No. 29 Goal-Gradient Effect

The closer the finish line, the faster we go.

We speed up as a goal gets close. Even free progress counts.

A coffee card with 2 stamps already on it gets filled faster than a blank one, with the same 10 to go.

Give people a head start, even a small one.

In 1932, psychologist Clark Hull noticed rats in a maze ran faster the closer they got to food.

In 2006, Kivetz, Urminsky & Zheng gave café regulars a 10-stamp card or a 12-stamp card with 2 stamped. The head start won.

• Clark L. Hull, Psychological Review (1932)
• Kivetz, Urminsky & Zheng, Journal of Marketing Research (2006)

Save this for the next time a progress bar starts at 0%.