Why do we buy what we buy?
Have you ever asked yourself what goes on in the minds of your potential customers on Bol.com? What makes a customer become convinced of your specific offer and why? Why do we buy what we buy? In this blog I will explain what influence the brain has on buying decisions and how you can capitalize on this. You can use these insights to make your product descriptions and product images just that little bit more effective.
Highlights from this blog
1: Stimulate the subconscious mind;
2: Sell benefits and capitalize on feelings;
3: Create a good mix between urgency and future pacing.
The subconscious and consciousness
The rational choice theory is a theory that says that consumers (and people in general) buy products and make choices that are thoughtful and that consumers make those choices after taking in all available information. Think about costs, benefits, product descriptions and everything else. The neocortex (the part in your forehead that deals with analyzing information) handles processing this information and making thoughtful decisions.
So, those Dr. Martins you bought on sale when you hadn't planned to or the plane tickets you suddenly booked with your partner after dinner, all thought out. Or were they not?
We can all think of times when we have made an impulsive purchase. In fact, this happens to us every day. The same goes for your potential customer on Bol.com to whom you ultimately want to sell your products.
To find out why we make these under-considered choices, we must look to a specific field of study, consumer neuromarketing. This field argues that decisions are made in the older parts of the brain. According to Uma R. Karmarkar, a professor at Harvard University in America, we estimate some things well and some things less well:
"People are pretty good at expressing what they want, what they like and how much they are willing to pay for something. We're just not good at determining exactly where the value of a product comes from."
Secret: I am not a neuroscientist. Many neuroscientists believe in the above, some do not. You have to decide for yourself what you believe in.
To make everything I say above make a little more sense, we need to know exactly how our brains work. We're going to do that based on Paul MacLean's Triune Brain Theory. According to his theory, there are three brain regions that play a role in making purchasing decisions (and yes so does the one who buys your cat toys on Bol.com). These brain regions are: the reptilian brain, the limbic brain and the neocortex.
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So how are our brains put together?
To dive right in, we first look at the most ancient part of our brains: the reptilian brain. Then we'll discuss why we buy what we buy.
The reptilian brain
The reptilian brain is also known as the ancient brain or the lizard brain. This part of the brain originated about 500 million years ago. Among other things, this part of the brain is responsible for keeping our heartbeat going, regulating our body temperature, and it also makes sure we don't forget to breathe. Furthermore, it also regulates our primal instincts, such as our aggression, how competitive we are and our fight and flight behavior. This part of the brain lives on impulses and instincts. So it keeps you alive. This part literally just thinks, "I have to make sure I don't lack anything. So it is very selfishly oriented.
Marketers know how to capitalize on this area of the brain. So here I am already giving you a hint on how to improve your product descriptions and product photos. For example, supermarkets post offers at the checkout. As you notice people lining up behind you, you get stressed. Stress affects the reptilian brain causing you to make impulsive choices. For example, think further about "one more in stock "or "there are 10 other people looking at this hotel room."
All examples of triggering fear impulses in the reptilian brain. I have to take these offers and hurry up, because I might run out of things to do! Is what literally happens in a person's head. So play with urgency and write action-oriented.
The limbic brain
The limbic brain is also called the "mammalian brain" and was created 250 million years ago. This part is where emotions arise and is responsible for many things: the feelings you have, your memories, the value you place on something, the hopes you have and, finally, your dreams for the future. The limbic brain loves a romantic comedy movie.
The limbic brain cannot analyze language. So when you try to explain your purchase and say to yourself, "Well, it would have been a good choice to buy this," you know that your neocortex is coming to the fore (we'll discuss this part in a moment). Because it can't analyze language (and neither can the reptilian brain), you make decisions with this part of the brain based on gut feeling. The limbic brain makes you try new things.
The limbic brain is the reason you buy a ticket to an exotic destination. Go scuba diving or suddenly leave your stable job for a career switch. The limbic brain is very susceptible to the nice feeling it gets when you think of something wonderful. This is also known as future pacing. Get your customer to imagine what his or her life is like with the product you are selling.
Ask yourself: what feeling should your potential customer get from your product? At the same time, creating recognition is a smart thing to do. The limbic brain is also very susceptible to that. Think about questions like: Are you tired of it, too? Would you also like something different? Why do you need to buy it? By incorporating these types of questions into your product descriptions, you can activate your customer's limbic brain. The more you make the brain think, the less likely it is to convert. This is because the limbic brain is very lazy.
The neocortex
The neocortex is also called the human brain. This is the last part of our brain that has developed. The neocortex controls the functions in our brain that make us think. Such as your thinking, sensory perception, language, abstract thinking, logic and creativity. The neocortex uses language to analyze whether this is the right product for the consumer.
