Human Buyology
Ever wondered why there are moments when you lose control and end up on a shopping spree? It may not be your fault as you are just helpless to resist the 360degree psychological forces at work to make you spend starting from the innocuous flyers in newspapers to the addictive jingles to pesky sms which keep buzzing your cell on TV . Often it happens that we go for shopping without any intention of buying anything but end up purchasing lot of it.
Shopping more than you need
What is this behavior of helplessly buying merchandise? Some of the reasons associated with the human buyology are listed below:
- A little bit here and a little bit there: Shops use confusing layouts designed to keep you browsing as long as possible, aroma of freshly baked bread that put you in a carefree holiday mood and clothes that are simply begging to be touched and tried on. The odds of you leaving the mall without buying are slim. Is there any layout of a mall or store which made you wander endlessly on because the things were placed so contiguously ?
- A new religion called Shopping: Shopping has been cynically described as the new religion with mall as its temples. It turns out that the cynics are right: shopping can be an almost religious experience. Products and brands evoke the certain feeling and association based on how they feel, look and smell. It has been observed that the brains react in a similar manner when they look at the powerful brands such as Apple, Sony, Bose Harley Davidson etc and the religious icons and figures.
- Culture and Gender Divide: Culture plays an important role in shaping the shopping experience and the shopping in Asia is completely different from shopping in any other part of the world. Asians spend more time shopping than people in other countries. Commonly it has been seen that men tend to look into the price tag before buying anything where as women don’t and as a result shops take the advantage of this situation.
- The irresistible price tags: It is the most important factor in terms of the buying behavior of people. People tend to fall the prey of 5999 or 2995 etc price tag. Also using the store loyalty card makes the shops record one’s buying habits and is often used to lure you to buy more.
- The Seducing Phrases: Shops often use the phrases like “For Limited Period” to create a sense of urgency and lure the customers. Other phrases that are used “Buy one and get the lower priced article at 50 percent off” incites more people to buy than if the sign read simply “25 percent off”.
Ankul Bagati
Symbiosis Centre for Information Technology
Management Intern (Simplibuy Technologies)
