All posts in Psychology

The Power of Social Proof

In marketing, social proof is a tool used to influence customers to make a quick purchase decision, based on the actions of other people. It’s not a new concept, but the internet has injected a new life into it and became a powerful marketing tactic to increase awareness of a brand or a product.

Social proof capitalizes on people’s natural tendency to be influenced by groups of people whose actions are deemed the right behavior in ambiguous situations. Customers who are unable to make a decision tend to rely on other people’s comments, feedback, and suggestions in order to arrive at a purchasing decision.

The enormous power of social proof can manifest in different ways depending on which platform the business or the brand chooses.
To illustrate:

  1. Authors utilize reviews and ratings on Amazon to drive up book sales.
  2. Bloggers rely on many comments to drum up interest on the site or a particular post or article.
  3. Social media marketers and online personalities display their total number of followers, fans, friends, subscribers, and likes.
  4. Businesses use customer testimonials to attract even more customers.

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October 13, 2015 / Comments Off on The Power of Social Proof / Category: Design, Psychology

Basics of empathetic design

The Empathic Design Process

How customers feel about a particular product can have a direct impact on marketing, sales, and even development of new products. The empathic design process is a user centred approach that places the reactions and needs of the customer at the focal point of new product development.

It is important to note that the empathic design approach is often confused with and referred to as the empathetic design approach. While the two words are actually interchangeable and have essentially the same meaning, empathic design is the proper term in business environments.

Aspects of Empathic Design

In order to utilise empathic design in product development, observation is one of the most important aspects involved. The ultimate goal is to determine what the basic needs of customers happen to be so that the company can address them in an appropriate manner during product development.

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October 12, 2015 / Comments Off on Basics of empathetic design / Category: Design Thinking, Psychology, UX

Design Experience – The Facts & Figures

For retailers, shopping is the art of persuasion. Though there are many factors that influence how and what consumers buy. However, a great deal is decided by visual cues, the strongest and most persuasive being colour. When marketing new products it is crucial to consider that consumers place visual appearance and colour above other factors such as sound, smell and texture.

Facts and Stats to Tweet

85% of shoppers point to colour as a primary reason they buy a particular product.

Colour increases brand recognition by 80%. Brand recognition links directly to consumer confidence.

42% of shoppers base their opinion of a website on the overall design alone.

52% of shoppers didn’t return to a website because of the overall aesthetic.

64% of online shoppers didn’t purchase an item(s) because the website was too slow.

Amazon.com found that for every 100 milliseconds of load time, there was a 1% decrease in sales.

52% of consumers are more likely to enter a store if there is a sale sign in the window.

60% of consumers feel at ease and are more likely to buy a product that has the word “guaranteed” associated with it.

October 10, 2015 / 0 Comments / Category: Psychology, Retail, UX