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Wharton Magazine

Breaking Gender Barriers in the Board Room

How Ellen Stafford-Sigg WG88 influenced the leadership of Deloitte over 35 years

Colleagues collaborating together by using a tablet.

Using GenAI as a Collaborative Teammate

The technology can fill critical gaps and build trust.

selling experience essay

A Wharton Legend Wows the Crowd at Impact Tour NYC

Emeritus finance professor Jeremy Siegel brought the audience back to the classroom before fielding questions from Dean Erika James.

Three men in winter coats stand in front of a plane sitting atop snow.

Inside the 52nd Iditarod

Race CEO Rob Urbach WG91 talks livestream logistics, remote rescues, and building a dog-brand empire.

Issa Rae and Hannah Diop WG09

A Family Affair

How Hannah and Malick Diop WG09 collaborated with a famous relative to disrupt the beauty and entertainment industries

Stack of books in front of a fireplace.

Alumni Book Roundup: Winter 2024

Aviation adventures, tales for children, and remembering a baseball legend

Mountain view in Davos, Switzerland

Insights from the World Economic Forum in Davos

An insider shares his decades-long experience with the annual meeting of international leaders in the Swiss Alps

Senior executive mentors a younger employee

How to Develop Talent in a GenAI World

Leveraging artificial intelligence to recruit and train future leaders

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Insights From a Gig-Economy Executive

Taskrabbit CEO Ania Smith WG02 reflects on the digital platform’s growth, navigating global change, and the importance of resilience.

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5 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Nonprofit Board

Make sure the board aligns with your passions and skills

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Don’t Leave Your Job — Refresh It

Professor Samir Nurmohamed offers guidance for finding new opportunities within your current role

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A Moment for Community and Opportunity

Pam Perskie W97, the new president of the Wharton Club of New York, reflects on the strength and impact of the alumni network

Ben Lockwood pointing to a screen in front of a classroom.

40 Years of Wharton’s Business Economics and Public Policy Department

Faculty and alumni reflect on how the first program of its kind has evolved

Black and African MBA Events Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries 4

Black and African MBA Events Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries

The Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Conference turns 50 this year, while the Wharton Africa Business Forum marks its 30th

Colleagues sitting around a table during a meeting.

When to Speak Up in Meetings

Professor Michael Parke’s recent paper shows how employees can harness the power of “strategic silence”

Dan Moore speaking at a podium during a building's groundbreaking

A Veteran’s Lessons in Leadership

Daniel Moore WG00’s non-traditional journey from Air Force Captain to real estate CEO

Selling True Experiences

Selling True Experiences

These days, it is fashionable to sell a product or a service as an “experience.”

“We don’t sell homes,” a big builder’s recent advertisement proclaimed, “We give you a lifetime of experience.”

Excuse me, Mr. Builder, but is that a residential building or an amusement park we are talking about?

People who claim to sell experiences rarely understand what it takes to really do so. A frozen lasagna in a supermarket is a product, delivering it to your door is a service, but serving it with a smile in a restaurant is an experience. What characterizes a true experience that makes it so hard to deliver?

For starters, it is hard to sell an experience because it is a nebulous and subjective concept that can neither be seen like a product, nor described and spec’d like a service. That requires a greater leap of faith for a customer.

An experience also needs constant engagement between the buyer and the seller throughout the life of that experience. Such engagement is necessary because an experience does not have a “warranty period.” You would not like a restaurant that guarantees only the first hour of your lunch. The seller better be around the whole time to ensure that they deliver the total experience. Mr. Builder will leave after the warranty period and you are left with a dream—or a nightmare.

An experience is also more than the sum of its product and service. In a restaurant, beyond the food and service, what also matters is the ambience, other patrons and many minor details. Any of these have the potential to mar the entire experience. Unlike a car that can be customized or replaced, or a home that can be remodeled to your liking, a customer cannot or does not do that to an experience. That is because an experience is inherently short-lived (but long-remembered) and often completely discretionary. Hence, the onus is on the provider to get it right in its entirety, every time, for every customer with every quirk and pet peeve.

A short-duration experience, such as a meal in a restaurant, is inherently harder to sell and deliver than a longer-duration one. The shorter the duration of the experience, the more amplified every little annoyance the customer feels. A kid screaming at the next table can mar a two-hour restaurant experience more easily than it can a two-week vacation.

A true experience is where the expected value proposition is the experience itself; not just the product or service, but all of it. I go to a shop to buy a shirt—not an experience. I may have a memorable or forgettable journey along the way, but my perceived value is in the shirt, not the experience of buying it. The seller has to focus only on their value proposition: the shirt and how it is sold.

That is why Mr. Builder makes those of us who sell true experiences mad. Just ask your local restaurateur.

selling experience essay

How My Wife Became a Samsonite Fanatic

How one unseen but dedicated employee can redefine how your company brand is viewed.

Pricing Mango Madness

Pricing Mango Madness

Why do people pay for fast food what they won’t pay for healthy "delicacies," and what does it say about consumer behavior?

Daniel Feldstein's Digital Marketing Challenges

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Marketers have tried to figure out digital since the banner ad was invented, yet the pace of innovation in platforms and techniques might be too much to handle.

Wharton Research on Crowdsourcing

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Wharton Marketing Professor Pinar Yildirim reveals how organizations can design innovation tournaments and other crowdsourced contests for the best results.

Learning Loop Playbooks

  • Shop Card Decks
  • Video Libary

Business Model Generation: Value proposition

  • Experience Selling

A collection of business models that will help you understand the key drivers of business model success. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2023 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.

The Experience Selling business model is a business approach that seeks to enhance the value of a product or service by offering an additional, enriching experience alongside it. A bookstore, for instance, may provide a variety of amenities such as coffee shops, celebrity book signings, and workshops to create a more comprehensive experience for its customers.

