Users tend not to change an established behavior.
<aside> ℹ️ Unless the incentive to change is compelling, people are more likely to stick to the default situation presented to them. This is also called the Status quo bias. It can be a powerful actor when trying to change behaviors.
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The status quo bias describes our preference for the current state of affairs, resulting in resistance to change. Status quo bias refers to the normal human desire to have all things remain the same and to shun change. It is a purely emotional bias with the present accepted as a reference point and causing a feeling of loss when change occurs. This is the reason why a person can feel absolutely devastated by a friend's moving away, or a change of job or location.
Succumbing to the status quo bias might be a sign that you are not putting enough effort into making decisions. While this helps free up mental resources for other tasks, it means that we don’t necessarily make important choices based on sound reasoning. Always sticking to the default option leads us to miss out on opportunities that could have helped us otherwise
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The status quo bias is inherently a systematic issue. After all, it is systems that establish norms for individuals, not the other way around. We accept organizations as fixed entities and happily work within their structure, forgetting to question why things are the way they are, or more importantly, how things could be better.
The status quo bias encourages brand loyalty: where we continue using the same products from the same companies—even when better alternatives arise. Many companies exploit this tendency as a marketing tactic, integrating new features into their design without worrying too much about their customer base shrinking. Although this is not what the user originally signed up for, it is so much easier to stay with the same product than intentionally find a new one.
For example, Netflix decided to crack down on people sharing their passwords with friends and family by introducing a new policy where only users living together can share an account. Anyone living outside the household now must pay an additional $7.99 a month.11 Despite the media backlash surrounding this decision, Netflix has held strong. They know that many of their users will remain loyal and even pay the additional fees simply because they don’t want to pick out a new streaming service. There are too many options out there, so why not stick with the same?
Why do we tend to leave things as they are?
Defaults: Why The Pre-Selected Choice Wins More Often Than Not
