Source: Seth's Blog
Seth Godin identifies a mechanism consumer brands and retailers depend on but seldom name: friction is the primary brake on repeat consumption. The insight exceeds "make things easy." Ambient availability—hot water on tap, TV already plugged in—bypasses deliberation and converts passive access into habit. For CPG and retail companies, this explains why shelf placement, packaging design, and in-home convenience devices outperform advertising. They operate at the point of decision-making, where friction or its absence determines behavior more reliably than messaging.