This model is closely linked to marketing, as it involves creating not just products or services, but also experiences and impressions that differentiate a company from its competitors in a saturated market. By actively shaping its customers’ observable environment, a company that employs the Experience Selling model aims to stand out from the competition and forge stronger connections with its clientele.

The sale of experiences can make customers more loyal and willing to purchase additional products at a higher price, particularly when the experiences being offered are deemed valuable. As such, the Experience Selling model has the potential to increase customer loyalty and revenue for a company.

Where did the Experience Selling business model pattern originate from?

The Experience Selling model was extensively detailed in Pine and Gilmore’s 1998 book “The Experience Economy.” The authors reference Alvin Toffler’s “Future Shock,” which, published in 1970 amid the Cold War, anticipated that consumers in the future would increasingly spend their money on unique, positive experiences. German sociologist Gerhard Schulze made a significant contribution to Experience Selling theory with his coinage of the term “Erlebnisgesellschaft” (“thrill-seeking society”) in 1992, and Rolf Jensen later contributed to the subject with his writings on the “dream society.”

Several companies have effectively implemented the Experience Selling model. Harley-Davidson, the well-known American motorcycle company founded in 1903, used the film “Easy Rider” (1969) to associate the feeling of unrestrained freedom with its brand. Philip Morris’s cigarette brand Marlboro employs similar associations of limitless freedom and adventure through the smoking “Marlboro Man” cowboy to sell its products. Restoration Hardware, a chain of stores founded in 1980 that sells timeless, updated classics and authentic reproductions of historic furniture and home decor, was also an early adopter of the Experience Selling approach. Customers are drawn in by the soothing, nostalgiciac atmosphere of the stores, which evokes a desire for a simpler life in a complex world.

Applying the Experience Selling business model

To effectively utilize the Experience Selling model, a company must manage all activities that impact its customers’ experiences in a cohesive manner. This includes promotions, retail design, sales personnel, product functionality, availability, and packaging. It is also essential that customers receive a consistent experience regardless of which branch of the business they interact with.

Retail competition is fierce and companies are constantly seeking ways to win the loyalty of their customers. Experience Selling offers a powerful means of achieving this goal by allowing retailers to differentiate themselves from their competitors and form a direct bond with their clients through the provision of a holistic experience.

Retailers who employ the Experience Selling business model often find that their customers are more likely to spend more time and money in their stores, as well as visit them more frequently. By providing an immersive, memorable experience, retailers can foster a deeper connection with their customers and encourage brand loyalty.

Trigger Questions

  • How can you enhance a customer experience so that it truly aligns with your brand?
  • How can you infuse a customer experience with positive emotions that will help convert visitors into customers?
  • How can we ensure that all members of our company are committed to the principles of Experience Selling?
  • How do we clearly articulate the experience that our product offers?
  • How can we generate positive emotions in our customers and turn them into tangible sales?

Harley-Davidson

Selling the emotions associated with the bike rather than the bike itself, the price becomes less important.

Shopping at flagship Chanel stores is a consultation process often accompanied by Champagne and photo moments.

In addition to offering a range of food and beverages, including gourmet-style drinks like caffè lattes and iced coffee, Starbucks also provides a variety of features, products, and services that contribute to the unique Starbucks experience. This includes amenities such as WiFi, relaxing music, a cozy atmosphere, and comfortable furniture. By adopting the Experience Selling model and offering more than just coffee, Starbucks has gained popularity and customer loyalty, ultimately leading to increased revenue.

Barnes & Noble

In addition to selling books, many of which are offered at discounted prices, Barnes & Noble provides customers with a variety of other products and services as part of the overall Barnes & Noble experience. This includes coffeehouses, events, special author appearances, and book readings. Many Barnes & Noble retail outlets also sell DVDs, video games, gifts, and music. By offering a diverse range of products and services, Barnes & Noble has differentiated itself from the competition and attracted customers with the convenience and unique experience offered by its stores.

Red Bull is an Austrian company founded in 1987 that is best known for its eponymous energy drink, which is the most popular of its kind in the world. The Red Bull brand is heavily marketed throughout the world and is associated with active lifestyles and extreme sports like Formula One, motocross, windsurfing, BMX, and snowboarding. Red Bull is also known for supporting unusual and extreme events like Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere and boxcar races. These associations with the Red Bull brand help to create an overall Red Bull experience that encourages people to engage with the lifestyle themes as well as the drink itself. As a result, Red Bull is able to charge higher prices for its products because customers want the entire experience, not just the drink.

Related plays

  • Ultimate Luxury
  • The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore
  • Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
  • Die Erlebnisgesellschaft: Kultursoziologie der Gegenwart by Gerhard Schulze
  • The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from Information to Imagination Will Transform Your Business by Rolf Jensen
  • Business Model Navigator by Karolin Frankenberger and Oliver Gassmann

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Validation Patterns

Validate the problem.

Is your problem worth solving?

  • Closed-Ended Surveys
  • Cold Calling
  • Comprehension Test
  • Contextual Inquiry
  • Crowdfunding
  • Crowdsourcing
  • Customer Service Logs
  • Fake door testing
  • Family Tree
  • Find the Watering Hole
  • Five People Who Are In
  • Five Second Test
  • Focus Group
  • Industry Forums
  • Move in With the Customer
  • Read App Reviews
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  • Sell the Future
  • Write Down Your Concept

Validate the market

Don't build something that nobody wants

  • Classified Posting
  • Collect Pre-orders
  • Conjoint Analysis
  • Data Mining
  • Feature Stub
  • High Hurdle
  • Offer a Sample
  • One Night Stand
  • Physical Before Digital
  • Product-Market Fit Survey
  • Run Test Ads
  • Sales Pitch
  • Single-Feature Product
  • Spoof Landing Pages
  • Trends and Keyword Analysis
  • Wizard of Oz

Validate the product

Does your product solve the problem?

