Interesting psychology facts about shopping

Interesting psychology facts about shopping

Shopping Psychology Facts

Do you wonder about the psychology in play when shopping? Well, here are 16 interesting psychology facts about shopping!

16 Interesting psychology facts about shopping!

1. Prices are written in red – There was a recent study done called, “The Effect of Red Versus Black Prices on Price Perceptions” — published in The Journal of Retailing. Using graduate students at Philadelphia University, researchers found that when prices were written in red, men saw a better bargain than if the price was written in black. Furthermore, they felt better about the purchase as well! But this trick doesn’t work well on women who see the red prices as a warning that they might be getting tricked.

2. Items about family are placed in the front – Generally, people are in a better mood when buying things for their families, friends, or children so these items are often placed in the front of the store. On the other hand, when shopping for household items or laundry, customers are often stressed or uninterested so these objects are often placed in the back of the store.

3. Newer products are launched in convenience stores first – Customers are often reluctant to walk all the way around larger stores which are seen as bigger and more daunting while they are willing to walk all the way around a convenience store because of its small size. So, companies will launch their newer products in convenience stores first.

4. Using social proof through empty shelves – Customers are more likely to buy products that look like have been popular with other customers – leaving an empty shelf. So in an attempt to have cost more buy a certain product over another,  stores will deliberately make a shelf look more empty than it is. This trick is called social proofing.

5. Importance placed on price – It would be logical to believe that a fancy and good looking display would entice customers to be attracted to a product. This may have been true a decade ago, but today it’s a product’s sale or price that attracts customers. So retailers will often place importance on the great bargains than waste money on over the top displays. For example, when looking at a display of t-shirts, stores will put 50% off or the price in large letters and not worry too much about the display. The recessions has made people more receptive to prices than physical appearances.

6. Basket attacks – Shops will be prompt about handing out baskets and trolleys to customers, because people then feel embarrassed taking a basket with one item to the counter, and it increases the chances of multiple purchases.

7. Escalator positioning – Stored often want their customers to see as much as they store and products as possible. Thus, you will find that after climbing an escalator you have to travel halfway around a store to get to the next connecting escalator. So for example, if you want to go from the first floor of a store to the fourth, you will have to travel around the store multiple times to find the connecting escalators to bring you one level up. This is to make customers spend more time in the store and looking at their products.

8. Flooring – Retailers often control the type of flooring in a store in order to control where the customers walk. Department stores use the difference between carpet and linoleum to subtly steer customers around and hold them in certain places. Occasionally you will find random rugs and mats laid out in aisles of supermarkets to slow traffic.

9. Mirrors – Stores use human vanity to their advantage by placing mirrors in the front of stores and making their mirrors very reflective. This subtle trick makes people slow down in front of the store and spend more time there.

10. Repetition – Companies and stores slowly engrain us with their slogans and jingles by playing them often and everywhere. The more we hear and see about a product, the more we will trust it when we see it in the store.

11. Seating – Any and all benches you see inside stores will be placed facing the merchandise. The trick behind this is clear: the more people see the product the more they’ll want to buy it.

12. Windows – It is not uncommon to see few windows and abundance of artificial light inside department stores. This is to separate the customer from the outside world and prevent them from realizing the passing of time- like the sky turning dark outside.

13. The Yes man – Employees are often trained to offer upgrades to customers , like “would you like to upgrade to large fries for just 50 cents more?”. Almost 47% are more likely to upgrade when given the chance.

14. Member Discounts – How many times have you been checking out your items and the cashier offers you a discount for becoming a member or signing up for rewards. Often these rewards take a lot purchases and time to get anything back, but customers are more likely to pick that store again if they believe they will get something in return.

15. Obstacle courses- Stores will often place large and bulky displays in order to slow down traffic and make customers spend more time in a certain part of the store.

16. Points of interest– the reason that the candy is placed right at the cash register is to entice children to ask their parents to buy it for them. This is the same for small items in large department stores. This is promote compulsive shopping and make the consumers spend more money.