Commitment Devices

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Often we plan to do something and don't.

Donating blood, going on a run, watching that webinar. We want to, but forget.

This drives marketers insane. People sign up for their events—but no one comes.

Katy Milkman, a brilliant professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, found a solution¹.

She used a commitment device.

Milkman and her colleagues teamed up with a large American utility firm to see if they could prompt more of the company's 3,300 employees most at risk of
influenza-related complications to go and get the flu jab.

50% of eligible employees received a reminder letter about the upcoming times for vaccination clinics. It looked like this.

The remaining 50% received a very similar letter but were prompted to make a very simple plan. Here's how this letter looked:

In addition to the dates and times of the clinics, this group were encouraged to fill in the date and time they would go to the clinic.

This small change led to a 13% increase in the number of people who showed up.

Getting someone to commit makes them more likely to act.

• Gyms ask members to write the day and time of their first workout.
• Dentists add a “I’ll attend on: ___ at ___” box to confirmations.
• SaaS trials prompt users to book their first setup session.
• Retailers let customers pick when they’ll use a gift card.

Which reminds me, when will you subscribe to the Nudge Vaults?

Inside the Nudge Vaults you'll find 11 more insights specifically about this bias.

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So, why don't you make a plan to sign up to the free trial before lunch today?

​Phill​