  • A/B Testing
  • Beta Launch
  • Clickable Prototype
  • First Click Testing
  • Guerilla User Testing
  • Impersonator
  • LEGO prototype
  • Micro Surveys
  • Minimum Marketable Product
  • Multivariate Testing
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS)
  • Paper Prototype
  • Pretend to Own
  • Takeaway Test
  • Try it Yourself
  • Working Prototype

Validate willingness to pay

Are people willing to reach into their wallets?

Business Model Patterns

Customer segment.

Meeting the unique needs of each and every customer

  • Bottom of the Pyramid
  • Customer Loyalty Program

Pricing Model

Innovative pricing strategies for sustainable growth

  • Access over Ownership
  • Bait and Hook
  • Cash Machine
  • Dynamic Pricing
  • Pay What You Want
  • Reversed Bait and Hook

Revenue Streams

Explore different revenue streams to maximize potential

  • Fractional Ownership
  • Franchising
  • Hidden Revenue
  • Microfinance
  • Pay Per Use
  • Performance-Based Contracting
  • Subscription
  • Virtual Economy

Value Network

Sharing resources and risks for mutual benefit in the network

  • Affiliation
  • Brands Consortium
  • Joint Venture
  • Layer Player
  • Multi-Sided Market
  • No Middle Man
  • Omnichannel
  • Orchestrator
  • Peer-to-Peer
  • Platform as a Service
  • Revenue Sharing
  • Self-Service
  • Shop in Shop
  • Virtualization

Value Proposition

Value proposition strategies for long-term success

  • Blended Value
  • Cross Selling
  • Guaranteed Availability
  • Ingredient Branding
  • Make More of It
  • Mass Customization
  • One-stop-Shop
  • Product as Point of Sale
  • Product Self-Service
  • Reverse Innovation
  • Sensor as a Service
  • Solution Provider
  • White Label

Value Proposition Development

Unlocking growth through value proposition design

  • Digitization
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  • Leverage Customer Data
  • Open Business Model
  • Open Source
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Trash-to-Cash
  • User Designed

Workshop Patterns

Convert empathy to clarity by refining insights into problem definitions

  • Dependency Mapping
  • Future-Back Planning
  • Future Press Release
  • Objectives and Key Results

Uncover insights and drive problem-solving through deep analysis

  • Assumptions Collection
  • Business Model Mapping
  • Circles of Influence
  • Empathy Mapping
  • Fishbone Diagram
  • Force Field Analysis
  • Force Field Network
  • Hopes and Fears
  • Impact Mapping
  • Journey Mapping
  • Market of Skills
  • Opportunity Solution Tree Mapping
  • Prototype Persona
  • Service Blueprint
  • Six Thinking Hats
  • Skills Star Mapping
  • Stakeholder Mapping
  • Starbursting
  • Touchpoint Mapping
  • User Story Mapping
  • Value Proposition Mapping
  • Why-How Laddering
  • 20-Year Brand Roadmap
  • Competitive Landscape
  • Design Principles
  • Golden Circle
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  • Personality Sliders
  • Product Box
  • Top Audiences
  • Top Brand Values

Clarify the problem or experiment to facilitate discussion and collaboration

  • Figure Storming
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  • Hypothesis Statement
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  • Problem Statement
  • Storyboarding
  • The Anti-Problem
  • Value Proposition Statement

Unleash creativity to collaboratively discover fresh solutions

  • 3-12-3 Brainstorm
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Prioritize ideas or challenges to determine where to direct your attention and efforts

  • Assumptions Mapping
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Build a shared understanding to reach your goals together

  • Fishbowl Discussion
  • Lean Coffee
  • Mad / Sad / Glad
  • Three Little Pigs

Core techniques used to plan and lead effective workshops

  • Affinity Mapping
  • Card Sorting
  • Parking Lot
  • Poster Session
  • Return on Time Invested
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  • Talking stick

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Relieve initial group awkwardness and establish a safe space

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Why Sell a Product When You Can Sell an Experience

selling experience essay

Javi Fondevila

To compete for the attention of today’s customer, you need to be selling far more than just a product, especially when you have so many other brands, products, and services to compete with. In-order to attain and keep this attention, brands must be creative and sell far more than a product an experience.

Selling experiences is one way that leading brands are achieving the goal of capturing and keeping their customers’ attention.

After all, it is experiences that are remembered long after a product has been used, stopped working, or become outdated. Think about Apple everybody remembers the experience they had with the first iPhone and each and every version of the iPhone since then. That’s because Apple are not just selling a phone but are selling an experience.

Selling an Experience

It is all in how you make your customers feel. Customers are buying the experiences they get from the products and services they purchase. Long gone are the days of our customers simply buying products and services based on price or on the product or service alone.

Why else would millions of people fork out five dollars for a cup of coffee at Starbucks or another specialty coffee shop when they can buy one for just a dollar elsewhere?

It is all about perception and how you make the customers feel when they purchase your product or service, that will keep them coming back for more.

Tips for Selling an Experience

It does not matter what it is that you are selling. As you will see below, it can be anything from a college education to energy drinks or a dress to painting classes; every product or service should come with its own experience and it is down to you, the brand operator, to control this experience.

Here are some tips you can take advantage from to begin selling experiences, not just soulless products.

1. Utilize the power of video

Because a lot of your brand storytelling will take place online, it is important to find a way to reach your customers without losing the real-world sense and tangible feeling. Video, therefore, is one of your most useful assets.

Also, the human brain is hardwired in a way that means that video leaves a longer lasting impression than any other medium, for example written content. Thankfully, there are lots of ways, as we are sure you will be aware, to deliver video.

For any brand attempting to begin selling experiences today in 2019, video must be at the core of everything you do; it is the only way you can truly connect with your customers in today’s marketplace driven by the internet and sociability.

2. Use brand ambassadors

An experience doesn’t need a large audience to happen. A single person can enjoy an experience. However, in order for an experience to thrive in the marketing sense, there needs to be an audience of people consuming it. The best way for brands to grow their audiences and reach them in unbiased, meaningful ways is to tap into the power of brand ambassadors.

