News

Retail customers enjoy telling a good lie, study shows

September 17, 2012

Customers get a high amount of satisfaction when able to lie to retailers to obtain refunds, discounts or concessions, according to an article on NBCnews.com.

University of Sydney professors Christina Anthony and Elizabeth Cowley found that consumers who tell lies during a customer-service encounter experience higher satisfaction if they get what they want than people who obtain a favorable outcome by telling the truth, the article reported.

The article explains that it's not the lie that satisfies the customer, rather it is the work put into the lie and the surprise and relief of it actually working out.

"The liar must craft and communicate a plausible message while actively concealing the truth. Both of these activities are a drain on mental resources," the researchers wrote. "The liar must concurrently manage the consistency of the information communicated while appearing 'credible' to the listener who will ultimately determine the fate of their outcome."

The trouble for retailers exists when a customer is obviously deceitful. George Loewenstein said in the article that it may be in the best interest of the retailer to let the lies slide.

"The silver lining for the retailers is that if they are lied to, maybe the consumer is getting away with something they shouldn’t but at least they get the benefit of goodwill from the consumer," Loewenstein said.

Read more about consumer behavior.