27 Vendor Tips to Save You Money
Find out the 27 devious psychological tips sellers and traders use to keep you spending more - and how to outsmart them.
To make you spend more, sellers and traders lure you in with a few low-cost items
It is no coincidence that the first things you see when you walk into most stores are the cheap treat bags or the cheap socks. These inexpensive items are designed to get you to open your wallet and are designed to break down the psychological “no-spend” barrier that arises as soon as you walk into a retailer. “North Americans are suspicious,” observes consultant Jeff Green. But that cheap item that you toss in your cart will immediately trigger the little stimulus you needed to spend more a little later. ”
Supermarkets assail you with good smells
By bombarding you with the smells of baked bread or roast chicken as soon as you walk into the supermarket, retailers know very well what they're doing: activating your salivary glands. Because as soon as you salivate, you become a much less disciplined buyer, reports Paco Underhill, author of What Women Want: The Science of Female Shopping ( What Women Want: The Science of Shopping feminine ). And this practice is not limited to diet. Do you know how researcher Martin Lindstrom, hired by a home appliance store, drove up sales of fridges and stoves by 23 percent? By diffusing the scent of apple pie in the air!
Stores keep you at home longer with music
Many stores play music that is much slower than your heartbeat, so you spend more time in their premises - and buy up to 29% more, according to researcher Martin Lindstrom.
To make you spend more, sellers and traders let you touch the merchandise
According to a Caltech study, customers who were allowed to see and touch products (whether mugs, DVDs or snacks) were 40 to 60 percent more willing to buy than those who were only shown photos or a description of the article. Other studies confirm this: the more time you spend handling the product, the more likely you are to pay for it. No need to wonder why Apple is lining up tons of phones and computers on its display tables, or why car salespeople are so happy to offer you to try a model.
Grocery stores and supermarkets assume you won't calculate the unit price
When a grocery store gives you a "real deal" like "10 for $ 10", you only care about volume, even though the promotion actually increases the price of the item. If you take an 89-cent can of tuna and label it "10 for $ 10," customers, instead of buying 6 cans of 89-cent tuna, are going to buy 10 for $ 10, says former supermarket executive Jeff Weidauer.
Instant reward, deferred payment
When you make a purchase from iTunes or the Apple Store, you don't immediately receive your bill. This alleviates what economists call the “pain of paying”. You instantly get what you paid for, but you won't be reminded until much later of what you paid for… which will put you in a better position to keep buying. Credit cards are particularly dangerous for this very reason.
To make you spend more, restaurants camouflage the dollar symbol
The next time you go to a restaurant, note the absence of the dollar sign on the menu. According to a Cornell University study, diners spend less when this symbol appears on the menu than when only numbers indicate the price of the dish. Not seeing this evocative symbol of money disappearing creates cognitive distancing in your mind that allows you to better channel your thoughts about the reward without worrying about the cost.
Grocery stores dictate your driving with carts and baskets
Nature hates emptiness ... almost as much as a customer hates an empty shopping cart. “The baskets encourage people to buy more,” says Paco Underhill. And it's even more tempting to fill a cart with compulsive shopping. For the purposes of a grocery store study, retailers doubled the size of their cart to see if customers were buying more. Result: 19 percent more purchases. Always carry your purchases by hand, if possible.
To make you spend more, stores round up your savings
An easy-to-calculate discount gives us the illusion that it's better, says William Poundstone. A sign that says “Was $ 20, now $ 15” will work better than one that says “Was $ 20, now $ 13.97”. You will be more attracted to the first, even if the second gives you a better economy.
Retailers bait you with loyalty cards
You are being tracked. If you use your loyalty card, your spending habits are recorded and often used to get you to buy more. According to the New York Times, retailers are successful in enticing the shopper to spend by determining from their previous purchases what type of purchase they are falling for. So if you see that your regular store advertises 3 boxes of 12 Pepsis for $ 12.99, then the grocer knows you're going to buy them at that price, even if you don't need them.
They flood you with bright colors and play on the feeling of belonging
Beware of shopping during the holiday season, warns Professor Kit Yarrow: red may well push you to spend lavishly. Red stimulates and energizes the brain, she explains, noting in passing that waitresses dressed in red get 14 to 26 percent more tips than those wearing any other color. Studies also show that most shoppers buy more when they are in a crowded store because they subconsciously desire to be part of the group. Mondays and Tuesdays are generally the best days to shop. Avoid Sundays at all costs.
To make you spend more, stores lure you in with fake coupons
Some coupons may appear to offer discounts, but this is really just advertising - sometimes for the more expensive products in the line. Authors of a 2003 New York University study found that customers who came with coupons spent an average of $ 2.28 for an item while those without coupons opted for a cheaper item. at $ 2.07. They conclude that "the availability of coupons for an expensive product increases the likelihood that customers will buy that product."
The stores tempt you with… chocolates!
Nothing beats a free chocolate. According to the Journal of Consumer Research , potential buyers showed a greater desire to purchase a luxury item such as a watch, laptop or designer item of clothing immediately after eating a Lindt chocolate truffle that they came from. to offer them. How surprised then that most Lindt stores offer you a free sample of their products as soon as you set foot in one of their stores?
