Artificial Advancement

Ever wonder why some loyalty programs seem more enticing than others? The secret might lie in a clever marketing tactic called artificial advancement. This approach taps into our natural desire for progress and achievement, making us more likely to stick with a task or program until completion.

At its core, artificial advancement involves giving customers a head start towards a goal. It's like starting a race a few steps ahead of the starting line. This small boost can significantly impact motivation, leading to increased engagement and loyalty. The beauty of this tactic is its simplicity and versatility, making it applicable across various industries and customer interactions.

Research has shown that artificial advancement can produce impressive results. In one study, customers given a loyalty card with pre-filled stamps were nearly three times more likely to complete the program compared to those starting from scratch. This boost in engagement didn't just increase repeat business; it also sped up the frequency of customer visits.

For businesses, understanding and implementing artificial advancement can be a game-changer. It's a low-effort strategy that can yield medium to high impact, particularly in areas where customer motivation tends to wane. From onboarding processes to checkout forms, this tactic can transform tedious tasks into more engaging experiences, ultimately benefiting both the customer and the business.

Why this works

Artificial advancement works by tapping into several powerful psychological principles:

1. Loss aversion. Once customers feel they've made progress, they're reluctant to lose it. This makes them more likely to complete the program or task.

2. Goal gradient effect. As people get closer to a goal, they tend to increase their effort. Starting with artificial progress makes the goal feel closer from the beginning.

3. Endowed progress effect. When given a head start, people feel they've already invested in the process, increasing their commitment to finish.

4. Momentum. A sense of progress creates momentum, making it easier for customers to continue engaging with your product or service.

For digital businesses, artificial advancement can be implemented in various ways:

• SaaS onboarding. Pre-fill some steps in the onboarding process, showing users they're already partway through setup.

• E-commerce loyalty programs. Give new customers bonus points or a higher tier status when they sign up.

• Digital course platforms. Mark the first module as "complete" when users enroll, creating a sense of immediate progress.

• Marketplace apps. Offer new sellers a "quick start" badge for completing their first few steps in setting up their store.

• Freemium software. Highlight features users have already "unlocked" in the free version, encouraging upgrades to access more.

Implementation tips:

1. Be transparent. While artificial, the advancement should be genuine. Don't mislead customers about their actual progress.

2. Keep it proportional. The head start should be significant enough to motivate but not so large that it devalues the goal.

3. Visualize progress. Use progress bars, checklists, or other visual cues to reinforce the sense of advancement.

4. Customize the approach. Tailor the artificial advancement to your specific product, service, or customer journey.

5. Test and optimize. Experiment with different levels of artificial advancement to find the sweet spot for your audience.

By leveraging artificial advancement, digital businesses can significantly boost user engagement, completion rates, and overall customer satisfaction. This low-effort tactic can yield impressive results, as demonstrated by the car wash study where pre-stamped loyalty cards resulted in 178% more repeat business and reduced time between visits by 2.9 days.

How you can steal this

Here's how you can implement artificial advancement in your digital business:

1. SaaS onboarding. Pre-fill basic information like name and email in your onboarding process. Show a progress bar starting at 20% complete, even before the user takes any action.

2. E-commerce loyalty program. Give new customers 500 bonus points when they sign up, putting them closer to their first reward. Highlight this head start: "You're already 25% of the way to your first free item!"

3. Digital course platform. Mark the introduction or welcome module as "completed" as soon as a student enrolls. Use language like "You've already started your learning journey!"

4. Marketplace app. For new sellers, automatically check off the first few steps in their store setup process, such as "Create account" and "Choose store name."

5. Freemium software. Showcase features users have "unlocked" in the free version. For example, "You've unlocked 3 out of 10 premium features. Upgrade to access them all!"

6. Subscription box service. Give new subscribers a "VIP Status" that's one tier above the entry-level. Explain they've been given this boost as a welcome gift.

7. Project management tool. Pre-populate a user's first project with sample tasks and milestones, showing them as 30% complete on the project dashboard.

8. Language learning app. Start new users with a "Beginner+" badge instead of "Beginner," suggesting they've already made progress by signing up.

9. Fitness tracking app. Award users 100 "activity points" just for setting up their profile, getting them closer to their first achievement badge.

10. Online portfolio platform. Automatically create a basic profile page for new users, marking the "Create profile" task as complete in their setup checklist.

Remember, the key is to create a sense of progress without being misleading. Be transparent about the artificial advancement, framing it as a bonus or head start. This tactic can significantly boost engagement and completion rates across various digital platforms, as demonstrated by the car wash study where pre-stamped loyalty cards resulted in 178% more repeat business and reduced time between visits by 2.9 days.

To implement this effectively:

• Start small. Begin with a modest head start, around 10-20% of the total goal.
• Visualize progress. Use progress bars, checklists, or badges to make the advancement tangible.
• Emphasize the boost. Clearly communicate the head start to users, framing it positively.
• Maintain momentum. Follow up the initial boost with achievable milestones to keep users engaged.
• Test and refine. Experiment with different levels of advancement to find what works best for your audience.

By leveraging artificial advancement, you can tap into users' psychological tendency to complete goals they feel they've already started, potentially leading to higher engagement, retention, and conversion rates for your digital business.

Examples of artificial advancement

Here are some detailed examples of artificial advancement for digital businesses:

• SaaS onboarding. A project management software company pre-fills 20% of the onboarding steps for new users. They show a progress bar starting at "2/10 steps complete" even before the user begins, creating an immediate sense of advancement.

• E-commerce loyalty program. An online clothing retailer gives new customers 500 "style points" upon signup. They frame this as "You're already halfway to your first reward!" This head start motivates customers to make purchases to reach the 1000-point threshold for their first discount.

• Digital course platform. An online learning site automatically marks the "Course Introduction" as complete when a student enrolls. They use language like "You've already started your journey! 1/10 modules complete" to encourage continued progress.

• Marketplace app. A freelance services platform pre-fills basic profile information for new sellers. They show a "Profile Strength" meter at 30% full, with a message: "Great start! Complete your profile to increase visibility to potential clients."

• Freemium software. A graphic design tool highlights three basic features as "unlocked" in the free version. They present this as "You've unlocked 3/10 premium features. Upgrade now to access them all!" This creates a sense of progress towards the full product.

• Subscription box service. A monthly book subscription gives new subscribers a "Bronze Reader" status instead of starting at the bottom tier. They explain: "We've bumped you up a level as a welcome gift. Keep reading to reach Silver!"

• Project management tool. When a user creates a new project, the tool automatically adds three sample tasks marked as complete. This shows the project as 15% done, encouraging users to add and complete more tasks.

• Language learning app. New users start with a "Novice+" badge instead of "Beginner." The app explains: "You're already ahead just by starting! Complete your first lesson to reach Intermediate."

• Fitness tracking app. Upon signup, users receive 100 "Active Minutes" credited to their account. The app frames this as: "You've already burned 100 minutes this week! Keep going to reach your 150-minute goal."

• Online portfolio platform. When a new user joins, the platform creates a basic profile page with their name and signup date. It marks "Create profile" as done on the setup checklist, showing progress of "1/5 steps complete."

By implementing these artificial advancement strategies, digital businesses can significantly boost user engagement and completion rates. As demonstrated in the car wash study, pre-stamped loyalty cards resulted in 178% more repeat business and reduced time between visits by 2.9 days. This same principle can be applied to digital products, particularly in lengthy processes like onboardings or checkout forms, where an illusion of progress is vital for motivation.