From promotions to advertising, businesses are acting on the psychology of consumers. Don’t believe it! Here’s an expert’s analysis!
[7 mindsets that make you spend money frivolously]
1. Good face retreats are vague but not practical
Chinese consumers have a strong face complex. A survey conducted by the Social Research Center with 1,100 participants showed that 84.2% of people believe that spending for face-saving is very common around them. A survey by the Nanjing Psychological Crisis Intervention Center and China Psychological Education Network showed that 53.2% of respondents would buy goods they don’t like to save face.
Face consumption is closely related to China’s traditional culture. In the past, China was an “acquaintance society” linked by clan, but after a rapid cultural transition, our society has entered a “stranger society”, which makes it difficult for people to know a person in a short time, so clothing and housing become the basis for judging the identity of others.
Yang Zhongfang, a professor of psychology at the University of Hong Kong, suggests that people have two mechanisms for evaluating themselves – internal and social. Reflected in the consumption, on the production of Mercedes-Benz than Santana have face, living in a villa than a building have face, playing golf than playing table tennis have face and other status quo, and even some people buy a luxury fake paper bag feel “buy more than a paper bag, but also a decent”. The company is also using this to promote, such as complimenting the consumer’s vision and taste, making him feel very dignified and more willing to pay for it.
Social psychology suggests that while spending on face is certainly about gaining respect from others, it also gives you a good “label”. People who dress decently tend to imply that they are a person of good taste, so they are strict with themselves in life, such as not littering, not running red lights, and actively participating in public service. But too much attention to the “face”, a focus on consumption on the scene, or even when the “moonlighting”, so that their lives and inner hard, it is not worth it. The company’s main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers.
2. Buying expensive for the sake of showing off instead of buying right
Showing off consumption is a derivative of face The “derivative” of consumption is “buying expensive instead of buying right”, for example, most of those who avidly pursue luxury goods are ostentatious consumers.
Glamour consumption is related to the traditional concept of hierarchy. In ancient times, people used specific things to represent rank, such as the bright yellow color available only to the royal family and the ability to reach a certain rank to ride in a sedan chair. Although the modern society is concerned about the equality of all people, the concept of rank in the bones of Chinese people has not disappeared, and the luxury goods have become the substitute of reflecting the rank. Many people think that “to buy luxury goods is to buy its difference, which can reflect the wealth and status of the buyer”. However, many show-off consumers have low self-esteem inside. Many of them are rich overnight, their life is not as good as they used to be, and now they are rich as if they have turned over a new leaf, and they are eager to use expensive clothes or luxury cars to chase away the inferiority complex hidden in their hearts. The other people have an empty spiritual world and are “so poor that all they have left is money” and have to show off what little “wealth” they have to gain respect.
Expensive clothes, bags, jewelry, cars, etc. do not reflect one’s intrinsic value, and the sense of self-esteem that comes with them is short-lived. Therefore, show-off consumers should learn to find inner happiness and strive to improve their inner quality in order not to become a “slave” to consumption. Instead of getting recognition by “showing off”, it is better to “recharge” oneself, strengthen one’s own cultivation and knowledge, and attract the attention of others with personality charm. In the end, it is better to be happy than to be happy, and to use the energy and money to do some public service, and perhaps to reap more happiness.
3, love to compare you have I must also have
Modern society is competitive. The modern society has a strong sense of competition, people are more competitive than positions, more competitive than houses, and more competitive than consumption. Consumers care about “I have to have what you have” and pursue “upward mobility”. For example, if you see someone else buying a new cell phone or expensive jewelry, you will feel uncomfortable if you don’t have it, so you have to buy it whether you need it or not, whether it is a good deal or not.
Comparison is human nature, and it comes from the innate “game mentality” of people. There are positive and negative aspects of climbing. Positive comparison gives people the desire to compete positively and the motivation to overcome difficulties, while negative comparison is often negative and emotional, making people unable to analyze themselves rationally. Most climbing consumers are not confident, they are often inferior to others in one or more aspects such as career, family, quality, etc., but are too lazy to improve themselves, they paranoid that spending more money on better things will be better than others. But there is no end to climbing, and people who love to compare often live tired and anxious hearts.
As the saying goes, “If you don’t have a fair heart, you won’t have a good temper. The air of discontent. It’s a good idea to look back down and realize that you have more than you need in order to feel happy. You should also tell yourself that instead of comparing yourself in terms of shopping, you should compare yourself to your work and career. Finally, be content with what you have and appreciate what you have in your hands. Taiwanese cartoonist Cai Zhizhong once took oranges as an example to talk about his feelings: “One kind of orange is big and sour, another is small and sweet, some people get the big one will complain about the sour, get the sweet one and complain about the small one. And I get the small orange will be glad it is sweet, and get the sour orange will be thankful it is big.”
