“源来如此”——跟着备考族读新闻：刺激购买的因素
在选购商品时，除了陈列、价格等司空见惯的因素之外，气味、温度、音乐等也发挥着刺激人们购物欲的重要作用。
Why You Bought That Ugly Sweater
The scientific tricks stores use to part you and your money
2015年12月刊 The Atlantic
There isa science to every sale. Among other findings of interest to retailers, researchers have shown that customers are drawn to items sitting on the middle of a shelf, as opposed to the ends,and that we perceive prices to be lower when they have fewer syllables and end with a 9.Stores have figured out how to manipulate us by overpricing merchandise with the intention of later marking it down, knowing that (thanks to a cognitive bias psychologists refer to as “anchoring”) we will see the lowered price as a deal.And they have learned they should give us options, but not too many—it’s well known that choice can be overwhelming to customers and can discourage purchases.
What is less well known is that snootiness can deliver a sale. Say a customer walks into a luxury store and is greeted with an askance look from a salesperson and no offer of assistance. You might think the customer would turn around and take her money elsewhere. But one recent study found that, compared with friendly salespeople, rude clerks caused customers with low self-confidence to spend more and, in the short term, to feel more positively toward an “aspirational brand” (that is, a brand that you covet but cannot afford—think Jaguar or Louis Vuitton) . Speaking of insecurity, when a customer who feels badly about her appearance tries something on and spots an attractive fellow shopper wearing the same item, she is less likely to buy it. Which means stores are wise to avoid communal fitting rooms.
“Retail atmospherics”—layout, lighting, wall color, music, and so on—can significantly influence customers’ moods, and their spending. Stores jammed with merchandise are known to induce claustrophobia, while those that are too bare can cause agoraphobia. Either extreme can lead shoppers to flee. One researcher found that stores could counteract these responses with the right scent. A cluttered tchotchke shop, for example, might light a seashore-scented candle to evoke spaciousness; a big-box store could make customers feel cozy by piping in the scent of firewood. One paper now under peer review shows that cooler temperatures indoors lead to a more emotional style of decision making, while warmth contributes to a more analytical approach —which could explain why expensive stores always seem to have their air-conditioning cranked up. Research has also demonstrated that consumers prefer spending money in stores with cool, blue-toned interiors over stores with warmer, orange-toned interiors, where they tend to be less enthusiastic and balk at high prices.
Touch is important too. Stores that keep their merchandise behind glass or in hard-to-reach places might consider making goods more accessible. People are more likely to buy a high-quality item if they can handle it. Music is likewise a powerful tool: The right genre can increase customers’ pleasure and cause them to lose track of time (which would presumably be a good thing, from a retailer’s perspective). One study found that popular music leads to impulsive decisions, while lesser-known background music leads to focused shoppers—ones who are, say, more likely to carefully process information about promotions.
So now you know: You’re not entirely to blame for that regrettable statement necklace, or that unused man purse. Anchoring and atmospherics got the better of you.
销售处处是学问。研究人员对零售商喜欢的销售策略进行了调查，发现以下两项对他们最有利可图：与放在货架尾端的商品相比，顾客更容易被放在货架中间的商品所吸引；并且人们会认为以数字9结尾、位数少的标价显得更便宜。商店已经熟知先提价再降价的伎俩，并将我们玩弄于鼓掌之上，因为他们知道消费者更在意的是降价这件事。并且他们知道他们应该给我们选择，但不会太多，众所周知，太多选择会让客户感到无从选择，并且放弃购买。
傲慢的态度可以促成交易这一点就没有那么广为人知了。设想一个顾客走进了一家奢侈品商店，结果营业员不拿正眼瞧她，也不主动提供帮助。你可能会认为这位顾客会转身离开去其他地方消费。但是最近的一项研究发现，与热情的营业员相比，态度不好的店员会让自信心不足的顾客消费更多。简而言之，就是她们会更积极去将这“渴望已久的品牌”（即你垂涎已久但无力购买的品牌——像捷豹或者路易威登）收入囊中。
“购物环境”——布局、光线、墙体色彩、音乐等等——会显著影响顾客的情绪和他们的购物欲。店铺塞得太满可能引发幽闭恐怖症，而过于空荡也可能造成广场恐怖症，任何一种极端都会让顾客逃之夭夭。有一位研究者发现店铺可以利用香味合理改善这种情况。基于同业审查的研究发现，较低的室内温度更容易让消费者做出情绪化的决定，而温暖的室温则让消费者更善于分析问题——这也是为什么那些昂贵店铺里的空调总是嗡嗡运转着。
触感也很重要。将商品置于玻璃橱窗后面或放置在难以触及的地方的店铺可能正在考虑怎么将商品摆放得更容易被拿到。如果能触摸到，顾客可能更愿意为这个高质量的物件买单。同样地，音乐也是一种有效工具：合适的音乐流派可以提升顾客的愉悦感，让他们忘记时间的流逝。有一项研究表明流行音乐会让人做出冲动的决定，而那些鲜为人知的背景音乐则让顾客注意力更集中——这就会让他们更仔细地去琢磨店里的促销信息。
所以，现在你知道了：买了这条后悔莫及的夸张项链，或者那个从未用过的男士钱包，这并不都是你的过错。你是被商家锁定、被店铺的环境打败了。
Why You Bought That Ugly Sweater
The scientific tricks stores use to part you and your money
2015年12月刊 The Atlantic
There isa science to every sale. Among other findings of interest to retailers, researchers have shown that customers are drawn to items sitting on the middle of a shelf, as opposed to the ends,and that we perceive prices to be lower when they have fewer syllables and end with a 9.Stores have figured out how to manipulate us by overpricing merchandise with the intention of later marking it down, knowing that (thanks to a cognitive bias psychologists refer to as “anchoring”) we will see the lowered price as a deal.And they have learned they should give us options, but not too many—it’s well known that choice can be overwhelming to customers and can discourage purchases.
