A crash course in consumer psychology inspired by my wife.
My wife is a devoted early childhood educator, and in her more than 15 years of practice, psychology (developmental, cognitive, and behavioral) has always been the ace up her sleeve. Last year, she took a hiatus in her teaching career and started a small business, which meant she had to learn so much about e-commerce. After immersing herself in e-commerce, she became fascinated by the psychology behind it all.
The Not-So-Secret Little Secret
E-commerce (and commerce in general) is psychology. If you didn’t realize that simple fact, it just means it is working. One of the most important gifts psychology has given marketers is an understanding of what motivates customers. Consumers are motivated to buy things based on the promise of pleasure, the avoidance of pain, a sense of hope or fear, or the promise of social acceptance.
E-motion
When making a purchase, consumers tend to use their emotions. Emotions are what really drive purchasing behaviors and decision-making in general. E-commerce businesses that want to successfully market their products to consumers need to consider how consumers’ brains process elements like colors, sounds, business signage, logos, and smells, but more importantly (to move the needle, set sales in motion) how these elements influence a consumer’s decision-making process via emotion.
Buyer Psychology vs. Seller Psychology
My wife sees two sides of the same coin, dueling in a decisive dance. Selling (along with advertising and marketing) is a first-move initiative, whereas buying is typically construed as a reaction, a second move. It stands to reason that if buyers buy because of emotion, sellers sell because of emotion, too. Do you think we should also sell in order to buy? Let me (and my wife) know in the comments below.
That extra “punch” or “oomph”
Through a better understanding of what causes consumers to buy certain goods and services, marketers can not only better determine the marketplace’s needs and accordingly alter marketing to suit, but also go the extra mile in tickling the consumer’s ego. Whether it is a self-referential play on words, a kind-hearted sincerity, or even a good old-fashioned discount, that extra mile is not clearly defined, but must be achieved in order to give the buyer that final nudge.
Why do people buy what they buy?
My wife’s emphasizing buyer psychology to understand how people form their beliefs about a brand and its products and how those feelings translate to purchasing behaviors was reassuring. You see, purchasing decisions are subconscious, and the psychology of them is: basic desire and need satisfaction. In his classic guidebook, “Mediafy.pro Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible,” Brian Tracy explains that every action a person makes is motivated by improvement. We buy because we believe it will enhance our lives.
Tapping into that psyche is how successful e-commerce companies continue to convert customers.