A brand ambassador program only works if the members are genuine customers who get excited by working with your brand. If you can find these people and tap into their excitement, there’s no limit to the experience you can sell.

3. Provide authenticity

You need to be authentic and there are plenty of ways you can do this. The safety and comfort of trusted brands that were once loved by the older generation is now a thing of the past; today’s generation are more interested in authenticity and having a more authentic experience.

Whether it be through the products they buy or the places they visit, today’s generation (or “millennials”) are looking for an authentic experience.

Authenticity can only be provided through your product or service to a certain extent. In-order to get full value and provide the best experience, you need to engage your younger audience through channels and mediums that are recognized as being authentic.

To that extent, why not engage influencers and have them talk about your brand? This is one of many ways you can demonstrate your authenticity.

Jun 06, 2019

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Experience in selling Products Essay Example

Experience in selling Products Essay Example

  • Pages: 5 (1291 words)
  • Published: January 17, 2018
  • Type: Essay

Learning experience in Selling Products

As the first day of classes approached hesitantly awoke and walked to campus. I enrolled In a total of four marketing courses that included Marketing Research, Personal selling, Brand Management and Sales Management. Each of these pertained to the expertise required for my future career goals. This said, I finally felt that I could gain industry knowledge that may be used in real life scenarios. When assigned a personal selling project that included either signing up golf players or receiving a corporate sponsorship, I gracefully accepted the challenge.

When I found out that I was also assigned another Field Project in my Personal Selling course that required students to meet a quota of two hundred dolla

rs to be raised for the golf tournament I began to worry. The two courses provide this assignment individually and we cannot "double dip" in sales meaning that I had to perform at an even higher level than other students. At first I regarded this as a set back but in time I came to deduce that this concept made me a more determined and aggressive salesman. Being that I am an active member of Tech Marketing Association, the process of selling sponsorships for the golf tournament was already a priority on my list of things to accomplish.

Not only did this give me an advantage in the sense that I am "killing two birds with one stone" but as well I possess more knowledge on the event itself and can provide potential participants with information without having to memorize a selling technique and relay it to them. The fact that I was a

bronze member last semester and am shooting to be a gold member this spring is also an incentive that I have in selling sponsorships for the spring event.

First and foremost, I began to narrow down my options as far as the people to call who would potentially have an Interest In the tournament due to the fact that they played golf. This market segmentation technique was useful in selecting a few players who were family friends or acquaintances. However, this was not so useful In the sense that the majority of the contacts listed lived In or around the Houston area.

The fact that the tournament takes place In Lubbock, Tx at Shadow Hills Golf course presented Itself as my first difficulty In the selling process.

As the weeks progressed, I continued to think about attention candidates to play in Tech Marketing Associations Spring golf tournament. I ran into a few problems in contacting family friends throughout the day as my school these individuals. I attend classes 9:30-pm most days and did not think it was necessary to call at am nor after pm.

After a few calls and no responses, I began to leave detailed vocalism messages. I received a few calls back but again it was conflicting due to the fact that I was in class and missed them.

One Friday afternoon I was released from class early, I decided it would be a convenient time to make a few hone calls during the lunch hours. An old friend of my stepfather's, who is also a Tech graduate, was first on my list. Matthew Hammed was a great prospect because he fit the criteria

of being within the area where the event is to take place in April and possesses an interest in the sport of golf. The underlying fact that he owns his own business in Southland was also a factor that made him a potential buyer.

When he didn't answer, I left a vocalism on his answering machine detailing not only how his participation in this event would prove beneficial to the brand name of his products ND his company but as well how it would benefit myself as well as the other members of Tech Marketing Association. The following week I received a phone call from Mr. Hammed and he expressed an interest in the tournament but said that he had been very busy with business lately and had to check his schedule and get back to me at a later time.

A week passed and I decided it was time to close the deal and regard Mr. Hammed as a participant or start calling other prospects that may peak an interest in the tournament. I called around lunchtime on a Friday afternoon again knowing that he would be available. After a short conversation, Matthew Hammed agreed to sponsor the tournament, as he could not attend the event due to prior commitments he had already made. Emails with the attached documentation were sent to his business email and detailed instructions were included in my message.

Although, I had sent him all of the information promptly I was still slightly worried that he may somehow forget to either include my name or make the payment on time. Once again, I decided to make a follow up sales

call to his office and try and discuss a time and location for us to meet and fill out the required documentation to analyze the corporate sponsorship. With both of our busy schedules, finding common grounds in which to meet became quite the difficulty. His business is located in Southland and he resides in Post. This fact made interaction an even timelier event when distance was considered.

All factors considered, I decided one Monday morning that I would make the trip to the Gag Production facility and pick up the documentation at Mr.. Hammer's convenience to release the burden of him emailing the paperwork to the wrong recipient. I looked up the location of Matt Hammed Gag Products on Google Maps and set out to make the sale. Before I left the parking lot, I called Mr. Hammed to confirm that the timing was appropriate to meet with him and pick up the paperwork. As he agreed, I drove to Southland and had some difficulty finding the production facility yet found it eventually.

Keeping in mind the various sales techniques that I have been learning these past few weeks of class, I opened the car door in a confident manner.

As I entered the office, I very kindly introduced myself to both his secretary, who appeared to be his wife, and his assistant manager Jacob. After discussing the event and how the proceeds would benefit TAMA members I handed the owner for his time in the sales process and let him know that I would email him pictures of his sponsored hole at the event and be more than willing to gratitude for their kindness, I shook

the staffs hands as I left the facility bright eyed with a smile.

Reflection about selling products

The things that I found most relevant to sales courses at Texas Tech were the fact that it is very important to be customer oriented and necessary to maintain a great relationship with prospects. Although I had met Matt Hammed once before I continued to keep a professional relationship with him and showed him the utmost respect in every phone call as well as the final encounter.

I completely understood how keeping in contact with him and respecting his time was a very important element to him. In doing this I was attempting to gain his trust so that he'd feel comfortable sponsoring an event that I was involved with.

