The 5 psychological effects of Black Friday
As you know, Black Friday is the last Friday of November and it is so famous for its discounts in most stores and online platforms. The stores are crowded with people and consumerism prevails in the cities. However, individuals normalize it without realizing what causes all this.
In this article we will see the main psychological effects of Black Friday in our mind .
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The psychological effects of Black Friday
For all the curious people who ask, this is what happens to us before this avalanche of discounts and discounts that makes us buy disproportionately.
1. Appearance of the need
We are presented with offers that have an expiration date, which We are generating the urge to acquire the product even if we do not need it . It gives us the impression that if we lose the opportunity we will regret it. From this moment, the person will think that he needs it, or rather, they have made him think that he needs it and that if he does not buy it he will feel guilty.
In addition, purchases are justified due to the proximity of Christmas, which progressively increases the term of urgency, and there they no longer escape the clutches of uncontrolled consumerism.
2. Anticipation
Companies plan this day in advance. For this they carry out large marketing campaigns either through email, television, advertising posters or the radio.
Definitely, they fight for the attention of potential clients , generating different advertising campaigns to reach all buyer profiles. This is achieved by presenting their promotions as soon as possible and repeatedly, making a call to our most primary emotions, activating our limbic system, and thus favoring our memory of that brand.
3. Letting out that offer or being happy?
We have already seen that brands They play with our emotions in order to get more buyers . However, they also generate needs that are not congruent with the real ones. In this pulse, during purchases, the perceived needs win.
In order not to risk that the clientele does not buy, there is a meticulous planning. They start presenting ads so that we fantasize about obtaining that product , that today we can not buy. We imagine what it would be like to have it, coming to believe that we need it. Finally, it becomes an activity that activates pleasure centers; There is a release of dopamine and endocrine causing a sense of well-being.
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4. When buying, we leave critical thinking aside
The fact of getting a reduced item produces pleasure, since we think that today and only today we will have the opportunity to obtain the desired product. Also, through marketing strategies, prices decrease a little although they remain high. Nevertheless, they make sure to make the rebate visible so that the potential client sees it , and they present it as unique, so that they finally buy it. In short, we do not buy rationally.
This also occurs in online purchases, and the comfort factor is added, since there are no crowds or queues, which facilitates the payment process. With this increases impulsivity , since it is paid with a credit card and people are less aware of the expense.
5. Social pressure
We see that in our environment, most will take advantage of the offers to give themselves a whim.
We do not want to feel excluded or get out of the norm . We consider if it is worth spending that money now, some acquaintances try to convince us of the bargains, we see more and more announcements, and before such pressure in the end some need is generated. Finally, we fall into the trap and how not ... we end up consuming.
How to mitigate the effects of consumerism?
After this journey through the minds of consumers we can better understand why this triumph of Black Friday , and how to reduce it. Knowledge is the first step to avoid excessive and unnecessary consumption. Let's be more cautious not to hurt ourselves. Zygmunt Bauman said, "Consumerism promises something that can not be fulfilled: universal happiness, and aims to solve the problem of freedom by reducing it to consumer freedom".
