Aerocept helps companies succeed by removing the friction from their breakthrough ideas. Aerocept is built on a simple premise: that removing friction makes ideas aerodynamic, and aerodynamic ideas take flight.
Aerocept is a company born out of Friction Theory (Nordgren & Schonthal, 2021). Like gravity and wind resistance, the frictions that oppose innovation are powerful but unseen forces. Finding friction requires empathy and a deep understanding of the human experience.
The heart of our approach is Friction Mapping, the process our team uses to uncover the hidden psychological forces that oppose innovation. We use a variety of qualitative methods – from ethnographic interviews and social listening techniques to field observations – to identify and address the frictions that stand between your idea and adoption.
The Friction Map is the tool our team uses to identify and evaluate the hidden forces opposing your idea. Enter your email to receive a free copy.
Aerocept Advisors are a curated group of leading thinkers and practitioners who bring deep expertise to the challenges our clients care about most.
An immersive ethnographer and strategist with extensive experience leading domestic and international research initiatives. An immersive ethnographer and strategist with extensive experience leading domestic and international research initiatives. Tory specializes in immersive qualitative methodologies and is known for her unobtrusive, rapport-driven approach that enables authentic engagement across diverse audiences. She brings a strong foundation in entrepreneurship, leadership, and business strategy, and has partnered with global brands, academic institutions, NGOs, and international organizations to translate human insight into actionable business outcomes.
A freelance artist and event management professional skilled in public speaking, event planning, and learning new technical skills. A freelance artist and event management professional skilled in public speaking, event planning, and learning new technical skills. Strong event management professional with a Bachelor of Fine Arts focused in Acting from University of Oklahoma.
A leading expert in digital transformation and the future of work. A leading expert in digital transformation and the future of work. His award-winning book, The Digital Mindset (co-authored with Tsedal Neeley and published with Harvard Business Review Press), offers a playbook for professionals navigating a tech-driven economy. His newest book Digital Exhaustion (Riverhead Press) helps people learn to re-orient to their technologies in ways that improve their capacity for collaboration, innovation, and happiness.
A senior consumer brand and growth leader with over 20 years of experience building iconic brands, innovating to drive sustainable revenue growth, and developing high-performing teams across CPG, FMCG, and consumer durables. A senior consumer brand and growth leader with over 20 years of experience building iconic brands, innovating to drive sustainable revenue growth, and developing high-performing teams across CPG, FMCG, and consumer durables. He currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Lenox Corporation, where he leads corporate and brand strategy, portfolio growth, digital media and advertising, licensed brand partnerships, and consumer engagement across a multi-brand platform. Raul has transformed brands including Modelo Especial, Corona Extra, Instant Pot, Sharpie, Pyrex, and Lenox from functional products into culturally relevant, revenue-generating franchises.
A regional gas station wanted to increase the rate of add-ons (like snacks and soda) purchased at point of sale. Margins on snacks and beverages are high. Even a slight increase in add-on purchases has an outsized impact on the bottom line. One of the best strategies for increasing add-on purchases is through suggestive selling – the (seemingly) simple act of asking customers at checkout, "Would you like chips or a drink with that?"
Internal data revealed that cashiers engaged in suggestive selling in less than 30% of transactions. Leadership set an ambitious goal: raise that number to 75% within a year. They launched an internal promotional campaign, which followed the classic behavior change playbook. A straightforward script for cashiers to follow. Modest but clear incentives. Posters in back rooms reminding employees to "Ask Every Customer." But cashiers didn't play along. For all of corporate's efforts, suggestive selling rates hovered at 30%. Leadership grew frustrated and many blamed the cashiers for the disappointing results. "It's hard to get good help these days" was the prevailing sentiment.
We suspected something else.
Over five days, we conducted observed checkout interactions across multiple locations, discreetly recording when suggestive selling occurred and when it did not. Most importantly, we spoke directly with cashiers immediately after transactions to understand things from their perspective.
We began noticing patterns.
Suggestive selling dropped sharply when lines formed. It declined further when customers appeared rushed. It was lowest during morning commute hours. In interviews, cashiers described subtle discomfort:
Several described watching customers' facial expressions closely. If someone avoided eye contact or seemed hurried, they skipped the prompt.
A clear picture began to emerge. Cashier motivation wasn't the issue. The real issue was social discomfort. Cashiers saw themselves as efficient and polite – their job was to serve the customer. Suggestive selling felt like serving the company at the expense of the customer. Adding an extra request introduced the risk of irritation or rejection. In short, the seemingly simple behavior carried the risk of social discord.
