WHY WE SHOP: THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY OF CONSUMPTION (Part 3 out of 3)

by Bret S. Stetka, MD and Kit Yarrow, PhD

The reasons for shopping might seem simple: acquiring goods that provide enjoyment, assist with everyday life and activities, or meet a cultural expectation (eg, gift-giving). But the work of neuroscientists and consumer psychologists suggests that the motivations driving purchasing and consuming are more complex. With the holiday season upon us, Medscape spoke with consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow, PhD, about the neuropsychologic influences associated with shopping

Odors, Colors, and a Gender Divide

Medscape: What techniques do marketers and retailers use to coax us into shopping and buying?

Dr. Yarrow: Without a doubt, retailers know that the brain capacity of shoppers, especially on Black Friday, is a little more limited, so they're going to rely on symbolic cues and sensory input to help guide decision-making. I think what consumers might not be aware of is that major retailers are really knowledgeable about how we process symbols, everything from colors to particular words. They use smells. They use music. They know that when people touch things, they're more likely to buy them. They know that things located in the center of a display are more likely to be purchased. They know all of these things.

Consumers don't, though. Shoppers think they're being logical in their choices, and they don't necessarily know, for example, that when they see red they unconsciously process "cheaper," or that when one product is located by itself, they unconsciously register "special and expensive." Symbolic cues, flooding the senses, eliciting a fear of missing out with bargains -- consumers think they're immune to these tactics, but I've seen very few who actually are immune.

Medscape: How about those overly chatty or overly pushy sellers?! Does this actually work?

Dr. Yarrow: No; they're falling out of favor. Consumer backlash on that has been pretty strong; it's related to the trust issue I mentioned earlier. It's also one of the reasons why a lot of people shop online: They don't like being assaulted by salespeople or pressured in a store. They want help when they need help, and not a moment before and not a moment after. Retailers are struggling with how to give people information at exactly the point they need it and not overdo it.

Medscape: One more question, Dr. Yarrow: How do men and women shop differently, including across generations?

Dr. Yarrow: They shop much differently, although it's converging a little bit. Younger men tend to enjoy shopping more than older generations of men. They grew up in malls, and they're more comfortable with and acculturated to shopping environments; whereas it feels more foreign to baby-boomer men, and they're less comfortable with it.

Still, if you look at all men -- even lumping in younger men -- they tend to procrastinate a lot more than women. They also tend to be more impulsive, especially in purchasing gifts. And they respond more powerfully to rankings: things like "the best-selling," "the number 1," "the ultimate."

Anyway, if you go to a mall a day or 2 before Christmas, it's likely to be all men. I'm not stereotyping men when I say this. They're the first to admit it: "I hate shopping, I'm not going until I have to."

Fuente: Medscape

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