Manufacturers are slyly reducing container and portion sizes
Beware of new packaging! Check the volume in the new bottle of your regular shampoo, and you may well find that you are paying the same price for less, warns William Poundstone. How does the manufacturer cover up his misdeed? Thanks to a recess ingeniously placed at the bottom of the container.
Sellers seduce you with favors, advice and services
Don't try on clothes you don't need. A customer who stops to chat with an employee and tries on an item of clothing is twice as likely to buy as someone who doesn't, says Paco Underhill. In general, the more you interact with the seller, the more likely you are to buy something - especially you wouldn't want to disappoint someone who has helped you, right?
Their armchairs stretch out their arms to you
You've probably noticed that most clothing and home furnishings stores have a few armchairs in the center aisle for tired shoppers (yes, husbands!). Now you have may not be noticed, but these seats are often placed close to showing display products that the store wants to get rid says Johan Stenebo, author of the book The Truth About Ikea ( The Truth About Ikea ). “Retailers are reserving these very lucrative areas for items that are left on their hands,” she adds.
To make you spend more, salespeople imitate your body language
Humans would give anything to be understood. But it turns out that many studies have shown that a salesperson who imitates their customers' body language is more likely to make better sales - a success that physical contact can amplify even more. Research indicates that any physical contact, especially from a woman, can increase a person's sense of security and hence their risky behavior.
They charge you more for less - because you're too lazy to care
You can expect to pay more for things if you are lazy. From Dairy Queen to Starbucks, a number of retailers have taken to selling mini portions at prices where you certainly don't get your money's worth, USA Today notes. They know that most people would rather be seen as virtuous (eating fewer calories than a normal serving) than as tight-fisted. And they're willing to spend more so they don't have to divide those mini portions themselves.
Phone and Internet companies needlessly bundle their services
Pay attention to "bundled" services. Phone companies bundle all of their services into one package (texting, calling, and internet) because they believe you won't read the fine print. As a result, you won't understand that you are paying more than if you subscribe to each of these services separately, says William Poundstone.
Sellers and traders place you (unnecessarily!) In a hurry
Decode the true meaning of certain phrases spoken by salespeople. "For a limited time only" creates a sense of urgency in you, warns Ravi Dhar, professor of marketing at Yale.
Stores orchestrate false shortages
Think of products offered to a "limited number per customer" for what they really are: a scam. “People are like, 'Oh, there's not much left, I should buy this stuff,'” says Vicki Morwitz of the Stern School of Business at New York University. But this is probably wrong!
Grocery stores showcase their most flamboyant products
Bright colors put you in a good mood and entice you to buy more, says Phil Lempert, an expert in the retail grocery industry. This is why you should start shopping in the middle of the store, where the rather ordinary products are stored.
They play on your insecurity during your shopping spree
A recent study from the Journal of Consumer Research tells us that the charm of a cashier can greatly influence the volume of our purchases. When faced with attractive employees, regardless of their gender, we become more aware of ourselves and then become less inclined to buy personal care products - and sometimes we even buy nothing. Faced with a cashier with an innocuous physique, we will be more inclined to spend. Online shopping, however, inhibits any such anxiety, and that is why it is going through such a boom.
Online stores set a minimum amount for free shipping
Since fast delivery can put your purchase price up dangerously, you must be telling yourself that free delivery is a real bargain, right? False! Many companies require you to spend a minimum amount to qualify ($ 49 for Amazon, sometimes more at other sellers), which penalizes customers who only buy one or two trinkets. This happens more often than you might think. “I often find myself looking for other items to qualify for free shipping,” says Brent Shelton, spokesperson for an online thrift site. I tell myself that there must be something I need while knowing very well inside me that this is not the case. ”
Grocery stores send you into a shopping maze
The fresh produce is in row one, the butter in two, and the layers… in row three! But who could have designed this store? A retail genius, obviously. Marketing experts know that a customer who loses his bearings will be more inclined to impulse purchases. Study found that customers who were interrupted when making a risky decision (buying a $ 20 bag of organic coffee, for example) were more likely to buy it once that distraction took hold. end. Why? Because the examination they had taken before being interrupted had given them a false sense of familiarity with the item in question, and at the same time reduced the mental risk of buying it.
Restaurants and clothing stores use lures that cost you dearly
Okay, $ 175 is a lot of money… but not as much as $ 475, right? Knowing full well that your brain will engage in this comparison if given two very different numbers, many restaurant menus feature their most expensive dish at the top of the menu, while fashion stores will put an overpriced item of clothing at the top of the menu. next to another much more affordable in the hope of alleviating your price sensitivity. Don't let the "relatively cheap" spoil your judgment: $ 175 is still $ 175.
They save your details to facilitate subsequent transactions
According to Dan Ariely of Wired magazine , most consumers would be more likely to buy from a site that already has our postal and bank details than from a site where they have to enter that information every time - even if it costs them more. Sites like Amazon understand this very well and keep all of this information after a single purchase, which makes subsequent transactions much easier.
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