Original article from
Yahoo! Shine
1. Bigger shopping carts. Just as people tend to eat more if
it's piled onto a larger plate, they're more likely to spend more trying
to fill a bigger shopping cart.
2. The thrill of the hunt. One reason why big
box and warehouse stores are so appealing is that you never know what
kind of a bargain you might be able to bring home. The attitude is
that if you see it, you have got to buy it, because it may not be there
next time.
3. Meeting (or making) price expectations. Retailers know that
most people can't compare prices on every single item in a large store
(though smartphone apps that allow you to scan bar codes have made that
easier for savvy shoppers). So they drop the prices on a couple of
popular items -- and then raise the prices on other products.
4. Fake sales. People equate higher prices with
better quality. So they're willing to pay more for an item (or buy more
of an item) if they think they're getting a great deal. A $399.99
Kitchen Aid mixer that's been marked down from $499.99 seems like a
better deal than a $349.99 Kitchen Aid mixer that's the same in every
way except for the color (and the original price). A "10 for $10" deal
at the grocery store seems like a better bargain than a "5 for $5" deal,
because shoppers feel like they're getting more for their money, even
though they're spending more than they bargained for. And if the sign
says "4 for $10," shoppers are likely to buy four—even if they intended
to buy only one, and even if the item isn't actually on sale.
5. Perceived added value. Grocery stores often
group ingredients together, and leave handy recipe cards close by. It's a
fine example of the power of suggestion; you were going to buy the
avocados anyway, why not get all of the other things you need to make
guacamole, since the recipe is right here? Manufactures often add the
perception of value by redesigning products while reducing their
size—that "New!" label may just be there to hide the fact that they're
asking you to pay more for less product. And some retailers put their
most-expensive merchandise right up front; once you get past it, prices
on everything else in the store seem less expensive in comparison.
6. Triggering happy thoughts. High-end,
high-priced goods are placed where you can see them as soon as you walk
in the door, but retailers don't really expect you to put them in your
(oversized) shopping cart.
7. Letting you try things out in store. According to Women's Day,
researchers say that touching a product makes you more likely to buy
it. That's why so many stores place kid-friendly items near the
entrances; it's also why clothing stores put tables stacked with soft
sweaters or other touchable merchandise at hip level, rather than high
up, and why more grocery stories leave out free samples for you to
taste.
8. Changing the floor plan. You get your
grocery shopping down to a science—you know which aisles to hit in which
order to get the things you need and avoid the things you don't. And
then, one day, you walk in and things have been rearranged. They're not
merely upgrading the store—they're forcing you to spend more time in it,
notice products you hadn't purchased before, and fill up that (larger)
shopping cart.
9. Placing practical items in the checkout lanes.
Notice how there's more than just candy and magazines at the checkout
all of a sudden? Impulse items still exist, but they're being joined by a
host of helpful "whoops-we-think-you-may-have-forgotten-something"
items—things like DVDs, batteries, gift cards, lip balm, travel-size
bottles of ibuprofen, pens, and other useful, practical things that
probably weren't on your list—but that they hope you end up buying
anyway.
10. Making it a sensory experience. High-end
grocery stories mist water over the vegetables in the produce section,
the smell of freshly baked goods waft out from the bakery, rotisserie
chickens turn over a flame in plain near the deli counter. It's all
designed to stimulate the senses and make you want to buy more. Non-food
stores do it, too,
ConsumerGuides.org points out, with customized music, pretty displays, and even comfy seating so you can take a break and spend more time in the store.
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