LoveFilm..

… just sent me this.

The next episodes in a drama series I’ve been watching.

No big deal there you might think. Until you take a look at the yellow sticker.

LoveFilm, if you did not know, is part of Amazon. You sign up for a monthly subscription and they send you DVDs from your personally selected wish list.

In the ‘old days’, people would have to go down to their local video store or drive to a Blockbusters to get their weekly feast of film watching in.

Today it’s different.

The likes of LoveFilm, Netflix and other on-demand online streaming services feed people all the films and TV series they could possibly want or have time to watch – and more.

It’s one of the reasons why Blockbusters went out of business.

People changed their watching habits. Changed the way they wanted to choose and view their favourite big screen and small screen titles.

LoveFilm still offers a DVD service by post. The subscription fee probably saves someone £20-30 a month compared to if they went to see the films at the cinema.

Now, I understand going to the movies is a very different experience to sitting and watching it at home. I get that. And for some films the big screen is the best way to go.

But here’s my point.

LoveFilm makes it easy and painless for you to watch your favourite films and TV series.

You sign up. You pay a modest monthly subscription. You select your film list. You can prioritise the movies to say what you most want to watch first. LoveFilm sends you a title from your list. You watch the DVD. You pop it back in its sleeve and return it in a postage-paid envelope.

Easy!

Hardly a surprise from the experts in making buying easy – Amazon.

Oh, I was going to tell you about that yellow sticker in the picture. Let me do that now.

The note simply said LoveFilm wanted to send me a FREE disc – two instead of the usual one. No catch. Just a little something to make you feel good.

Why did they do that?

The message said it was a test of a new feature.

It may be tapping into research which suggests many people like to watch multiple episodes of TV dramas all in one sitting – an activity dubbed binge watching.

The ‘test’ may only apply to series rather than single feature films – but we’ll see.

We are creatures of habit.

Amazon understands this.

We like things to be easy.

Amazon truly understands this.

We feel comfortable when we see what we expect to see – in LoveFilm’s case, that red square envelope through the door.

Amazon knows about branding.

Yes, it’s a massive global company. But it can teach the smaller business and the entrepreneur a thing or two about connection with and service to customers.

You may not like the way it deals with tax payments but you can admire the psychology and thinking behind its products and services.

How can you make it easy for your prospects, customers and clients to buy from you? Not just once. But again and again.

Keep your eyes open on what’s out there – there are alway lessons to be picked up and acted upon.