May 29, 2022 12:00:00

What are the psychological techniques retailers use to induce 'impulse purchases' for their customers?

Some people have had the experience of buying food, clothes, and gadgets that weren't originally planned by the time they returned, even though they decided that they would only buy what they needed today. There should be many. This is not only because of his weak will, but also because the store uses psychological techniques to make customers 'unexpected shopping'. Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, who studies consumer psychology at

Anglia Ruskin University , explains.

How shops use psychology to influence your buying decisions
https://theconversation.com/how-shops-use-psychology-to-influence-your-buying-decisions-180355

According to a 2013 study , 50% of grocery sales are actually 'impulse buying', and 87% of shoppers are doing impulse buying. Impulsive buying when you enter the store thinking that you only buy what you need is influenced not only by internal factors such as lack of attention and self-control, but also by the psychological techniques that retailers set up. There is also. The techniques Jansson-Boyd mentions are:

◆ Layout change
Retailers sometimes change the layout of the sales floor, and some people have experienced that 'stationery is lined up in the place that used to be the kitchenware corner' and 'the sales floor of tomato ketchup has changed before I knew it.' Should be. When this happens, customers wander around the store in search of what they want, and see more products than originally planned, resulting in more opportunities for impulse purchases.

◆ Great deals such as discounts and 'buy 3 for free'
Attractive offers such as pops that appeal to discounts from regular prices and 'buy three and get one free' bring temporary joy to consumers. These feelings of joy make it difficult to make rational decisions, so it is easier to make impulse purchases by ignoring considerations such as 'Is this really necessary?' And losing the feeling of 'because it is profitable'. ..

◆ Tying sales
Game consoles often come with game software for 'tying sales' that apply psychological techniques, and if buying two or three products at once is cheaper than the list price, people just want to buy them. Become. This technique is often used on online shopping sites, and many people may see an advertisement saying 'buy in bulk is a great deal' when trying to buy something.

◆ Product corner next to the cash register
Many people are familiar with the layout where a few sweets and beverages are lined up next to the cash register, apart from the main display shelves in the store. It seems that this is also a technique for retailers to encourage consumers to make impulse purchases, and in a 2018

study , sales of individually wrapped sweets were 76 compared to stores that do not have a product corner next to the cash register. It has been suggested that it could drop by as much as%.

Of course, shopping itself has several benefits. When people feel unhappy or anxious, they feel that they can't control everything themselves, but buying what they like regains a sense of personal control and reduces sadness . can do. In addition, it is known that online shopping promotes the release of dopamine in the brain, and unlike when purchasing at the store, it gets excited when waiting for the arrival of the product .

However, if the temporary pleasure is not forgotten and unnecessary shopping is repeated, there is a risk of developing ' shopping addiction ' in which the shopping itself is no longer the purpose and cannot be stopped. In addition, impulse purchases have been shown to increase consumer shame and guilt , negatively impact mental well-being, and can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression, Jansson-Boyd said. ..

To stop the impulse purchases that bring disadvantages to consumers, it is effective for retailers themselves to change the layout and advertising methods. It may be unlikely that retailers will do their own disadvantages, but in the UK, with the aim of reducing obesity, 'restricting advertising methods that encourage the purchase of unhealthy foods in medium to large retailers. The initiative to 'do' will start in October 2022. In this way, if the danger of impulse buying is known and awareness of the problem is raised, it may be possible to put restrictions on the sales strategy of retail stores.