THE BEHAVIOUR
CHANGE SPECIALISTS


Utilising behavioural science to solve your toughest challenges

WHO WE ARE

NeuroSpot is a behavioural insights company using the latest findings from psychology and behavioural economics to help organisations make better brand and marketing decisions.

We know that "humans are irrational, but predictable" and that predictability can be your commercial advantage. We're focused on cutting through the subjectivity of what consumers say they want, to bring objectivity to organisation's decision-making. We believe consumer insights should be exciting, cutting edge and reliable. If that's what you believe too, then it's time we talk.

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WHAT WE DO

We apply strategies from the world of behavioural science, to help your organisation with its biggest challenges. By understanding why consumers behave the way they do, we're able to make small changes to the touchpoints throughout your user's journey that deliver significant results.

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WHO WE HAVE WORKED WITH

CASE STUDIES

08 Nov, 2022
JCDecaux is one of the largest Out-of-Home businesses worldwide; in New Zealand it specialises in high quality Large Format and Airport touchpoints. JCDecaux is committed to delivering research-led validation to its partners regarding Out-of-Home effectiveness and looks for partners who can deliver neuro or behavioural methodologies that can deliver on this objective.
Two hands holding a pile of soil with a seedling growing from it
07 Jul, 2022
Kaipātiki Project is based on Auckland's North Shore, and are a charitable eco-hub aiming to grow a sustainable future for people and nature. They run a native plant nursery, facilitate green space regeneration, promote zero waste and teach locals on sustainable living, gardening and composting. Kaipātiki Project couldn't operate and make the difference they do without donations and the hundreds of volunteers who help each year with the nursery and teaching garden, restoration working bees, the zero waste hub and community restoration days.
An image featuring Dose & Co's range of collagen and protein supplements
By Cole Armstrong 26 Oct, 2021
Dose & Co is a collagen supplement brand from the disruptive Zuru Edge stable. Launched in New Zealand in 2019, early success led them to expand globally in 2020, with products in stores across Australia, the USA and UK. With Khloe Kardashian coming on board as a brand ambassador driving considerable traffic to their website, Dose & Co wanted to ensure they maximised the opportunity ahead of them, utilising ecommerce agency 10XL and behavioural insights agency NeuroSpot to unpack Dose & Co customer behaviour. This ensured that the latest thinking in behavioural economics could be applied successfully in a digital environment to drive long-term brand growth.

