An Operant Analysis of Prompting in a Sales Environment

The effectiveness of prompts in the fast food industry is examined in this paper. The study was conducted in three different restaurants associated with the same fast food franchise. Customers who did not order french fries were used as subjects and either did or did not receive a purchasing prompt depending on their treatment condition. The results demonstrated that prompts are associated with a significant increase in consumer purchases. Suggestions for additional research as well as recommendations for the more effective use of prompts in retail environments are discussed.