As crazy as it may sound, the neocortex is only 5% involved in making purchasing decisions. Making comes from the limbic brain the reptilian brain.
Dan Hill, author of Emotionomics: Leveraging Emotions for Business Success: "Our gut feeling arises within three seconds or less. Once we receive stimuli, the limbic brain and reptilian brain react 5 times faster than our consciousness. Also, the limbic brain and the reptilian brain process information much more violently, causing us to shoot into action and only after-explain later."
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Exerting influence on the brain
This already gives a brief idea of how our brains work. Of course, several things play a role. Think about the age of your potential customer and the emotional state he or she is in. In the points below I advise you which points to include in your product descriptions and photos. In short, always make sure that you manage to excite and convince the reptilian brain and the limbic brain. You don't need to convince the neocortex, you just need to keep this piece of the brain satisfied. Below you can read why.
Be customer-oriented
The reptilian brain is very selfish (it makes sure you stay alive). To convince your potential customer you need to buy the benefits of your product. It's not about what you deliver, but what the customer gets out of it (benefits).
Sales sense
The neocortex provides an explanation of your purchases after the fact, but the purchase itself is made based on feeling and instinct. for example: literally, you are selling dogs chewing bones for dogs, but from the customer's perspective, you are selling a clean set of teeth for his or her dog. What does the customer really want to buy? When you try to properly formulate your product description, you probably have some use for the following: you are selling time, joy, leisure, etc..
Create recognizability
Future pacing is important to use in your product descriptions and your product photos. That's because the reptilian brain and the limbic brain cannot analyze language. They can only understand the feeling you are describing. Therefore, according to author Christophe Morin, it is helpful to create a clear and recognizable image. This allows your customer to know what goal will be achieved with your product. This is important before a customer will buy the product.
Write clearly and concisely
The neocortex is there to explain everything. Therefore, it is important that your product advertisement be as reliable as possible. Consider a well-written story based on the head-to-tail method. You can have such a good story but when everything is written mixed up, the neocortex will cause a rejection (your customer will get an error). So be consistent, neat and reliable. Also, for example, never forget your product specifications. Despite the fact that the neocortex has only 5% influence on a decision, it is important that you mention all the specifications of your product. A customer is not so happy when the item is three times larger than expected.
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Two examples of good product ads
Below you will find of two products their product description. Behind each text that is bold, you can see what influence it has.
Product description example 1
No more bothering your neck or shoulders with the xxx laptop stand. This compact laptop stand is a must (sales benefits) for anyone who frequently uses their laptop, at home, while traveling or in the office. (create recognition) The stand allows you to watch a movie, write a blog or scroll through a text without cramping your neck (selling benefits). With a simple movement you unfold the slim laptop stand and adjust it to the correct position, separate keyboard and mouse and you immediately work a lot nicer. (create recognition). So your laptop is always in the ideal position. Ergonomic and convenient! (sales sense)
In the above product description, the salesman has done well to make a thoughtful combination between stimulating the reptilian brain and the limbic brain. In addition, the product description also focuses on creating a future image.
Product photos example 1
Through these three pictures, the seller has good coverage on all three brain regions. The leftmost photo plays on the limbic brain, the middle photo on the reptilian brain and the right photo on the neocortex.
Product description example 2
Are you looking for a way to take care of your teeth even better than you already have? (sales benefits). Don't want to keep going to the dentist to have your tartar removed? (sales recognition) Or are you a professional dentist yourself? (sales recognition). Then order this professional dentist set from SupplyU. With the tools in this set will ensure that you can prevent or remove tartar, plaque and deposits even in the most awkward places (sales benefits).
Do you want to keep your teeth in top condition? (sales benefits) Then we recommend this Professional Stainless Steel Dental Care Set. Not only will your teeth look more groomed, also your visits to the dentist will be less annoying (sales benefits). You can take better care of your teeth yourself with this set and move faster if you see a problem developing. Of course, periodic checkups by a professional are still required!
In this text, the salesperson has done well to ask many questions that strongly anticipate gaining benefits for his/her potential customer. The effect on what we buy.
Product photos example 2
Through these three pictures, the vendor has responded well to all three brain regions. The leftmost picture responds to the limbic brain, the middle picture to the reptilian brain and the right picture to the neocortex.
Conclusion
You as a (starting) salesperson on Bol.com can have quite an influence on moving your potential customer toward a purchase decision. It's all about knowing which buttons to turn in order to convince your potential customer in the best possible way. Through simple actions such as naming benefits, creating recognition and selling sentiment, you've come a long way.
