yes, therapy helps!
Stores and stores use these 7 psychological facts to earn more

Stores and stores use these 7 psychological facts to earn more

April 3, 2024

It's been a while since Psychology is used in the world of shopping and business , although this is a less academic version than the one that takes place in the universities.

This does not mean that the different marketing techniques used by businesses to influence the purchase of customers are not studied, although there is always the question of whether this type of trickery goes beyond the limits of ethics .

Tricks and psychological effects that stores use

Be that as it may, the reality is that stores, shops and establishments open to the public employ different techniques so that you end up spending much more money than you had thought. These are some principles of psychology used by shops and businesses without us realizing it, and that can greatly influence our purchasing decisions.


1. The purchase of shame

Medium or large stores and supermarkets tend to ensure that there are always a good number of cars and empty baskets near the entrance , not only because they are very sought-after objects, but also because they are interested in having everyone take one.

Many people feel a certain embarrassment when going through a box carrying only one product in their cart or cart, so they will have to buy some other product so that they do not seem to have monopolized that container in an unjustified way.

2. Creating a watertight compartment

In supermarkets and large shopping areas There are usually two significant absences: windows and watches .


The fact of not having these elements causes that the space of purchase remains without references on the outside world, which causes that the clients forget the step of the time and that the life continues happening beyond the walls of the store . Thus, it will be more likely to keep going around reviewing the products that are exposed for sale.

3. The foot in the door

This is a persuasion technique that is also used in buying processes. It consists in that, When the customer has already chosen what they want to buy and starts the process that will end in the payment, they are offered an "extra" for a little more money .

The chances of customers accepting this deal will be higher than if this were offered pack of products from the beginning, because the buyer has already been mentalized about the fact that he is going to spend money and, although at some point he comes to believe that he is spending a little more than he should, buying that "extra" it will help reduce the cognitive dissonance of having bought something without being completely sure if it compensates.


Somehow, keep buying is a way to justify the previous purchase , is a way to show that the previous dilemma has not existed. Of course, if this extra offer is, in addition, a discount on another product (or is perceived as that), the cost assessment will also make this purchase look more attractive.

4. The mirrors

The supermarkets use all kinds of tricks to make the average buyer who enters through their doors stay a little more time inside the premises. One of them is quite simple, and consists of placing mirrors .

It is clear that most people do not stand in front of a mirror looking at each other, but even if it is almost automatically they will tend to stay closer to them, looking sideways or walking more slowly.

5. The social proof

Some points of sale and brands use the principle called social proof to sell more. The concept of "social proof" means a demonstration of marketinian strength to imply that a product is triumphing in the market . It implies showing the consumer the success and social impact that a certain product is having on the target audience, although part of this "impact" can be fictitious or imaginary.

The dark side of social proof, for example, could be hiring bots and all kinds of false profiles to follow certain Twitter or YouTube accounts, or create a deliberate shortage of a product on the day of its release so that queues are formed in certain stores where it is available.

6. The least necessary items are in the entrance

And those that require a greater frequency of purchase, in the most remote areas of this . The goal is clear: make everyone pass in front of as many shelves as possible as often as possible.

7. The first floor, always for women

In clothing stores, the section for men is always at the furthest point from the entrance . This is because the women who accompany men to these stores are usually a type of buyer more impulsive than them.This means that women who accompany men often fall into the temptation to buy something they have seen while they were going to the men's apartment.

If you have been interested in this article, you can also read: "The 12 psychological tricks that supermarkets use to spend more money"

19 Simple Psychological Tricks That Actually Work (April 2024).


Similar Articles