After the contract was signed I also showed an interest in his facility and asked him to take me for a small tour. This was my way of showing interest in "the customer's business," which relates to a common sales follow up technique that Vive learned.

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IESE Insight

Heart Over Head: How to Sell an Experience

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What would make a better gift for the graduating college student in your life: a new laptop or an exotic getaway? And as a marketer, what tactics can be used to sell one option or the other? The rules for experiential marketing, insists IESE's Iñigo Gallo, are completely different from those for marketing material goods.

Your grandfather, who is obsessed with horse racing, is turning 75. Should you get him a framed original ticket of a famous race, or a day at the races for two?

One is a material good, the other an experience. In recent years, experiential consumption has been on the rise, and as the millennials get set to become the largest group in the workforce, this is expected to continue. But for marketers, despite famous experiential campaigns for brands such as Nike and Harley Davidson, how and when to market experiences vs. material goods are not always obvious.

It comes down not only to the "product" itself, argues IESE's I ñigo Gallo in a paper with Sanjay Sood from UCLA Anderson School of Management and Thomas C. Mann and Thomas Gilovich from Cornell University. Behind each material or experiential decision is a different kind of logic — analytical or intuitive. While analytical logic is most frequently used to make decisions on buying material goods, it is intuition that guides us on our quest for valuable experiences.

Testing intuition

The authors devised a series of five studies to test the relationship between intuition and practicality, and experiential and material purchases.

In the first study, participants concluded that they would prefer to choose experiential purchases intuitively (which experience felt right), but material purchases analytically (comparing sensor size and megapixels when buying a camera, for example).

Interestingly, the use of intuitive or analytical logic also affected the second study, on the ways participants experienced regret when they made a poor choice. Those who purchased material goods (say, a camera) using intuition rather than analysis felt worse about it than those who had chosen badly after comparing different features. Or rather, it is going against the correct form of logic we regret, as much as the item itself.

Tied to this preference, the third study found that participants liked potential experiential purchases to be presented as alternatives (a hot air balloon ride vs. camping in the desert), while they preferred to compare attributes on material products (screen size and picture resolution between two televisions).

Marketing ideas

The study also highlights that the relationship between intuition and experience isn't a one-way street. In the fourth and fifth studies of the series, the authors demonstrated that not only were those who purchased experiences inclined to use their intuition; the reverse was also true: Participants who had been primed to think intuitively were more likely to opt for experiential, rather than material, purchases.

Furthermore, study participants primed to think intuitively were also prepared to pay more for an experience than those who were thinking about it deliberately, suggesting that marketers can win big by couching experiential purchases in the right terms. How you structure information may affect not only whether something sells, but how much it can sell for.

These findings don't always hold true, the authors hasten to add. There are reasons or situations in which consumers may be more likely to consider their experiential purchases from a less-intuitive point of view — families with young children or people with mobility problems, for example, are unlikely to purchase a vacation package hiking in the jungle, however much it may tug at their heartstrings.

Meanwhile, experiential marketing can help sell experiences, but may not always work effectively selling material goods. It may be less a case that people think with either the head or with the heart when deciding how to spend their money, and more a case that they think with both , in different situations.

As the authors conclude: "People seem happy to mimic Luke Skywalker and let 'the force' be with them when it comes to choosing experiences, but when it comes to material possessions they're more inclined to mimic Mr. Spock."

Methodology, very briefly

The authors conducted seven studies in total, two of which were repeated. Studies 1, 4 and 5 were completed using people recruited on Amazon's Mechanical Turk for modest compensation. Studies 2 and 3 were tested on American university students, some for course credit, others for monetary compensation.

A Complete Guide to Experiential Selling: Definition & Examples

selling experience essay

Shopify claims that while the cost of online advertising is rising, its net return is declining. 1 Experiential selling can help with that. The main goal of experiential selling is to show potential consumers a memorable, satisfying, and/or educational exposure of a product that will increase their likelihood of doing a transaction.

Therefore, to help marketers boost their customer experience and sales, we have curated this article to explore:

  • The definition of experiential selling, how it differs from traditional selling and how businesses can benefit from its adoption.
  • The top benefits of experiential selling.
  • Its use cases for e-commerce, retail and B2B businesses.
  • Real life examples of experiential selling.

What is experiential selling?

Experiential selling is about creating an environment where potential customers can interact with products or services in a way that is enjoyable and informative.

IKEA, for instance, displays its products in its stores so that customers may get a preview of how to decorate their homes with the furniture they purchase. They might pick up tips on how interior designers combine various products. The square feet information about showrooms gives customers a notion of how furniture matches the space of their rooms etc (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Experiential selling experience example from IKEA.

Image shows an experiential selling example.

Similarly, technology vendors, for example, give demos to their clients so firms can prospect how technology solutions improve business processes and integrate with their current systems.

How is experiential selling different from traditional selling?

Experiential selling is different from traditional selling in that it emphasizes creating a relationship with the customer. The goal of experiential selling is not just to make a sale, but to create a lasting bond between the customer and the business.

Therefore, experiential selling does not often focus on offering the best price to its customers as traditional selling does (see Figure 3).  

Figure 3: Evolution of selling.

selling experience essay

Which types of businesses should utilize experiential selling?

Experiential selling can be used in any industry, but it is especially effective in retail, e-commerce and B2B sales.

For retail and e-commerce companies, creating occasions that help potential customers to expose their products is necessary because as we mentioned earlier, the positive impact of advertising on sales is shrinking due to high supply.

B2B investments on the other hand tend to be expensive, and due to the profit driven nature of businesses, they want to see the outcome of their investments before the partnership. 3

Top 3 benefits of experiential selling

  • Increase sales : Deloitte found that companies that adopt experiential selling grow 15% faster compared to their rivals. 4 Customers who have a positive experience with a business are more likely to make a purchase, and they are also more likely to become repeat customers. 
  • Create loyalty : Experiential selling fosters loyalty by creating relationships between businesses and customers. Customers who feel like they are valued by a business are more likely to continue doing business with that company. 
  • Generate word-of-mouth marketing : Customers who have a positive experience with a business are more likely to tell their friends and family about it.

