Memory retrieval is the way information gets out of memory. Three facts are important about memory retrieval.
- The presence of other product information in memory can produce interference effects and cause us to either overlook or confuse new data. One marketing challenge in a category crowded with many competitors— for example, airlines, financial services, and insurance companies— is that consumers may mix up brands.
- The time between exposure to information and encoding has been shown generally to produce only gradual decay. Cognitive psychologists believe memory is extremely durable, so once information becomes stored in memory, its strength of association decays very slowly.
- Information may be available in memory but not be accessible for recall without the proper retrieval cues or reminders. The effectiveness of retrieval cues is one reason marketing inside a supermarket or any retail store is so critical— the actual product packaging, the use of in-store mini-billboard displays, and so on. The information they contain and the reminders they provide a advertising or other information already conveyed outside the store will be prime determinants of consumer decision making.