We redesigned the intervention around reducing that social risk. First, we reframed the prompt from selling to helping. Instead of "Would you like chips or a drink?" the script shifted to context-based suggestions: "Two for $4 on drinks today if you need one." "Hot day—cold drinks are right behind you." Second, we repositioned the physical environment. High-margin items were moved within arm's reach of the register, allowing cashiers to gesture rather than verbally push. Third, we gave cashiers a simple reframe – "Just the gas today?" This question changes the psychology. It plants the idea of adding an item without creating pressure to do so. Adding an item now feels like the customer's idea rather than the cashier's idea.
Through these subtle changes, suggestive selling rates increased significantly within eight weeks, particularly during high-traffic periods.
Frontline employees didn't avoid suggestive selling because they lacked discipline or didn't see its importance. They avoid it because the behavior felt socially risky and inconsistent with their serve-the-customer identity.
A fast-growing digital subscription company offered three tiers of service:
The Premium tier was the strategic focus. It delivered the highest margin and included features that drove long-term retention. Yet more than 70% of new customers selected Basic.
Leadership assumed the price gap was the problem. And if that is indeed the problem, the solution is both unsavory and clear: discount Premium. We had different intuitions. We suspected that choice architecture, and not price, was the real issue.
Through interviews we discovered that $19/month wasn't outside of people's financial comfort zone. The real issue was identity. Customers perceived Basic as "normal" – the option best suited for the typical subscriber. And most people saw themselves as fitting into that category. Premium, on the other hand, was perceived as the choice for those with specialized needs. When asked why they didn't choose Premium, participants often said things like, "Not sure I need all that."
Rather than discount Premium, we redesigned the choice architecture so that the Premium option seemed less like the advanced and more like the safe or typical option. To accomplish this we made two simple changes. First, we switched the label. "Premium" was changed to "Plus." Second, a new, more expensive option was introduced and given the label of "Premium." The premium option had a few more advanced features, making it a wonderful choice for users with more specialized needs. But in highlighting those features, it also repositioned the Plus option as the best fit for the typical user.
This gave users four tiers of service:
Although the features and cost hadn't changed, behavior did. Plus was no longer the "expensive" option. It was now perceived as the best value option. Within one quarter, the Plus selection increased by 31%, all without lowering price or adding features. Importantly, customer satisfaction did not decline, and churn remained stable. All that was required was changing the points of comparison.
Consumers don't evaluate options in isolation. They evaluate them in context. Changing the points of comparison fundamentally changes behavior.
A venture-backed medical device company had developed a next-generation cardiac monitoring platform. Clinical performance surpassed existing tools. Early trials suggested improved patient outcomes and lower complication rates. By any technical measure, the innovation was strong. Leadership believed the device represented a true breakthrough. Their go-to-market message reflected that belief:
The assumption was straightforward: if physicians and hospital systems fully appreciated the magnitude of the improvement, adoption would follow.
It didn't. Physicians expressed interest but hesitated to sponsor pilots. Hospital committees requested additional validation despite robust data. Procurement cycles stretched longer than expected.
The company took these struggles as a sign that they needed to do a better job of demonstrating the value of the device itself. Stronger messaging. Sharper differentiation. Clearer emphasis on transformational impact. So, the company amplified its claims.
And hesitation increased.
Friction-finding interviews with physicians and hospital administrators revealed a counterintuitive insight. Resistance was not rooted in disbelief about performance, nor was it an issue of cost or workflow burden. The issue was the emphasis on disruption. The more revolutionary the device was positioned to be, the more skeptical decision-makers became.
When an innovation is framed as revolutionary, it signals disruption. In healthcare systems — where stability, credibility, and patient safety are paramount — disruption implies risk. Three psychological forces were at play:
The device felt like a leap. Institutions prefer steps.
The solution was to reframe the narrative — without diminishing the promise. Instead of positioning the platform as a rupture from the past (a revolution story), we reframed it as the next logical advancement in cardiac monitoring, built on trusted standards and designed to integrate seamlessly into existing practice (an evolution story).
Before: "Redefining cardiac monitoring."
After: "The next logical advancement in cardiac monitoring."
The shift emphasized continuity with existing standards, compatibility with current workflows, and a natural progression supported by data. Same promise. Different psychological posture.
After the evolution reframing, pilot approvals noticeably accelerated, physician champions emerged more quickly, procurement conversations shifted from "prove it again" to "how can we phase this in?", and sales cycles shortened.
The product didn't need to be elevated. The psychological friction simply needed to be alleviated.
When adoption stalls, innovators instinctively add fuel. But intensifying attraction can amplify resistance. In complex systems like healthcare, decision-makers don't adopt revolutions. They adopt responsible evolutions. Breakthrough ideas gain traction not when they feel disruptive, but when they feel inevitable.
We'd love to help your breakthrough idea take flight. To get in touch with our team, fill out the short form below with your name, email, and a brief description of your project.
