Scientists have been studying the structure and principles of operation of the human brain for a long time.. Modern research in neuroscience and psychology has allowed us to understand how vulnerable it is to external influence. Having mastered the knowledge of the intricacies of our brain, people can easily manipulate our subconscious, causing the desired emotions and forming certain desires and habits. For companies and stores, this has become a real find. How can we understand that someone is manipulating us? Do we really want this or that product, or are marketers cleverly depriving us of the ability to think rationally and buy even what we do not need? Now we will consider five tricks with which stores make us spend more money.
Stores cleverly manipulate us, and we don’t even notice it. Image source: megaobzor.com
Contents
- 1 How Body Language Affects People
- 2 Price Drops on Popular Products
- 3 Music and Smells in Stores
- 4 Staff Behavior
- 5 The Most Effective Advertising
How Body Language Affects People
Stores skillfully use our bodies to subtly influence the decision-making process.
For example, in one famous experiment, participants made different gestures while reading a description of a character: some showed a thumbs up, expressing approval, while others showed a middle finger, which was considered inappropriate. The results showed that those who used the thumbs up gesture perceived the character more positively.
Products in stores are arranged in such a way that we make movements that push us to buy them. Image source: freepik.com
Another study found that people sitting in soft chairs were much more accommodating in negotiations compared to those sitting on hard chairs.
Companies find many ways to manipulate our bodies to encourage us to buy. For example, if a customer listens to a salesperson with their head turned to the right, they will be more likely to pay attention to the information. Or if a consumer has to nod while looking at products, this also increases the likelihood of a purchase. Even gestures, when a person reaches for or pushes away from a product, can influence the desire to buy an item.
Price reduction for popular products
Retail chains skillfully use our brains, using the so-called anchoring effect. This phenomenon was clearly demonstrated in an experiment conducted by Birt Englich from the University of Würzburg in Germany.
Experienced judges were given the same information about a criminal and had to pass sentence on a fictitious case. Before making a decision, they were asked to roll dice. One group rolled small numbers, the other rolled large ones. It would seem that random numbers should not affect the outcome, but this turned out to be not the case. Judges who rolled a smaller number handed down more lenient sentences, while those who rolled large numbers were stricter.
When we see that bread is inexpensive, the store immediately seems more profitable to us than the rest. Image source: new-retail.ru
The anchoring effect shows that our brain tends to rely on random factors when making decisions, even if they are irrelevant.
Stores use this principle to create the illusion of low prices. They deliberately reduce the cost of popular products, such as bread, milk or fruit, the prices of which are well known to customers. When we see these familiar products at a low price, our brain automatically perceives the entire store as a bargain. However, other products that we do not pay such close attention to may cost significantly more. As a result, we spend more, thinking that we are getting a bargain.
Music and smells in stores
The atmosphere in a store plays a huge role in how we make purchasing decisions. Warmth is associated with comfort and safety, so when we are in a warm space, we feel more relaxed and more inclined to buy. It is no coincidence that stores maintain a comfortable temperature: warm enough to be pleasant, but not too hot to keep shoppers active.
A beautiful store with pleasant aromas makes us want to buy more. Image source: pinterest.com
In addition to temperature, details such as lighting, color palette, music, and smells are important. In expensive stores, for example, classical music is often played and the lighting is dim, which creates a sense of luxury and makes us spend more. In supermarkets, bright lighting encourages active shopping, and aromas such as fresh bread or chocolate increase the desire to buy a product. This is another proven way in which stores subtly push us to spend more money than we planned.
Read also: What do the “C1” and “C2” markings on eggs mean – which ones are better to buy
Staff behavior
One of the key components of the atmosphere in the store is the behavior of the employees. Companies pay great attention to training their salespeople to create ideal conditions for the comfort of customers and their willingness to make purchases.
A good example is Apple, where new employees undergo two weeks of training to master the art of communicating with customers. The main goal is to raise the mood of the client, because a satisfied person is much more willing to spend money.
Apple stores are staffed by real marketing professionals. Image source: 9to5mac.com
Apple has a strict ban on using certain words to avoid negative emotions. Instead, salespeople are trained in techniques that create a feeling of genuine support for the customer. One such technique is “Feel-Seemed-Understood.” The salesperson first agrees with the customer’s doubts and then gently dispels them, helping the customer make a purchasing decision.
Everyone should know about this: What foods with food additives should you absolutely not buy?
The most effective advertising
Sexual images in advertising— is a powerful tool, especially effective for attracting men. Even a small attraction caused by an attractive model or a charming salesperson can weaken self-control and make a person less rational. In this state, buyers often make impulsive decisions, without even realizing how their behavior has changed under the influence of external factors.
Interestingly, this technique can be used not only by companies, but also by consumers themselves. In one experiment, it was found that flirting on the part of a female buyer helps to lower the price. Male salesmen were more willing to sell a car for less if the buyer was flirtatious and smiling. However, when the woman was serious and businesslike, the price increased. However, female salesmen had the opposite reaction: they offered a discount specifically to serious buyers.
There's a reason why beautiful girls appear in car ads. Image source: wallpaperflare.com
Stores use various tricks to make us spend more money than we planned, and often we don't even notice it. But even knowing all these tricks, it's sometimes hard to resist the temptation to make a purchase.
Want to know even more about the world around us? Subscribe to our Zen channel!
However, it's worth considering: is it always safe to buy discounted goods, especially food products like fruits and vegetables? If you're wondering if you can eat rotten fruits and vegetables, which are often sold at reduced prices, be sure to read this article.