FEATURED INSIGHTS

By Cole Armstrong 04 Sep, 2024
In recent discussions about customer behaviour, a recurring theme has emerged: the belief that providing more information will lead to better decision-making (“If only they knew … then they would …”). While this perspective isn't entirely misplaced, it overlooks a crucial nuance. It's not merely what people know that drives their behaviour, but rather what information is most salient and readily springs to mind in the moment of decision. The Limitation of Knowledge Alone It's easy to assume that if customers simply knew more, they would make better decisions. For instance, knowing how to budget effectively or save money can indeed be useful. Knowing that I should save more for retirement or for investments. That I should eat less red meat for health or sustainability reasons. That I should be careful about what information I share online. These are all real-life examples of issues I’ve worked on where educating customers (or users) might have been a solution – and where helping people ‘know’ why they should do it failed to shift the needle. The critical factor isn't just having the information, but rather how accessible and prominent that information is when it’s needed. The question then is not do I know something, but rather does it spring to mind when it can actually shape my decisions? The Salience of Information in Decision-Making Consider a scenario where a customer interacts with a product or service. The decision-making process is often instantaneous and intuitive, driven by what immediately comes to mind rather than a comprehensive evaluation of all known benefits. This means that the information most salient at the moment—whether it's the immediate cost or a specific feature—has a more significant impact than the general knowledge a customer might have. As an example, I was involved in a project where my client was responding to new environmental regulations – and wanted to find out how to do this without upsetting their customers. The initial solution didn’t work because what was salient – and thus impacted customers responses – was the benefit to the brand not the benefit to the environment. While both benefits were ‘known’ by customers, it wasn’t till small tweaks were made to subtly emphasise and customer support for such actions, that complaints dropped off. A Case in Point: Council Rates Another example where this idea is relevant are the rates (tax) bills that New Zealanders receive from their local council. While residents might be well aware of the benefits their rates support—such as parks, libraries, and community services—this knowledge doesn’t always translate into a positive reaction when the bill arrives. For many, the first thing that springs to mind is the expense, not the benefits. In my case, receiving a $1,000 council rates bill (these are billed quarterly) was a stark reminder of this phenomenon. Despite understanding the value provided by these rates, the immediate focus was on the financial burden. If the benefits were more salient at the time of billing, the experience could be more positive. For instance, if the rates bill included a summary of the value received from various services—like a breakdown showing the value I obtain from the library based on the number of books borrowed—this could shift the focus from the cost to the benefits. In my case, borrowing 35 books over three months at an estimated value of $30 each amount to $1,050 worth of benefits, which highlights the value received far beyond the cost. And of course there are other services that I use as well – my local park that I go running in, the playgrounds that I take my kids to, the roads I drive along or the public transport that is subsidised. I ‘know’ these things, but do they immediately spring to mind when I see my rates bill? Seizing the Opportunity This concept of salience extends beyond council rates. In various customer interactions—such as bills, invoices, loyalty schemes, and product renewals—the opportunity lies in enhancing the salience of positive attributes at the critical moment of engagement. To effectively leverage this understanding, organisations should focus on making the benefits of their products or services more prominent when customers are most engaged and in a way that is relevant to the context. This means designing communications and touchpoints that highlight the value received, not just the cost or features.  While knowledge is important, it's the salience of that knowledge at the moment of decision that truly influences behaviour. By ensuring that the most relevant and positive information is top-of-mind, organisations can improve customer satisfaction and decision-making outcomes.
By Cole Armstrong 24 Jul, 2024
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of Design
By Cole Armstrong 15 Mar, 2024
How do we create persuasive touchpoints that make a difference? By considering how simple ways of reframing our messages, using insights from psychology and behavioural science, can create greater motivation to act.
A cardboard box full of green beans
08 Jun, 2022
A couple of weeks ago I went with my family to a local produce market (Avondale Market). While there I went up to one of the stands to pick out some beans – there was a whole bin of them, and they looked great! How would I normally approach this? Like most other people (I stopped later to watch what others did), I would normally grab a handful and put them in the bag. It’s beans! But on this visit, I didn’t do this – and it came down to what the person next to me was doing. When I arrived at the stand there was another person next to me. They were searching through the beans and specifically choosing which beans made the grade – if they were too short, thin, or damaged they were discarded – if they were unblemished, sufficiently sized etc. they went in his bag. Without even thinking, I started mimicking the behaviour, picking beans one by one instead of by the handful. I didn’t stop and think about what this person was doing, nor did I make a conscious decision to follow him - I just started doing it! Eventually I realised what I was doing, and what the other person was doing – and went back to grabbing a handful of beans and got on with my day. What does this tell us? We are inherently impressionable. In many situations, when we are in a new context, our behaviour can be quite malleable. Start a new job, enter a new social situation, or even if it’s a regular task like visiting a market, we may subconsciously look to how others behave, following the norms of what others ‘typically’ do. It’s quite a bizarre feeling, even as a professional in this space, to become aware of your behaviour having changed without your knowledge. Have you ever thought about how easily and quickly your behaviour changes as you move between the workplace, visiting friends, spending time with your partner or engaging with your kids? Probably not – you just change your behaviour depending upon who’s around you and what’s seen to be appropriate in that case. How do we account for this? When we’re trying to achieve some form of behaviour change, we make sure not to overlook the influence of other’s behaviour on setting some form of norm or exerting a subtle impact. We ask ourselves:  Who else is nearby that people might take their cues from in terms of what is appropriate? Who else might people be referencing – even if they’re not physically at the location where the behaviour is being shown – that might exert an impact? In some ways, seeing the way I changed how I picked beans at the market was (very unscientific) proof that it is possible to change people’s behaviour, and that our subconscious has a huge role to play in doing so. Photo by Emma Shappley on Unsplash
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