A lot of the time even if we go out without the intention of going into a shop or restaurant, we end up not only walking in but also spending money we didn’t plan to spend. This is not just because people are “gullible” or easily appealed by every nice looking product they see. Expert marketers and advertisers have many tricks up their sleeves to get us to spend money on things we don’t particularly need. Here are some of the Tricks That Business Use of the trade to get your attention and have you spend more money that you intended to:
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Psychology of the Menu Design- Tricks That Business Use
Restaurants and coffeeshops incorporate a few sneaky tactics in their menu design and the way they word product names to make their food seem more appealing to customers. One of those tricks is putting the most appetising (and often most expensive) dishes at the top of the page, because that’s where customers usually look at first.
Another clever strategy many eateries incorporate in their menus is using words that customers will associate with their childhood or giving dishes appetising sounding descriptions. For instance you might notice items on the menu called “Aunt Mary’s Tomato Soup” with the description reading “warm soup made with fresh garden tomatoes, served with crispy toasted baguette”. It would be hard for anyone to resist after reading this mouth-watering description!
The last trick you might spot while reading the menu at a restaurant is the lack of currency signs on the prices. People hate spending money and businesses are aware of that. By not including a currency they trick your brain to stop associating the number on the page with real money.
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Welcoming Pavement Signs- Tricks That Business Use
First impressions are important. Businesses want to capture your attention from the get-go which is why many of them have strategically positioned pavement signs by the entrance of the establishment. This is a particularly effective technique for businesses located in areas with heavy footfall such as a high street or retail park. The logic that comes into play here is that we notice things that are in our path because we’re usually looking at the path ahead anyway. So if you’re walking past a local coffeeshop on your wat work and you see a catchy sign advertising their latest seasonal drink you’re more likely to walk in and get one.
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Offering Products That Are ‘Hip’- Tricks That Business Use
Some of the simple goods we use and consume everyday can start to lose some of their appeal overtime, which is why businesses often may offer a traditional product with an improved recipe or updated looks. People might not want to buy a slice of ol’ Victoria Sponge cake, nor are they likely to share it with their friends on social media. However, with a few tweaks such as changes, the old classic can become hip and trendy again.
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Take Advantage of People’s Eagerness to Get a Good Deal
Even though we don’t consciously realise it sometimes, we’re always comparing prices and looking for the best deal, thus avoiding products that we consider expensive. Marketing experts use a simple strategy if they notice that a product isn’t selling as well as it should be. They add a product which is similar but slightly more expensive, so the first product seems like a better deal.
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Handing Out Free Samples
All of us have gone to Costco just to get free samples, or walked down the high street on the weekend and been ambushed by promoters handing out tasters. If you actually taste the product offered by a shop or restaurant you’re more likely to buy it. Whether you genuinely like the product or you simply do it out of guild, it doesn’t matter much when the strategy is working and you buy the product after trying it for yourself.
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Essentials Go in the Back
This applies in particular to supermarkets and grocery shops. You might have noticed it yourself when you pop in to your local supermarket because you ran out of milk or eggs. Products that are considered kitchen staples are usually put right at the back at the supermarket, so you have to walk through the whole shop to get to them and in the process you might decide you want some chocolate or some crisps, or you might remember you need something else… And before you know it you walk out with a full basket when you only walked in for one item.
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Use Big Sale Posters and Calls to Action
Walk into any store and you’ll see tens of posters in bright colours such as red and bold letters saying things like “SALE”, “50% OFF TODAY” and other similar slogans. Even though a lot of shopping and marketing nowadays is done online, nothing is as effective as the tested method of having call to action messages around your store to add some urgency. If people see that you’re having a sale they’re more likely to walk into the store looking for a bargain. And if you add a timeframe to the equation such as “today only” people will be more likely to spend money even if they don’t really need the items they’re buying because they don’t want to miss out on a good offer.
