How marketing tactics get you to buy

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

From social media ads to TV commercials, you're constantly being bombarded by people trying to sell you stuff. And marketers have mastered plenty of tricks to get you to spend your hard-earned money. While many of their tactics involve a surprising level of consumer psychology, some are just downright shady. By having your vulnerability to different styles of propaganda exploited, it's easy to get tricked into buying stuff you don't need, and paying more than what it's worth.

Want to put a stop to this? To learn the strategies marketers use to lure consumers, click through the following gallery.

Buy now, pay later

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Also known as BNPL, this is actually a huge marketing trick that companies use so we'll spend more.

The "buy all of these for just X" sign

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

This is a popular marketing trick shoppers, especially in these inflationary times, will want to be aware of.

"Up to" sales

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

All of us hope to find great deals when our eyes are drawn to that bold 50% off sign. However, you’ve just stumbled onto one of the more popular marketing tricks.

The illusion of scarcity

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

One thing marketers know is that people are more likely to desire things if they seem like scarce resources.

The taller and narrower packages trick

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

While you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you should definitely judge a product's packaging before you buy it. Consumers often think that a taller, narrower package holds more product, even when it doesn't.

Changing your perception of the price

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

This tactic is known as price framing. For example, a business changes the description of an overnight shipping charge on an offer from "a $5 fee" to "a small $5 fee." If you aren't thinking carefully, the adjective "small" might convince you to spend your money.

The number nine trick

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Basically, retailers like prices ending with the number nine, such as US$5.99, because consumers tend to think, "Oh, that's less than US$6!"

Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Another form of price framing, many ads will inform you that for just the price of a cup of coffee per day, you can afford a certain insurance or cell phone plan.

Freemium offerings

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

With this tactic, companies will offer the most basic version of a product for free.

No currency sign on the menu

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

According to a study from Cornell University, consumers tend to spend more when currency signs are left off the menu.

Price anchoring

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

A lot of clothing companies pull this one. For example, you see a US$89 shirt on sale for $55, and think you're getting quite a deal.

Bundling

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Insurance companies are well known for doing this, as well as a lot of telecommunications companies.

Loyalty programs

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Yes, loyalty programs are good for the customer in that you'll get perks and discounts. But only after you spend a lot of money!

Priming

Buy now, pay later, The "buy all of these for just X" sign, "Up to" sales, The illusion of scarcity, The taller and narrower packages trick, Changing your perception of the price, The number nine trick, Ads focusing on low payments, not the final price, Freemium offerings, No currency sign on the menu, Price anchoring, Bundling, Loyalty programs

Another sneaky marketing tactic, priming is using a stimulus like a word, image, or action to influence someone.

Post Related