Yes, this is true! “Shoppers psychology” is a real thing and it can hugely affect how effective a business’ sales operation is. Our brains work in predictable patterns; we make common associations, we move and think in certain ways, we even have shopping routines. Businesses can make use of shopper’s psychology to tailor their customers’ shopping experience. They can tap into the human psyche and alter their stores, websites, and products accordingly, to provide ultimate consumer satisfaction (and improve their sales of course!).
There are plenty of examples of shopper’s psychology, and generally there are two approaches – a direct approach and an indirect approach. A direct approach would be offering a concrete advantage, like a discount, to your shoppers in order to expand your influence on the market. For example, the car rental company Budget offers discounts to their customers via a Best Price Guarantee – in the event that they happen to find a better price than theirs for an equivalent service.
There is also an indirect approach to shopper psychology, like taking advantage of the fact that different colors evoke different emotions in customers. Red, for example, is associated with energy and urgency, whereas purple is a soothing color that can create a calm feeling. Businesses can make use of various colors to improve the effectiveness of their products and instill desirable feelings within their consumers’ minds.
Finally, it has been shown that 68% of consumers believe that signage reflects the quality of a business’s products. Furthermore, it is noted that 76% of consumers have entered a store purely because of its sign. Signs can be used to a business’ advantage and can create a favorable first impression.
These are just a handful of ways in which psychology can affect how customers shop. As you will see in the infographic below, our mind works in a myriad of ways when we enter a store or browse an ecommerce website. Both consumers and businesses can make use of this to create a fulfilling and enjoyable shopping experience: