34 psychological tricks retailers use to make you buy more stuff and thus spend more money.

1. 34
Psychological Tricks
Retailers Use to Make us
Spend More Money

2. “It was psychological trick called empathic listening.
You say what the person is feeling so they feel understood.”
― John Green

3. During my time working as a trade marketer and salesperson,
I’ve been learning a lot of tricks to impulse sales.
Here are some of the most effective and widely-used internationally.

4. Retail stores display cheap products at consumer sight for the client to perceive a
great deal. With that offer, curiosity makes people visit the whole range of products
inside the store and usually buy more, even though the other goods aren’t as
economical as the first one you saw. Plus, the offer you spotted might be the
simplest version of the product (without color choice, accessories, less features, etc.).
This is a calling product for you to spend more.
Nº1 - The call

5. Example: the offer grabs your attention. But once you get in, they want to tempt
you with more/different offers (sizes, flavors, etc.). So you spend more than planned.
!
And sometimes you find out (too late) that the offer you were coming for actually
has specific restrictions that apply or limited duration…

6. Some people will always be attracted by the highest priced items. Retailers
often exploit this psychology and increase prices on luxury items to
intensify that high status & rarity perception, and therefore sales.
Nº2 - Exclusivity
Retailing wisdom holds that Rolex began
selling more watches when they increased the
price & the status of their product.

7. Example:
According to a study during wine tasting activity, when participants were told
that a wine had a high price, they gave that wine higher ratings. They also
experienced higher activation in the brain regions associated with feelings of
pleasantness. To some extent, consumers are letting price influence how they
feel about products and services.

8. Most customers shy away from the lowest priced items. They don't want to be
cheap, and often associate the lowest price item with poor quality. On the other
hand, highest price items are here to help the customer contrasting his choices.
So, for retailers, the best way to use psychology to increase sales is to highlight
the middled price offer (or high rotation ones) at eye level.
Nº3 - Middle Sale

9. In 8 studies published from 1987 to 2004, prices ending with the magic number 9
($1.99, 49 and so on) boosted sales by 24% (as per Priceless). Most people still
perceive the items less expensive than with rounded prices.
Nº4 - The missing cent
Some go even farther, like in Colombia,
retailers don’t have 1, 2 or 10 cent coins. So
they’re not able to give your change back
and round up your check in their favor.

10. Sale and discount prices appear to be the most magical trick of all. Everyone loves a
deal, and will often buy products just because they are on sale.
Nº5 - Ultimate Discount

11. Accessories are part of retailers’ strategy to make you spend extra money.
"Well, you can't get true HD pictures without buying the HDMI cable. Sure, you could
buy this $15, but this $50 Monster Cable is made with better quality..."
Accessories are VERY profitable for retailers.
Nº6 - Add-ons

12. Brands offer free samples or testing for you to be convinced the product is working. It
is widely used in cosmetics, sometimes with tricky effects to make you think it works
instantly... sorry to tell you, no miracles exist! But beauty & happiness do sell.
Nº7 - Testing
!
Example: M.A.C (make up) offers a 10 minute focus
session to make you feel beautiful and buy more.

13. Example: the toy brand even has some « FunParks »
for children to enjoy playing with their favorite toys
with an exclusive shop inside.
It’s a great way to make children push their parents to
buy more of those little guys.

14. By offering you the 10th purchase thanks to a loyalty card, you psychologically think
you're earning something more for free. For the brands, it is a great way to encourage
you to spend more & classify their customers by assessing their loyalty. For the
customers, it is sometimes a great benefit, but it can also turns into a lot of junk mail,
poor added value items or too many restrictions.
Nº8 - Don’t Cheat
Example: American Express has often been voted top loyalty program

15. By collecting your data when you first buy from the brand, they get to know
your preferences better and can send you targeted special offers for you to
spend more. They can also learn your buying habits (when, where, how
much, etc.). It is called Customer Relationship Management.
Nº9 - CRM
Example: Hugo Boss goes farther by asking clients personal interests
and invite them to private events for new collections launch.

16. "I sold one to a doctor yesterday". Implying that intelligent people make this
purchase gives credibility to the offer. It is specifically good when selling
technology or complex products. That way, people feel like they can also
be as intelligent as that person & own it too.
Nº10 - Smart Close

17. "Ok I'll let you think about it, but don't tell me you're coming back tomorrow. If you
really like the product, you better buy it now, because tomorrow I will need to sell it to
you at the normal price". Basically they’ll just leave the customer for 1 minute and
come back teasing him. It works a lot...
Nº11 - Think About It

18. By typing on the calculator, people automatically think you're making them a
special treatment. It is also a great way to convince people better about a
reduced price.
Nº12 - The Calculator

19. This is the first interaction clients have with a store. Owners make the most of this
by displaying new, economic or high rotation products, or sales season. The
objective is to get people's attention from the outside. Sometimes you don't even
plan to get in, but still will...
Nº13 - The Window

20. Brands adopt a frequent turnover to stay competitive and always provoke the
customer's interest. Newness enhances sales and pushes people to rush into the
items quicker as it can be running out of stock.
Nº14 - Product turnover
Example: Zara is the best example we can give for that. They change their collection every 3 weeks so that customers
can always feel like something new is coming. Plus, once you spot an item you like, you feel like you have to acquire it
right now before it goes out of stock.

21. Playing with packaging is a modern trick brands use to make you think you’re
saving money on purchases. For example, they will expose a smaller packaging
with the same price or a 10% off product but with reduced packaging.
Nº15 - Packaging

22. Buy 2, Get 1 free: by getting 2 products for the price of one, you feel proud. But in
the end, they sold you more and probably made that much money. Moreover, they
expect you to get used to it and come back visiting in a near future. Another one
similar can be, "buy this one and I'll give you this for free" (like a concession in exchange
for the close). It’s a great trick to make you feel « involved » with the brand.
Nº16 - BOGOF

23. « Yes, the price can seem high, but if you divide it into 365 days… » Reducing cost to
daily amount can be very effective. It also helps to compare benefits & features
over price.
Nº17 - Cost Over Time

24. « I think it's too expensive for you » says the salesperson. By classifying your customer
or prospect into a lower range, he can feel hurt in his esteem and want to buy the
most expensive product. I used that a lot selling pricey cosmetics and it works very
often because people want to prove you they can afford it (pure ego trick).
We would also use something like "Ok then, keep with your ineffective product" or "stay
with your pain". Trust me, it hurts people's feelings.
Nº18 - Bad Feeling

25. Complimenting customers, especially for fashion stores, makes people buy more.
Exaggerating is often part of the selling speech. A lot of people also try to connect
with the customer's feelings and personal stories for that...
Nº19 - Compliment

26. Get people to commit with you and make them owe you something. They usually do
this by asking several questions: « How are you today? Have you tried our products/
services before? Where are you from? Oh you play rugby, my son is a big fan of… »
Nº20 - Commitment

27. Whether it is music, smell, images, touch, screens, lights, colors, path, etc. All those
characteristics are widely used by most modern stores to improve customer experience.
Of course we like colors and beautiful images around us. Studies also show that music
influences the rhythm of our purchases; the faster the music, the quicker we buy. That's
why restaurants often play slow music to encourage us to eat more.
Nº21 - Atmosphere
Example: IKEA revolutionized the customer
experience by setting up a path to follow within
the store. It is a very clever way to let people go
around and buy extra products…

28. Example: Subway makes use of the color green in its branding materials. This color is one of
the easiest for the human eye to process. The color is also associated with health, balance
and restoration, which are all integrated with Subway’s overall marketing strategy.

29. It just consists of keeping some prices down during a small amount of time. That way,
people feel the urge to get the product before the offer ends. Often, brands will repeat
this in time, and thus you would have just been tricked (again). It works quite well…
Nº22 - Time-limited Offer

30. I've been part of it myself as a model. Basically, you're here to catch people's attention
and flirt with them while they try or look for products. Let's be honest, people like
what's good to look at and new experiences. Even if they only come for a picture with
the model, then you get their attention inside the store. Also, some companies hire
brand professionals to "help" you discover their products. It can be by providing
information, testing or showing some features of it. It clearly boosts sales...
Nº23 - Professional Hand

31. Retailers classify their products by brands and categories in order to push
complementary sales. For example, if you come to buy a shampoo, you'll find right
next to it soap, deodorant, creams, etc. Or if you by alcohol, you’ll find snacks &
beverages nearby…
Nº24 - Cross-selling

32. This one is a display, usually an informative image, placed in the aisle directly between the
shelves, to catch your eye on a specific product. It often comes with detailed information/
benefits & a special price as well.
Nº25 - Shelf Display

33. Those are displays near the cashier or directly on the counter. It aims to make people
spend more while they're waiting to check out with their items and provoke additional
sales at a small extra cost. Examples: beverages, magazines, candies, etc.
Nº26 - Counter Display

34. It usually consist of one product only (new or high rotation one), displayed at the
tip of the aisle, with a visible price and limited in time. It also comes with a
header/banner, bright colors and some floor guidance. It helps selling a lot more
as people see a bargain limited in time and quantity.
Nº27 - Special display

35. According to studies & research, we tend to have some kind of natural behavior
walking towards certain directions. The hot zone is where we go spontaneously;
that is where are displayed the special offers to provoke impulse and higher sales
(pyramid, zig zag...; making us step in the "right" direction). The cold zone is less
visited & more distant; it is where we go on purpose because we know the
products we're looking for are here.
Nº28 - Hot/Cold zones

36. Plus, you'll notice that most supermarkets' entrances are located on the right, not
on the left. Studies reportedly showed we tend to walk towards the right. By
entering the right (or center sometimes), they make sure we go all over the place
before leaving so that they can trick us with some special discounts and offers. It is
also why you don't see many external windows within those places (they try to lose
us and make us forget what's going on outside). But of course, every shop has its
own analysis & influence on the customer flow and arrangement for better results...

37. By communicating, brands grab your attention to get you to come and visit them
more often. It can be through promoting the brand, a new product or an
exclusive offer. Each brand embraces its own tone, message & strategy.
Nº29 - Advertising

38. According to a 2009 Cornell University study, prices marked with dollar signs are
correlated with lower consumer spending levels. The reason why? We’re overloaded
with information. Words and symbols are additional pieces of information for us to
process. Expensive restaurants with a minimalistic approach (‘24’ vs. ‘$24’) want patrons
to focus on the food instead of the price (sometimes they don’t even display it).
Nº30 - Get Rid of $

39. « Not seen, not taken ». Retailers make the most of your fast pace (about 1 meter
per second) by displaying at least 2 facings of one product. It enhances the
visibility of the offer and thus the probability of purchase. For that reason, many
brands try to group most of their products together. It gives a strong image.
Nº31 - Facing

40. This technique consists of assembling items together to show people how good it
fits. It aims to inspire people & push them to buy more goods. It is largely used
within the fashion industry with top & bottom clothes displayed as a whole.
Nº32 - Anatomy

41. The way retailers display their messages through the store is no coincidence. They
wisely choose where they want you to go with big posters visible from far. It
sometimes gives you information you weren’t planning on seeing…and so buying.
Nº33 - Communication

42. Retailers use special events to provoke your (or your children’s) attention. Often, as
it is the case for Christmas, it urges people to come and buy the products quickly
before there’s no more. Plus, prices usually go up for those seasons.
Nº34 - Christmas Treat

43. One of the smartest move a brand has made recently is the campaign run by Coca-Cola.
Give your friend a bottle with his name, namely « give happiness to those you care about ». It
is a fantastic technique to get people to spend more, because they think they're also doing
something good for their entourage… and they all enjoy themselves.
!
When I was selling cosmetics within malls, we saw many customers coming back the day
after, saying: "I'd like to return this product. It's not that I don't like it, but it's just that I don't
know why I bought it; I'll never use it anyway".
That's just an example of how good those psychological tricks are...
Conclusion

44. The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.
-Howard Schultz

45. Jérémie -­‐ Professional Model, Serial Ent6epreneur
& Personal Development Adopter.
!
French, Fashionista, FitAess Addict, Blogger,
Ambitious, Salesperson, People-­‐Oriented
Author