6 Buy One, Get One Free – “BOGO”

“Buy one, get one free” is a strategy that companies use to get you to buy an item at full price. Sometimes these prices are even set high enough to cover the “free” item.

“Buy one, get one free” is a common strategy that is used by stores to clear out stocks. The strategy is useful to get rid of products that are nearing their expiry dates, especially with food items.

When the word “free” is attached to any item, we stop thinking rationally, and suddenly there is an increasing demand for it. For retailers, BOGO allows them to be profitable with low-quality inventory under the guise of being nice to their loyal customers.

But is BOGO really worth it? Not really. Sometimes, retailers inflate the price of the first item to cover the “free” item’s cost. For example, you might see a deal where you buy one shirt for $40 and the other one is free, but this could be a scam because the shirt could’ve been originally priced at just $20, so now you’re buying two at list price.

The BOGO deal also promotes wastefulness by convincing you to buy larger quantities. While this deal has taken over retail stores, 50%-off deals are more beneficial for consumers. (1, 2)

7 Music

Listening to music while shopping encourages customers to shop for longer.

Music plays a key role in setting the mood for shopping. Calm and slow music helps you shop leisurely and spend more time in the store, increasing the chances of you buying something. A study of background music and supermarket shoppers from 1982 found that people spent 34% more time shopping in supermarkets that played background music, and it was noted that there was a corresponding increase in sales.

Different music has different effects on customers. While slow music encourages people to shop leisurely, loud music will cause the customers to move around quickly and does not contribute to sales.

Nostalgic and classic music causes people to spend 17% more than when generic music is playing. The best way to get past this trick is to listen to your own upbeat music to avoid spending a lot of money and also to shop faster. (1, 2)

8 Two Different Voices for Drug Advertisements

Drug advertising using TV ads legally requires the company to describe all the side effects associated with their medicine. This is done using two different narrators, one which speaks about the benefits in an engaging tone while the other talks about the risks in a less engaging tone.

Since the time direct-to-consumer advertisements were allowed on TV, drug companies were legally required to mention all the side effects associated with a drug besides mentioning their benefits in treating certain symptoms. But how do they narrate the negative effects without scaring the people?

To overcome this, ads use two different narrators. One narrator is used to talk about the benefits of a drug. They shift their voice in such a way that it makes it easier to understand the benefits. The second narrator is used to recite the risks associated in a less engaging tone and sometimes in a complex sentence structure to avoid people from truly grasping the information.

The narrator goes through the side effects hurriedly and is kept off-screen so it is harder for people to absorb the risks. Sometimes they also use slow and dull music to lull you into calmness. This is one important strategy that drug companies use to advertise their products. (source)

9 Children’s Cereals

Children’s cereal boxes are kept at the bottom shelves so they are at the children’s eye level. Besides this, the characters on the cereal boxes are made to look downwards at an angle of 9.7 degrees to engage with them.

One major strategy that stores use to entice children is placing sugary, colorful. and child-friendly items on the bottom shelves, well within their reach. When these attractive products are placed at their eye level, they are tempted to want to possess them.

When children find something attractive, they throw a tantrum until they have it and this often works. On average, a consumer spends 30% more when children are with them. Besides this trick, there is also a new trick that cereal brands have been adopting.

In a study performed by food scientists from Cornell University, it was shown that cereal boxes designed for kids deliberately use cartoon characters looking down at an angle of 9.7 degrees to catch the gaze of children and tempt them.

This strategy of cartoon characters locking eyes with kids may influence their connection with the brand and foster loyalty. It also increases the interest in the products. (source)

10 Supersized Carts

Trolleys and supersized carts increase the number of items you will purchase.

In recent times, every supermarket out there is equipped with large carts. You might think it is to prevent you from having to carry around heavy baskets, but actually, the size of your cart directly affects your purchases.

A study in the US found that when cart sizes are bigger, people buy 20% more than what they intended to buy. A larger cart inspires you to make larger purchases.

Therefore, to avoid spending unnecessarily, it is better to stick to a hand-held shopping basket for your quick trips to the supermarket. (source)