Experiential selling for retail

According to Shopify 60% customers expect to see more experiential selling efforts from retailers. 5 The process of giving customers unique shopping experiences is known as experiential retail. Customers are directly engaged, and you can invite them to interact with your business physically.

It can take different forms for retail such as:

  • Exhibit your products in a way it demonstrates its use cases.
  • Providing design examples such as combining products with each other (remember IKEA example). 
  • Organizing events to engage with your customers.

Experiential selling for e-commerce

Thanks to digital transformation , nowadays, companies can simulate the physical shopping experience on digital platforms. The following three e-commerce technologies are useful in this regard:

  • Mobile apps : Custom mobile apps let e-commerce businesses create a secure platform where they can interact with their customers, and customers can interact with others. Thus, it helps companies to create an online community. 
  • Virtual reality / Augmented reality : Helps companies to create a platform where users are exposed to the environment/products digitally.
  • Understand user intent ,
  • Provide personalized recommendations in response to consumer interaction. ( conversational commerce ),
  • Ensure two-way (interactive) conversations.

Experiential selling for B2B

B2B sales are different from B2C sales . Therefore, Businesses’ expectations are different from end users’ when it comes to experiential selling. As Deloitte indicates people expect to experience business outcomes of their investments. Therefore, experiential selling for B2B is associated with:

  • Demo : Especially, for technology vendors it is crucial to provide a demo to let businesses to prospect how their solution matches with your business needs and legacy systems.
  • Detailed case studies : For businesses it is inspiring and informative to expose case studies. We recommend companies to add detailed information about the business problem the company is faced with, the product solves this problem, its implementation and results. Providing statistics makes your case studies more engaging. For instance rather than claiming “Chatbot initiative increased sales be data driven and claim initiative increased sales 12%. 
  • Peer reviews : Being approved by third parties makes businesses trust your product further.

Top 3 experiential selling examples

1. coca-cola augmented reality experience.

Coca-Cola set up an augmented reality (AR) experience in front of a railway station in Zurich during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to AR , people watched a screen in front of them and played with a well-known football player standing next to them digitally. 

2. Benefit Cosmetics e-commerce experience 

3. M&M flavor pop up

With the M&M’S Flavor Vote Experience initiative, the brand used crowdsourcing to launch its product. Three flavors were up for online voting by the public. Additionally, M&M’s developed a live “experience” in Manhattan that has three rooms, one for each taste. Rooms were specifically created to encourage participants to post their photos to social media (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: An example for rooms that encourage people to post images on social media.

An image from M&M's experiential selling real life example.

If you need more information about experiential selling you can reach us:

External Links

  • 1. “ Future of Ecommerce ”. Shopify. 2022.
  • 2. “ Experience selling: Five steps to transform and deliver the right B2B experience “. Deloitte. November 25, 2019.
  • 3. Same source with footnote (2).
  • 4. Same source with footnote (2).
  • 5. “ Experiential Retail 101: How to Host In-Store Events Your Shoppers Love ”. Shopify.  November 19, 2021.
  • 6. “ 14 Examples of Experiential Marketing Campaigns That’ll Give You Serious Event Envy ”. Braden Becker. August 16, 2021.
  • 7. “ How Brands Are Making Pop-Up Shops More Interactive and Instagrammable Than Ever ”. Katie Richards. July 22, 2018.

selling experience essay

Cem has been the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per similarWeb) including 60% of Fortune 500 every month. Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider , Forbes, Washington Post , global firms like Deloitte , HPE, NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission . You can see more reputable companies and media that referenced AIMultiple. Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised businesses on their enterprise software, automation, cloud, AI / ML and other technology related decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization. He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider . Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

To stay up-to-date on B2B tech & accelerate your enterprise:

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selling experience essay

The Experience Selling Business Model Explained: An Entrepreneur's Guide

Uncover the intricacies of the experience selling business model in this comprehensive guide.

selling experience essay

Understanding the Experience Selling Business Model

Before delving into the intricacies of the Experience Selling Business Model, it is crucial to grasp the concept behind it. At its core, experience selling involves creating immersive and memorable experiences for customers, going beyond mere product or service transactions. It is about building lasting relationships through personalized interactions and captivating moments that resonate with customers on a deeper level.

Imagine walking into a store where every detail has been carefully curated to create an atmosphere of wonder and delight. The lighting, the music, the scent in the air - everything is designed to transport you to another world, where shopping becomes an experience in itself. This is the essence of experience selling.

But why is this approach so important in today's competitive business landscape? The answer lies in the power of emotions. Customers are no longer satisfied with just buying a product or service; they want to feel something. They want to be inspired, entertained, and connected. And that's exactly what experience selling aims to achieve.

The Concept of Experience Selling

In the Experience Selling Business Model, companies strive to transform their customers' journey from a transactional experience to an emotional one. This model recognizes the importance of creating positive emotions and memories associated with the brand, driving customer loyalty and repeat business. By tapping into customers' emotions, companies can establish a strong emotional connection, fostering trust and loyalty like never before.

Think about your favorite brand. What emotions does it evoke in you? Maybe it brings back memories of a special moment in your life or makes you feel a sense of belonging. This emotional connection is what sets experience selling apart from traditional selling methods.

Take the example of a luxury hotel. When you walk into the lobby, you are greeted by friendly staff who make you feel like a valued guest. The interior design is exquisite, with attention to every detail. The hotel offers personalized services tailored to your preferences, making you feel pampered and special. These experiences create a lasting impression, making you want to come back again and again.

Key Components of the Experience Selling Business Model

To successfully implement the Experience Selling Business Model, you need to pay attention to several key components. These include understanding your target audience, creating personalized experiences, leveraging technology, and fostering a customer-centric culture within your organization. By integrating these components, you can create a seamless and unforgettable experience for your customers.