What is less well known is that snootiness can deliver a sale. Say a customer walks into a luxury store and is greeted with an askance look from a salesperson and no offer of assistance. You might think the customer would turn around and take her money elsewhere. But one recent study found that, compared with friendly salespeople, rude clerks caused customers with low self-confidence to spend more and, in the short term, to feel more positively toward an “aspirational brand” (that is, a brand that you covet but cannot afford—think Jaguar or Louis Vuitton) . Speaking of insecurity, when a customer who feels badly about her appearance tries something on and spots an attractive fellow shopper wearing the same item, she is less likely to buy it. Which means stores are wise to avoid communal fitting rooms.
“Retail atmospherics”—layout, lighting, wall color, music, and so on—can significantly influence customers’ moods, and their spending. Stores jammed with merchandise are known to induce claustrophobia, while those that are too bare can cause agoraphobia. Either extreme can lead shoppers to flee. One researcher found that stores could counteract these responses with the right scent. A cluttered tchotchke shop, for example, might light a seashore-scented candle to evoke spaciousness; a big-box store could make customers feel cozy by piping in the scent of firewood. One paper now under peer review shows that cooler temperatures indoors lead to a more emotional style of decision making, while warmth contributes to a more analytical approach —which could explain why expensive stores always seem to have their air-conditioning cranked up. Research has also demonstrated that consumers prefer spending money in stores with cool, blue-toned interiors over stores with warmer, orange-toned interiors, where they tend to be less enthusiastic and balk at high prices.
Touch is important too. Stores that keep their merchandise behind glass or in hard-to-reach places might consider making goods more accessible. People are more likely to buy a high-quality item if they can handle it. Music is likewise a powerful tool: The right genre can increase customers’ pleasure and cause them to lose track of time (which would presumably be a good thing, from a retailer’s perspective). One study found that popular music leads to impulsive decisions, while lesser-known background music leads to focused shoppers—ones who are, say, more likely to carefully process information about promotions.
So now you know: You’re not entirely to blame for that regrettable statement necklace, or that unused man purse. Anchoring and atmospherics got the better of you.
销售处处是学问。研究人员对零售商喜欢的销售策略进行了调查，发现以下两项对他们最有利可图：与放在货架尾端的商品相比，顾客更容易被放在货架中间的商品所吸引；并且人们会认为以数字9结尾、位数少的标价显得更便宜。商店已经熟知先提价再降价的伎俩，并将我们玩弄于鼓掌之上，因为他们知道消费者更在意的是降价这件事。并且他们知道他们应该给我们选择，但不会太多，众所周知，太多选择会让客户感到无从选择，并且放弃购买。
傲慢的态度可以促成交易这一点就没有那么广为人知了。设想一个顾客走进了一家奢侈品商店，结果营业员不拿正眼瞧她，也不主动提供帮助。你可能会认为这位顾客会转身离开去其他地方消费。但是最近的一项研究发现，与热情的营业员相比，态度不好的店员会让自信心不足的顾客消费更多。简而言之，就是她们会更积极去将这“渴望已久的品牌”（即你垂涎已久但无力购买的品牌——像捷豹或者路易威登）收入囊中。
“购物环境”——布局、光线、墙体色彩、音乐等等——会显著影响顾客的情绪和他们的购物欲。店铺塞得太满可能引发幽闭恐怖症，而过于空荡也可能造成广场恐怖症，任何一种极端都会让顾客逃之夭夭。有一位研究者发现店铺可以利用香味合理改善这种情况。基于同业审查的研究发现，较低的室内温度更容易让消费者做出情绪化的决定，而温暖的室温则让消费者更善于分析问题——这也是为什么那些昂贵店铺里的空调总是嗡嗡运转着。
触感也很重要。将商品置于玻璃橱窗后面或放置在难以触及的地方的店铺可能正在考虑怎么将商品摆放得更容易被拿到。如果能触摸到，顾客可能更愿意为这个高质量的物件买单。同样地，音乐也是一种有效工具：合适的音乐流派可以提升顾客的愉悦感，让他们忘记时间的流逝。有一项研究表明流行音乐会让人做出冲动的决定，而那些鲜为人知的背景音乐则让顾客注意力更集中——这就会让他们更仔细地去琢磨店里的促销信息。
所以，现在你知道了：买了这条后悔莫及的夸张项链，或者那个从未用过的男士钱包，这并不都是你的过错。你是被商家锁定、被店铺的环境打败了。