeful tasks that make customers feel involved. When used thoughtfully, this approach can encourage customers to return regularly because they enjoy the satisfaction of completing something themselves. A small amount of meaningful effort can create stronger customer loyalty and support higher sales.

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–Written by Rajnish Kumar, a copywriter and strategist with a background in fast-paced journalism, who explores the gap between what brands promise and how consumers actually behave.