Understanding your target audience is crucial in experience selling. You need to know their preferences, desires, and pain points. By gaining deep insights into their needs, you can tailor your experiences to resonate with them on a personal level. This requires conducting thorough market research, analyzing customer data, and staying updated on the latest trends and preferences.

Personalization is another essential aspect of the Experience Selling Business Model. Customers want to feel like they are being seen and understood as individuals. By offering personalized recommendations, customized products or services, and tailored communication, you can make customers feel valued and appreciated.

Technology plays a significant role in enhancing the experience selling process. From virtual reality experiences to personalized mobile apps, technology enables companies to create immersive and interactive experiences that leave a lasting impact on customers. By leveraging the power of technology, you can take your customers on a journey they will never forget.

Lastly, fostering a customer-centric culture within your organization is vital. Every employee should be aligned with the goal of creating exceptional experiences for customers. This requires training, empowerment, and a shared understanding of the importance of customer satisfaction. When everyone in your organization is committed to delivering outstanding experiences, it becomes a part of your brand's DNA.

In conclusion, the Experience Selling Business Model is a powerful approach that goes beyond traditional selling methods. By creating immersive and personalized experiences, companies can establish strong emotional connections with customers, driving loyalty and repeat business. Understanding the concept, key components, and importance of experience selling is essential for any business looking to thrive in today's customer-centric world.

The Evolution of the Experience Selling Business Model

The Experience Selling Business Model has emerged as a response to the changing customer dynamics and the evolution of technology. This model recognizes that customers are no longer just targets for sales transactions, but individuals seeking meaningful and enjoyable experiences. By shifting the focus from traditional selling to experience selling, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction, increase the chances of repeat business, and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing.

Traditionally, selling approaches viewed customers as mere transactional opportunities. The goal was to convince customers to make a purchase, often through aggressive sales tactics. However, experience selling takes a different approach. It recognizes that customers are looking for more than just a product or service – they want an immersive and memorable experience.

Experience selling places a strong emphasis on creating experiences that resonate with customers on an emotional level. It goes beyond simply meeting their needs and wants; it aims to exceed their expectations and leave a lasting impression. By doing so, businesses can build strong relationships with customers, foster loyalty, and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Traditional Selling vs Experience Selling

In traditional selling approaches, customers were mainly seen as targets for sales transactions. The focus was on closing deals and maximizing revenue. However, with the rise of experience selling, the mindset has shifted. Businesses now understand that the key to success lies in providing meaningful and enjoyable experiences.

Experience selling takes a customer-centric approach, putting the customer at the center of the selling process. It involves understanding their needs, desires, and preferences, and tailoring the experience to meet those specific requirements. This personalized approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also increases the chances of repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

Furthermore, experience selling recognizes the importance of emotions in the buying process. It leverages emotions to create a connection between the customer and the brand, making the experience more memorable and impactful. By tapping into emotions such as joy, excitement, and trust, businesses can create a lasting impression that goes beyond the transaction itself.

The Impact of Technology on Experience Selling

Technology has played a pivotal role in enabling companies to deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. With the rapid advancement of technology, businesses now have access to a wide range of tools and platforms that can enhance the experience selling process.

One of the key ways technology has impacted experience selling is through personalization. By leveraging customer data and advanced analytics, businesses can provide personalized recommendations based on individual preferences and behaviors. This level of personalization not only enhances the customer experience but also increases the chances of making a sale.

Another significant impact of technology on experience selling is the rise of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences. These immersive technologies allow customers to try products and services virtually before making a purchase. For example, customers can virtually try on clothes, test drive cars, or explore vacation destinations, all from the comfort of their own homes. This not only enhances the customer experience but also reduces the risk of buyer's remorse.

Furthermore, technology has enabled businesses to create seamless and convenient experiences across multiple channels. With the rise of e-commerce and mobile technology, customers can now interact with businesses anytime, anywhere. This omni-channel approach allows businesses to meet customers where they are and provide a consistent experience across different touchpoints.

In conclusion, the Experience Selling Business Model represents a shift from traditional selling to providing meaningful and enjoyable experiences. Technology has played a crucial role in enabling businesses to deliver exceptional experiences, from personalized recommendations to immersive virtual reality experiences. By embracing technology and focusing on creating memorable experiences, businesses can differentiate themselves, foster customer loyalty, and drive long-term success.

The Benefits of Adopting the Experience Selling Business Model

Implementing the Experience Selling Business Model can bring numerous benefits for your organization. Let's explore two key advantages: enhancing customer engagement and boosting sales and profitability.

Enhancing Customer Engagement

By focusing on creating memorable experiences, you can significantly enhance customer engagement. When customers feel emotionally connected to your brand, they become more invested in your products or services. This increased engagement leads to higher customer satisfaction, increased loyalty, and positive brand associations.

Imagine a scenario where a customer walks into your store and is immediately greeted by friendly and knowledgeable staff. The staff members take the time to understand the customer's needs and preferences, providing personalized recommendations and suggestions. The customer feels valued and appreciated, creating a positive emotional connection with your brand.

Furthermore, the experience selling business model goes beyond the traditional transactional approach. It focuses on creating immersive experiences that go beyond the product itself. For example, a clothing store may host fashion shows or styling workshops to engage customers and provide them with a unique and memorable experience.

These experiences not only create a lasting impression but also encourage customers to share their positive experiences with others. Word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful, and when customers become brand advocates, they can help attract new customers and expand your customer base.

Boosting Sales and Profitability

A well-executed experience selling strategy not only improves customer engagement but also has a direct impact on your bottom line. When customers have positive experiences, they are more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend your brand to others. This results in increased sales and long-term profitability for your business.

