Pre-Christmas shopping is at its peak. Most people have already bought and wrapped gifts and these days they will mainly focus on buying food. But some merchants have prepared traps so that customers fill their baskets as much as possible.
The biggest shopping frenzy of the year is at its peak. Electronics, toy or clothing stores are full, as are grocery chains. And since Christmas Day is only hours away, the customer’s purchasing decisions in such situations are often very ill-considered and hasty. So he can quickly throw into the basket even what he didn’t want at all.
“In short, the human mind is often too lazy to consider all the circumstances, so it usually makes decisions quickly. This is one of the reasons why we often leave the store with goods that we bought impulsively, that is, without planning the purchase in advance,” says Michal Prokop from the Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, Czech University of Life Sciences (ČZU).
According to him, this happens for example with food, clothing or drugstores, more than half of the products end up in the shopping basket because of this.
In addition, the environment of the store also significantly affects the customer, because even the merchants themselves have prepared tricks for us, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Which are the most common?
Discounts and promotions
The words ‘discounts’ or ‘deals’ can be tempting. Often, however, the customer discovers during the purchase that everything is different and that the discount is rather on paper. Sellers often draw attention to discounts on products that are sold at the same price as competitors.
“In some cases, the customer should pay attention. These are cases in which it is more difficult to evaluate everything objectively. This can be exploited by sellers as a bet on their impulsive behavior. This includes, in particular, discounts, which may not actually mean that the goods are cheaper than is the normal price during the year, or that it is cheaper than the competition’s offer,” points out Michal Prokop.
Alluring luxury
More expensive and more luxurious goods are usually placed right at the entrance to the store. The reason is that the customer does not realize what he can afford to buy with an empty shopping cart.
“Our mind is set in such a way that it is time to indulge more, which in other words means to spend. Of course, the merchants know this and make it a point to support us in this. At first glance, in the stores there are more goods that do not normally appear during the year and it is often placed in such a way that it gets in our way as best as possible – especially at the entrances to stores or cash registers,” Prokop further confirms.
The goods we buy most often are the furthest away
The seller does not only think about where he will display the goods, but also about how the customer will get to them. The longer the buyer wanders around the store looking for what he really needs, the more goods he will see along the way. In most cases, the food we buy most often is stored farthest from the entrance. Before reaching butter, yogurt or bread, the customer often has to walk through the entire supermarket.
The front of the shelves
The front of the shelves is also important, where there are often goods on sale or on sale. It is also attractive with colorful decoration, so the customer often does not even notice that it is not actually a discount. However, retailers also subconsciously encourage us to buy, especially during the holidays. “Christmas music and decorations, which often include shades of red, try to make us take quick action,” concluded Prokop.
Czechs filled the shops before Christmas. But this year they are saving much more, economists say:
TN.cz
2023-12-22 04:40:00
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