Nudging Physical Distance During COVID-19: Short-Term and Long-Term Wear-Out Effects of Nudges in a Retail Setting

During the COVID-19 pandemic, customers had to adopt new behavior patterns. Keeping distance from others is a key measure and difficult to achieve in crowded retail settings. We examine the effectiveness of nudges in two field studies. In study 1, we investigate the effectiveness of three salience nudges that support distance keeping in a retail setting: duct-taped lines, footprints, and footprints with distance information as a more transparent nudge. Results show greater nudging effects for footprints in comparison with duct-taped lines. The more transparent nudge proved to be the most effective, with 3.3 times greater odds of nudging customers compared with lines. In study 2, we investigate the long-term effect of the transparent salience nudge. Results show a drastically declined nudging effect after one year of exposure. These findings support managers and public policy makers in designing nudges and draw attention to wear-out effects.