prabhuWhen shopping online, it’s easy to fill up your cart with items you never planned to buy. Have you ever wondered why? The truth is, behind every click, scroll, and purchase, there are carefully crafted digital marketing tricks designed to push you toward making a purchase.
These tactics are often subtle and seemingly harmless. However, they influence your psychology to play on your emotions, including urgency, excitement, and the fear of missing out.
This article delves into the most effective digital marketing tricks that subtly, yet effectively, encourage you to spend more online. All to make you aware of various marketing tactics and help you make more informed decisions when shopping online.
1. Scarcity and urgency marketing trick
We often don’t want to lose a good deal because there’s always a chance we’ll never come across that same deal again. Let’s see how marketing professionals all play on our fear of missing out on a great deal.
Limited-time offers for purchase orders
Have you ever noticed countdown timers, flash sales, and ‘Last chance to buy’ tags on websites? All of these sales and marketing tactics are used to create a sense of urgency and scarcity, making you feel like you need to make a purchase quickly before it’s too late.
With limited-time offers, marketers try to instil the fear of missing out on a good deal, encouraging you to buy something you might not have otherwise. In reality, you are not missing out at all. If you take the time and compare prices across different websites, you can find similar or better deals.
Limited stock notifications
Displaying low stock levels is another scarcity tactic used to influence consumer behavior and drive quick decisions. If you show a customer that an item is running out fast, they may feel pressured to buy it before it’s gone.
1. Personalized recommendations and offers
People like to feel special. So, when a brand knows your preferences, it’s hard to resist buying something from them.
Personalized product recommendations
By accepting the use of cookies on a website, you allow it to track your browsing history and preferences. As a result, you will receive personalized product recommendations. Some online stores will also offer special discounts or exclusive offers to convince you to make a purchasing decision.
Dynamic content
Another way website owners influence customer behavior is through the use of dynamic content. They tailor website content and offers to individual users based on many factors. From location and browsing history to past purchases, even your MasterCard purchase will play a role in determining what content is displayed to you.
Personalized emails
Your data can also be used for customized emails. If you abandon a cart on a website, you’ll be reminded of the items left in your cart. After searching for a particular brand, expect to receive an email with a selection of similar items from that brand.
2. Social proof
When people are not sure about their choices, they look at how others behave in the same situation. This type of social influence is known as social proof and is responsible for many consumer decisions.
Customer reviews as an example of stealth marketing
With customer reviews driving an 18% increase in sales, brands place a lot of weight on it. Some even use stealth marketing (indirect advertising) tactics to receive positive reviews from influencers before the product is released. This way, the brand can shape the perception of its products online and boost sales when the product goes on sale.
User-generated content
For many people, user-generated content with a certain item serves as proof that others have had a positive experience with the product. If truth be told, many creators and influencers are getting paid to create content featuring specific products. Some of them also use affiliate marketing to earn a commission on sales generated through their content.
Creating FOMO
Another popular tactic is to create hype around one product or brand to make people feel fear of missing out if they don’t purchase it. FOMO can also be achieved through limited edition releases, exclusive discounts, or highly anticipated collaborations.
3. Content gamification
Certain elements of the game can be experienced without a PlayStation. Marketers have long figured out how to use gamification in content to engage customers. Let’s see how it works in practice.
Interactive popups
Interactive elements like spin-the-wheel discounts can make the content look and feel more like a game. Such a simple thing can evoke feel-good emotions and motivate users to make purchases, as well as keep customers coming back for more.
Reward programs
Up to 81% of consumers are more likely to remain loyal to a business that offers some kind of reward. Why? Because when you collect points, it feels like a game where the goal is to earn as many rewards as possible. A certain amount of points incentivizes customers to continue buying more from the brand. It also creates a sense of accomplishment when you finally redeem your points for a reward.
Contests and giveaways
Winning is part of any game. Contests and giveaways tap into this desire to win and can create excitement among customers. Therefore, if a brand runs a competition for a chance to win, it does more good for itself than for the participants.
4. Psychological pricing
Various strategic pricing techniques make prices and deals appear more valuable than they actually are. That’s how you get tricked into thinking you’re getting a great deal when in reality, you may not be.
Charm pricing
Online sellers often use charm pricing, where prices are set just below a round number. For example, $9.99 instead of $10 makes a product seem more affordable and enticing to customers.
Price anchoring
Another popular psychological trick used in pricing is price anchoring. To highlight your savings, the seller displays original prices alongside reduced ones. Or, they can show a higher priced option next to the one they want you to buy, making it seem like a better deal in comparison.
Bundling
Brands often sell their items in bundles to make the deal look better. However, you end up spending more than originally planned because you are tempted by the perceived value of getting more products for a slightly discounted price.
Summing up
Digital marketing is more than just advertising. It’s a mix of psychology, technology, and strategy designed to subtly influence your purchasing decisions. Understanding marketing tricks used in online stores can empower you as a consumer and lead to more informed purchasing decisions, whether you choose to indulge or resist.