4. Follow the herd when others say it’s good
The herd consumption of Chinese people The tendency to go to crowded stores and shop for goods that sell well, or even see a lot of people lining up to buy something and can’t help but follow them, is not really helpful at all.
Psychologically, when everyone around you is using or buying something, people will join the chase so that they don’t become the “other” or rejected. From a physiological point of view, the selection process of shopping will consume the brain’s energy, which prompted people in the decision will instinctively tend to simplify the cognition, at this time will behave as a herd. This is the case with the “shoppers” in shopping malls and shopping sites that pay people to write “positive” reviews, both of which take advantage of the herd mentality.
There are some things in life that you can do to follow the crowd, but some things you can’t, especially when it comes to shopping. The herd consumer has to develop and improve his or her ability to think independently. When it comes to matters or issues, it is important to carefully consider the opinions or practices of the majority, but also to have your own thinking and analysis. The company’s main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers.
5. It is good to chase authority idols used
There is this parable. A man was selling a horse and no one asked for it for several days, so he went to see Burroughs, an expert horse hunter. After taking his fee, he circled the horse twice and looked back before leaving, resulting in a tenfold increase in the price of the horse. In reality, Dr. Yu Shiwei, a doctor of business management at Harvard University, had sold a car as the seat of a national leader, which made the car’s sales soar.
The “halo effect” proposed by the American psychologist Kelly can explain the star-catching mentality in consumption: people or things that are considered “good The “halo effect” proposed by the American psychologist Kelly can explain the star-catching mentality in consumption: the person or object that is considered “good” will be enveloped by the aura of “good”, and thus everything related to him/her (it) will be considered as “good”. Influenced by the “patriarchal culture”, Chinese people have a stronger reverence for authority than Westerners, which is reflected in irrational star-crossed consumption. In addition, developmental psychology has found that adolescent children tend to be star-crossed and will tend to return to rationality as adults, but people with immature psychological development will often continue to be star-crossed. Therefore, the star-crossed consumer mentality is actually a sign of mental immaturity.
Star-crazy consumers need to understand that we can admire our idols’ personalities, ways of dealing with the world, and even their looks, but we cannot seek to be like them in any way. In addition, instead of chasing nebulous stars, it is better to idolize those around us, such as parents and teachers, to give a clear goal in life.
6. It’s worthwhile to take advantage of less money
In daily life, some The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a product. In the eyes of the nation, something worth 10 yuan, 10 yuan to buy back, that is called cheap; something worth 100 yuan, 10 yuan to buy back, that is called to take advantage of the bargain. The company often uses this mentality to set up traps, such as raising the original price and then discounting, people spend more money but think they are taking advantage of the psychological satisfaction.
People who love to take advantage of a bargain tend to be possessive, and every time they get a small bargain they get a sense of satisfaction, which over time can subconsciously influence their own consumption behavior and make consumption more irrational. It is inevitable that people who always focus on trivial things will be narrow-minded and difficult to make a difference.
How to avoid taking advantage of the mentality? First of all, in the face of temptation not to get hot-headed, but to give themselves a wake-up call, more analysis is not a trap, to remember the old saying “the sky does not fall pie”, “buy is not as good as sell”. Second, ask yourself a few questions rationally: “Is this really what I need? Or is it just because it’s cheap?” Buying something cheap because of impulse rather than need is actually the most expensive. Finally, do a little self-reflection: is the price I paid for it (such as the time wasted in line, the risk of questionable quality, the possibility of being ripped off, sometimes even against my conscience, etc.) worth it to take advantage of this little bargain?
7. Fear of regrets about returning if it doesn’t fit
Everyone has fears when making decisions The company’s products are available in a wide range of sizes and sizes. The “30-day unconditional return” rule in many shopping malls and the “shipping insurance” initiative on shopping sites are designed to allow consumers to regret and afford to regret, so that they can dare to pay for it.
These initiatives are certainly a way to give consumers a sense of security, but they are also a way to promote consumption. A survey shows that many consumers buy most of the goods piled up at home and can’t use them, not least of which are unsuitable or defective. Yet many people give up their right to return these goods because they are too lazy to run errands and afraid to toss and turn.
So it’s important for consumers to keep their heads above water and buy what they actually need in the face of these “can-regret” initiatives. In addition, you may want to take advantage of other rights given by merchants (especially shopping sites). For example, put what you want to buy in your shopping cart and come back a week later to see if you need it. If you still feel the need to buy after a week of calming down, then you might as well place your order.