How Your Five Senses Affect Your Shopping Habits
Advertisers are constantly using psychological tricks to get us to buy their products, but new research demonstrates how they can start using our senses to sell us things.
According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research published by Fast Company , distal sensory sensations such as sight, smell and sound induce people to buy things in the more distant future, whereas more proximal sensory sensations such as touch and taste lead to more immediate purchases.
Sight and sound are also effective in selling items that people can buy for acquaintances and others who are not that close. But taste and touch motivates consumers to buy products for people close to them, such as friends and family members.
This research is useful for marketers and advertisers in understanding how these feelings affect various aspects of shopping habits, such as physical distance to a product, and can help them advertise their products more effectively.