Shoppers Psychology Online (Infographic)

This article below was written by our friends at 16best.net.

Shopping has become a way of life, a culture for everyone. For some, it has even become a habit. Have you ever wondered why you end up buying more than you bargained for, both online and offline? Ever wondered why at the end of the day, you go home with goods you never even planned on buying and very little of what initially wanted?

Well, turns out it doesn’t ‘just happen’. In fact, it is just the end result of a well thought-out process, with adequate implementations put in place by marketers.

After this article, you might begin to see shopping as a war rather than a spree because these marketers are all in for us. However, the better news is that you would be better equipped with full armory for the war zone.

There is a certain way the human brain works. There are certain incentives that appeal to our subconscious that we may have never really taken note of. It is all of these that marketers have put in place to devise the right strategies just so they could appeal to shoppers’ psyche.

It might surprise you to know that every precise detail has been well thought out and these techniques we most times overlook, are what are being used to take advantage of our minds. Right from the colors of products, to the smell of the shop, to signage, our decision making is constantly being properly influenced by the marketer’s own choices.

Take Groupon as a case study. The company gets people to buy their products with various tempting offers like one deal per day, catchy phrases which get your attention, herd shopping, cash backs, last minute sales and so on.

In fact, a survey revealed that coupons granted to customers go a long way in affecting their state of mind when shopping. Apparently, there is always a spike of oxytocin levels for those who receive coupons, say, a $10 voucher, compared to their friends who did not. This surge in oxytocin decreases the respiration rate by 32%, heart rate by 5%, increases happiness by 11%, lowers sweat level 10 times and ultimately makes one feel relaxed and stress free.

Would you look at all of that for just $10! Now, who would not want to shop better?

Certain colors are also used to appeal to a certain group of shoppers, just to sell certain items. Pink appeals to the ladies and is widely used to market feminine products. Black is for the managers and CEO’s as it exudes a sense of power, luxury and sleekness.

Apparently, even music is also just one of those tools to attract and make a shopper stay longer.

We hope that next time you visit a store, with all of these things in better perspective, you would be able to shop more selectively.