Satisficing
Why people choose the first acceptable option instead of searching for perfection, and how to use satisficing to drive more sales.
In this issue
Hey 👋 The Crew here.
Yesterday, one member of The Crew found an old scribble he wrote years ago. The handwriting was so poor he couldn’t read it.
But guess who could? ChatGPT.
He took a photo, asked the chatbot to decipher it and—voilà! Not an AI use case you hear about every day.
What are some unconventional things AI has helped you do?
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Imagine buying a new desk chair.
But instead of researching for weeks and comparing every model, you come across one that has decent reviews, looks comfy, and is fairly priced—so you buy it.
You could say this chair satisfies your needs. You could also say that even if it’s not perfect, and there are probably better chairs somewhere, it will suffice.
“Hmmm, what would happen if we combined the words ‘satisfy’ and ‘suffice’?”
We aren’t saying this was the exact thought process of Herbert Simon, the psychologist who coined the term “Satisficing.”
… But it’s probably close.
Herbert came up with “satisficing” after a series of observations that confirmed a particular human behavior—the tendency to go with the first option that meets our minimum criteria instead of finding the perfect or optimal solution.
Not surprisingly, people do this to conserve cognitive effort. Decision fatigue is real, you know?
Sure, people might say they want to hunt until they find the best option… but they often buy the easiest, “acceptable” option.
Salespeople and brands know this—which is why they design their campaigns around it.
Let’s see how we can use it to sell more, too.
Three ways to leverage satisficing
Reduce the effort of comparison
People love comparing stuff. What they hate is the effort it takes to compare stuff in the first place.
Your job isn’t to win every category, but to win just enough that customers stop looking.
Mailchimp does a great job of this by including a dedicated comparisons page on its website:
For each competitor, Mailchimp shares just one feature its platform is better at, and at a better price where possible—creating a “satisficiary” perception, if you want to put it that way.
And you’ll notice it doesn’t position itself as the best option, but as an optimal option.
Use social proof as a decision shortcut
When customers “satisfice,” they often borrow confidence from other people’s choices.
Which makes sense. It’s faster and easier than developing an informed opinion after hours of research. It’s also safer. If something worked for many others, why wouldn’t it work for you?
That’s why a salesperson will often say the magic satisficer phrase: “Most customers in your situation go with this option.”
It’s also why brands show phrases like “Most popular plan.” Or “trusted by 10,000+ businesses.” Or, in Stacked Marketer’s case, “Trusted by 60,000 marketers.”
Even on Spotify, people often listen to playlists curated by the algorithm instead of creating their own. It suffices and satisfies their listening appetites. Simple as.
Limit the number of choices
Are you familiar with the Paradox of choice? In short, the more choices we have, the more difficult it is to decide.
Satisficers don’t want a thousand options. They want just one good option that feels safe.
This is exactly how Casper disrupted the mattress industry.
Instead of overwhelming customers with 50 different models like traditional mattress stores, Casper launched with one flagship mattress, designed to be universally comfortable.
It wasn’t about being perfect for everyone. It was about being sufficiently good for most people.
This made the purchase feel easy, fast, and low-risk.
Perfect conditions for a “satisficing” customer.
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ICYMI, last time we looked at the Underdog effect.
The “Satisficed” Crew
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