Online shoppers make irrational choices – making selling easier

Shoppers make irrational choices; that’s a conclusion you can draw from new consumer research from psychologists at the University of Chicago School of Business. The study looked at the influence of numbers on buying choices. It found that people chose things in a non rational way.

For instance, when shown pictures produced by cameras they chose the camera which led to the best looking image. However, when shown the numerical resolution of the camera they chose a product based on that number – even if the pictures were rated worse than a camera with a lower resolution.

Additional studies on the thickness of crisps and the number of air bags in a massage cushion also produced similar results. In other words, in spite of experience and other knowledge, people made their purchasing decisions based on specifications – which often contained no valuable additional information.

Manufacturers know, for instance, that if you stamp “10 Megapixels” on the front of a camera it is sold more often than one that only claims 6 Megapixels. But a photographer would explain that the quality of the lens is much more important than the raw number of megapixels. In other words, consumers appear “fooled” by the numbers.

So what does this mean if you are trying to sell products and services online? It suggests that if you add specifications and numerical information, you are more likely to make the sale. For instance, let’s say you are selling a training course online. Instead of saying it’s a “one-day” course, instead say it’s “480 minutes of learning”; instead of saying there is a “course manual”, say there are 128 pages of documentation containing well over 25,000 words. In short, give lots of numbers and you are likely to have greater influence over selling something online.

Like this article?

Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Facebook
Share via email

Other posts that might be of interest

storytime for children
Psychology

Are you sitting comfortably?

Children for years have been told to sit comfortably and listen. It means we all sit down too long…! Getting up from your desk has now been shown to improve your attention. You will be less distracted online if you get up and move, rather than sit comforably.

Read More »
Foosteps in sand
Blog

Do you need 10,000 steps?

The other day I was on a Zoom call when one of the participants said that lockdown was not helping with their weight. Having spent almost a year sitting at their desk, this person’s weight

Read More »
Man at computer in dark room
Psychology

Are you enjoying lockdown?

Yesterday I had a meeting at lunchtime, so I had to take a late lunch. As I sat in the kitchen munching on my sardines, I switched on the TV. The “hard news” of the

Read More »