Consider a scenario where a customer has a fantastic dining experience at a restaurant. The ambiance, the service, and the quality of the food all exceed their expectations. As a result, they not only return to the restaurant but also recommend it to their friends and family. This positive word-of-mouth leads to increased foot traffic and a boost in sales.

Moreover, the experience selling business model allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors. In today's crowded marketplace, where products and services can be easily replicated, the experience you provide becomes a crucial differentiating factor. Customers are willing to pay a premium for exceptional experiences, which in turn increases your profitability.

Additionally, the data collected from customer interactions and experiences can provide valuable insights for your business. By analyzing customer feedback and behavior, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize your sales and marketing strategies.

In conclusion, adopting the experience selling business model can have a profound impact on your organization. By focusing on enhancing customer engagement and boosting sales and profitability, you can create a competitive advantage and build long-term success.

Implementing the Experience Selling Business Model

Transitioning to the Experience Selling Business Model requires careful planning and implementation. Let's explore the essential steps to successfully adopt this model and address the challenges you may face along the way.

Steps to Transition to Experience Selling

The first step in implementing the Experience Selling Business Model is to thoroughly understand your target audience and their needs. By gaining insights into their preferences and pain points, you can tailor experiences to meet their specific requirements. Additionally, investing in staff training and development programs can empower your team to deliver exceptional experiences consistently.

Overcoming Challenges in Implementation

Implementing any new business model comes with its fair share of challenges. In the case of experience selling, some common obstacles include aligning employees with the customer-centric culture, managing customer expectations, and effectively utilizing technology to deliver personalized experiences. By addressing these challenges head-on and continuously refining your approach, you can overcome hurdles and achieve success.

Measuring the Success of the Experience Selling Business Model

Moving towards the Experience Selling Business Model necessitates monitoring and evaluating its impact on your business. Let's explore essential key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your experience selling initiatives and the importance of continuous improvement and adaptation.

Key Performance Indicators for Experience Selling

Measuring the success of your experience selling endeavors requires tracking various KPIs. These may include customer satisfaction scores, customer retention rates, average transaction value, and the number of repeat customers. These metrics provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your strategy and help identify areas for improvement.

Continuous Improvement and Adaptation

In the ever-evolving business landscape, it is crucial to continuously refine and adapt your experience selling strategy. Regularly gather customer feedback, monitor market trends, and embrace emerging technologies to stay ahead of the competition. By prioritizing continuous improvement, you can ensure that your experience selling efforts remain fresh, relevant, and captivating for your customers.

In conclusion, the Experience Selling Business Model is a game-changer in today's customer-centric business world. By creating immersive and memorable experiences, businesses can foster stronger connections, drive sales, and build long-term loyalty. By understanding its concept, evolution, benefits, implementation, and measurement, you can confidently embark on your journey towards becoming an experience-driven organization.

selling experience essay

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COMMENTS

  1. Selling True Experiences - Wharton Magazine

    A short-duration experience, such as a meal in a restaurant, is inherently harder to sell and deliver than a longer-duration one. The shorter the duration of the experience, the more amplified every little annoyance the customer feels. A kid screaming at the next table can mar a two-hour restaurant experience more easily than it can a two-week ...

  2. Interview Question: "Describe Your Sales Experience" - Indeed

    Here are some steps you can take to help you answer this question: 1. Review the job description. When preparing for your sales job interviews, spend time reviewing the job description. Employers typically provide specific requirements or preferences regarding candidates' experience. For example, they may ask for candidates with a particular ...

  3. Entrepreneurial Journey of Benchfood Incorporated Free Essay ...

    Entrepreneurial Journey of Benchfood Incorporated. Categories: Business Experience. Download. Essay, Pages 2 (381 words) Views. 11727. Overview. As requirement for finals, of the subject entrepreneurial management, I, Armie Aguirre, together with my groupmates, Rosselle San Juan, Jerlynne Valenzuela, Beverly San Juan and Ian Maverick Pantaleon ...

  4. The Business Model: Experience Selling. What it is, How it ...

    The Experience Selling business model is a business approach that seeks to enhance the value of a product or service by offering an additional, enriching experience alongside it. A bookstore, for instance, may provide a variety of amenities such as coffee shops, celebrity book signings, and workshops to create a more comprehensive experience ...

  5. Why Sell a Product When You Can Sell an Experience - Holded

    In-order to attain and keep this attention, brands must be creative and sell far more than a product an experience. Selling experiences is one way that leading brands are achieving the goal of capturing and keeping their customers’ attention. After all, it is experiences that are remembered long after a product has been used, stopped working ...

  6. Experience in selling Products Essay Example | StudyHippo.com

    Learning experience in Selling Products. As the first day of classes approached hesitantly awoke and walked to campus. I enrolled In a total of four marketing courses that included Marketing Research, Personal selling, Brand Management and Sales Management. Each of these pertained to the expertise required for my future career goals.

  7. Heart Over Head: How to Sell an Experience | IESE Insight

    Meanwhile, experiential marketing can help sell experiences, but may not always work effectively selling material goods. It may be less a case that people think with either the head or with the heart when deciding how to spend their money, and more a case that they think with both, in different situations. As the authors conclude: "People seem ...

  8. A Complete Guide to Experiential Selling: Definition & Examples

    Therefore, to help marketers boost their customer experience and sales, we have curated this article to explore: The definition of experiential selling, how it differs from traditional selling and how businesses can benefit from its adoption. The top benefits of experiential selling. Its use cases for e-commerce, retail and B2B businesses.

  9. The Experience Selling Business Model Explained: An ...

    The Concept of Experience Selling. In the Experience Selling Business Model, companies strive to transform their customers' journey from a transactional experience to an emotional one. This model recognizes the importance of creating positive emotions and memories associated with the brand, driving customer loyalty and repeat business.

  10. (PDF) The Perks of Online Selling: Shared Experiences and ...

    Published: 06/12/2022. ABSTRACT. Aim: This study aimed at exploring and documenting the experiences of online sellers and. determine their struggles on online selling am idst the pandemic ...