People are afraid that the discount will expire. Don’t buy spontaneously, advises a Black Friday | expert Currently.cz

Along with the second week of December, Black Friday is the most important time of the year for retailers. The most common move that sellers attract their customers at this time is a significant reduction in the price of one product. Customers rarely stay with one thing and buy others, but they are no longer so discounted.

In addition, price promotions tend to be limited in time, which merchants point out in their advertisements and on banners. Black Friday deals often end on November 30. Manager Michal Parízek explains that the sellers are trying to create a sense of urgency. “The fear that it will expire plays a role. The customer has to make a decision quickly, he cannot think for a long time, which means shorter negotiations and a greater chance that he will buy the product,” describes Pařízek.

He advises people not to shop when they are in a bad mood. According to him, it then tempts you to try to improve your mood by shopping. It also warns against spontaneous purchases. Customers should think carefully in advance about what they actually want to buy. “It’s not a good idea to go to a store and get carried away spontaneously by looking at the price tags,” adds Pařízek.

It is the price tags with information on how much the goods are now cheaper that significantly influence customer behavior. Although two similar products cost a thousand crowns, people more often reach for the one that is stated to have cost a few hundred more before. “Everyone wants to buy more advantageously, regardless of how rich they are. Everyone wants to learn from the merchant and feel better about the fact that they saved money and got a better offer,” explains Parízek.

According to him, people automatically feel that the more expensive the product, the better it is. So, without any evidence, they consider the goods that originally cost more to be better. However, this may not be true.

When shopping, dopamine is released, which is one of the so-called happy hormones and brings satisfaction. In the case of purchasing things at a discount, there is also a feeling of a bargain purchase and saving money, which allows people to justify to themselves the purchase of a certain product that they do not need as much.

Marketers realize that discounts on people work. After all, this can be seen in the frequency of discount events, which used to be three times a year and now there are several times more. In addition, marketers are coming up with more and more creative ways to attract attention.

Their strategies differ in brick-and-mortar stores and online stores. “In a brick-and-mortar store, it is easier for buyers to be influenced by what they see when they come there. They have a greater perspective, they are influenced by the goods on the shelves and windows,” says Pařízek.

Marketers think very carefully about product placement. They typically put what they want to sell the most at eye level. It also depends on what the customer sees when they enter the store and how they have to walk through the aisles. “An excellent example is Ikea, their practices are one of the best in this,” adds Pařízek.

Customers usually go to online stores for something specific. As a result, they have less desire to explore. E-shops therefore store which goods the customer likes and subsequently offer similar products. Since they know more information about buyers, their offer is more targeted.

During large marketing events, according to Pařízek, the most easily manipulated are older people, who are more susceptible to various actions, also because they are usually not so well versed in technology or do not know how to defend themselves. Another vulnerable group are young people, who may be more susceptible to manipulation. “Older people have more experience on the one hand, and on the other hand they have already burned themselves and know how to react in different situations,” adds Pařízek.