Psychology

Definition: Consumer Behaviour is the study of why people buy things and how they choose what to buy. Experts in consumer behaviour analyse the way in which we buy things. To do this, they take ideas from psychology and economics. For example, Nobel Prize-winning scientists like Richard Thaler and Daniel Kahneman have shown how our decisions […]

Despite claims that eCommerce has finally conquered the high-street, brick wall stores are here to stay. Traditional shops do some things better than their digital counterparts. This article outlines 5 quick ways to upgrade your online customer experience, based on the psychology of the shop floor.  The advantages of real-world stores become more obvious when […]

Apparently, you should never judge a book by its cover … that’s worrying, since these ones say that you’re about to do just that! According to their best-selling, billion-dollar-making and Nobel-Prize-winning authors, you will judge these neuromarketing books before you even realise it. Our latest publication, Smart Persuasion, was inspired by the work of both psychologists […]

Have you ever wondered why TV shows use canned laughter, or why bartenders put money in their own tips jars? Have you ever thought about how celebrities shape fashion trends, or why your opinions seem to match those of your peers?  In a previous article we discussed the science of Social Proof. Here we look at […]

Thursday evening, 2.00 pm. I find myself driving around, trying to find an open shop. It’s coffee that I’m after, but the city has other ideas. “Doesn’t anyone want my money?” I asked myself. “Surely there are enough workaholics to justify a 24/7 caffeine drip?”  I started to wonder how many other businesses would benefit from […]

The machine wouldn’t scan. That was the excuse I gave to the security guards as they led me away from my local supermarket. Around my feet were pieces of a self-checkout machine I had just destroyed. Such are the consequences of poor user experience. The same principles, if not the same stakes, affect the User […]

The key to selling more in eCommerce is persuasive content and, to get that, you need to understand how people think. Social Proof is one of the most significant factors in shaping our decisions. It is also an important part of the way consumers make choices. That’s why Social Proof is such a powerful marketing tool […]

Social Proof is a social and psychological phenomenon, also known as “informational social influence,” where individuals copy other people’s behaviour. It is responsible for the “buzz” that follows success and the way popularity comes in waves.  The effect occurs when a person is unsure of the correct way to behave. In this situation, they will often look […]

Creating a successful menu is the one of the most important tasks for any restaurant. It needs to attract customers whilst generating a healthy profit. Restaurants spend huge amounts of time and money perfecting their menus. To do this, they use the psychology of choice. According to a Gallop poll, diners spend an average of […]

What are cognitive biases and how are they affecting my website’s conversion rate? Here is a list of 72 cognitive biases that you can use to optimize your business. Most recent bias : #72: Reciprocity Decay Cognitive biases describe our tendency to think in a particular way. These habits deviate from logical or rational thinking. […]

We’ve all seen it – grainy footage of frenzied shoppers wrestling over Black Friday deals. The reality of this modern tradition often resembles the most harrowing of horror-movie scenes. But what is it that drives consumers to such crazed behaviour and what is behind the psychology of Black Friday?  Businesses have invested vast amounts of time […]

Nudge Marketing is used to influence customers’ decisions indirectly through suggestion and reinforcement. Marketers use subtle interventions to adjust a specific “Choice Architecture,” making particular outcomes more likely. As demonstrated by Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler, most decisions are based on biases and guesswork. Nudge marketing offers businesses a way to communicate more effectively. Richard Thaler, Nudge (2008): […]

Nudge Marketing (also called Nudging) helps e-Commerce website to influence the consumers’ desire to buy a product. We will give you 5 good reasons why you should add Nudge Notifications (or Nudge Engagement ) to your eCommerce website. Today many businesses are looking for unique and sophisticated methods to attract new clients. This happens because companies […]

Can consumer psychology improve your store? If you feel your eCommerce store is underperforming, or that you are failing to gain as much exposure and customers as you wish, you may want to look at consumer psychology. This article explains exactly what consumer psychology is, and how it can benefit your business. What is consumer […]

Do you have children? Ever tried to make them eat more healthily? Perhaps you’ve tried to persuade them that broccoli is delicious, or that eating spinach will make them as strong as Popeye? Is honesty top of your list? Often these attempts at persuasion can make us feel uneasy – probably because it feels like […]

I come from a country that was communist for a long time. My parents used to tell me stories about how when they were younger they would go to the supermarket and have nothing to choose from. There would only ever be three products – milk, bananas, bread – and just one version of each. […]

One of Christopher Nolan’s most overlooked movies is “The Prestige” – it is about a rivalry between two stage magicians. As is the case with most of great movies, it has a killer opening monologue. The speech is about the composition of magic tricks. I believe that building a successful e-commerce website is one hell […]

Discount codes and flash sales are simple and well known ways to convince customers to purchase a product, but what other methods can you use to boost conversion rates? It is not an easy task. In fact, according to web research company, Baymard Institute,  two out of three (67.45%) of online shopping carts are abandoned […]

We tell ourselves that we are rational shoppers. We gather as much information as we can before making a decision, and feel as though our choices were reasonable. That’s why it’s such a paradox to discover that we’re in fact extremely influenced by the Motivating Uncertainty Effect, which can lead to “inexplicable” impulse buys. This cognitive […]

Looking back, I really didn’t need that overpriced cup of coffee this morning but the seasonal flavours have just launched and I’m a sucker for anything Christmas related. But when I went to pay for my high priced coffee, I felt something that I can only be described as a pain or an ache… Psychologists […]

In everyday life we are constantly bombarded with cognitive biases, it is actually difficult to think of a situation in which these biases are completely absent. You probably don’t even realise that they are at work! Here are a few examples: × We will send you an email so you can grab the download later! […]

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that cause a perceptual or decisional errors, which often go completely unnoticed. Your brain consists of around 100 billion neurons and has a processing speed of up to 120 meters / second. Amazing, huh? Despite such immense brain power, us human beings are not infallible — we fall subject to […]