In this guide you will learn how to avoid impulse buying or learn how to control the impulse to buy things without any planning. Do you save money? Certainly not. Maybe you have a loan or two. Or you owe friends or relatives. Maybe all your money is slipping through your fingers. And you scold yourself for making impulse purchases.
There is no necessity. It's not your fault. It's all human psyche.
Why do we spend a lot and often borrow. And then we spend even more on impulse purchases
Everything is simple. We are hedonists who don't think about tomorrow. Scientifically, this is called “hyperbolic discounting”. Despite the complex name, the meaning is simple.
We prefer to enjoy the here and now. And we deny ourselves even more pleasure in the future. All our decisions are based on that.
Test yourself by answering a simple question. Would you rather receive 1,000 reais now or 1,500 reais in a month?
We thought so.
It is not by chance that certain expressions have taken root in society. We say “after us until a flood”. Or “think about it tomorrow”. In a word, we lean towards simple ways. And consciously ignore the complexes.
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From 1980 to 2004, credit cards became a popular phenomenon. At the same time, the number of bankruptcies increased 5 times. See the pattern? Do you recognize yourself?
Why we don't know how to plan finances
According to the theory of evolution
Scientists still haven't arrived at the correct answer. Adherents of the theory of evolution believe that genes are to blame for everything. We buy “here and now” because our ancestors survived that way. Long-term planning then died. It's hard to think about the future if you have to feed an entire tribe.
According to the theory of cognitive psychology
We think affectively. And we make the appropriate decisions. Those who agree with this theory blame our psyche for everything. But the psyche is a component of a person. Its important biological part. Why, then, is it formed so impractically?
Evolutionists and cognitivists seem convincing in their arguments. But why don't we evolve even more? Without the hassle and waste of the "here and now".
Because we have mass media. When commercials about the “here and now” appear in advertising, it creates an effect of urgency and scarcity. We are sure that living in the here and now is the key to happiness. But is?
Maybe “the time is now” is just a banal scam for money?
In 2009, every American had at least 4 credit cards. And most were in no hurry to pay off their debts when they spent that money. They lived under the motto “here and now” and were not particularly happy.
How to avoid impulse purchases
According to marketing theory
But resisting genetics is difficult for another reason. Marketers are very fond of using hyperbolic discounting. He tries to get people to buy more. And more often. Again and again. This is taught in universities and advertising courses. And we're at it.
salesman tricks
1. Postponement and payment in installments. Buying household items on credit is not the most profitable business. The amount payable will always be higher than the market price.
How not to fall for this trick? Save money and postpone the purchase. In this case, you will not have to pay extra. By the way, there is no shortage in the modern world. Don't rush to join the action. Find out how often this company carries out these marketing activities. And check prices at similar stores.
2. Enrollment. Is an annual subscription cheaper than several months separately? This is how the relationship with the customer is built. This is with you. And it doesn't matter what it's about.
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This is due to human cognitive laziness. When making decisions, we rely on irrational arguments. In other words, the illusion. But that too is a no-brainer. Thus, we save energy for mental work. You can talk about cognitive distortions for a long time. Therefore, in this article we only describe the most common ones.
Cognitive biases that influence your purchasing choices
1. Attract goods.
Cleverly, this is called the asymmetric dominance effect.
The bait product is often damaged goods. Beside him expose the normal. A typical consumer compares two options. And he thinks it's very beneficial. Some sellers even bet that the buyer will carefully change the price tags. And he will buy a product that works normally for the price of a damaged one.
2. Bounded rationality.
There is no objective possibility of comparison. And traders know this. Just like the fact that a person doesn't like to choose. Behavioral economists and neuroeconomists even have another term. “The pain of decision making”. Recall the first cognitive distortion, the bait product. Marketers specifically “lock” a person's attention to two objects. So, one purchase in any case will look better than another.
3. Price comparison.
Expensive dishes on the front pages of restaurant menus. That's not because they seek to sell in the first place. This technique is used to make the rest look cheaper. The same trick is used in game development. The companies are releasing a collector's edition of the game. And the “standard equipment” seems affordable.
4. Increased demand for expensive goods
It's a completely idiotic theory, but it works. A person thinks an expensive product is cool. And he wants to. In Robert Chaldin's The Psychology of Influence, this is called "social proof." It's based on what people tend to do like most people do. We perceive exorbitant prices as an indicator of high quality.
The more complex the product, the more difficult it is for the buyer to evaluate it. And it's easier to deceive that buyer. For example, you are unlikely to be interested in plastic plates for $1,000. Wouldn't a pharmaceutical novelty be more effective? Especially if it costs 3 times more than this drug you've been taking for a long time. Our answer is the same. It's just that in one case you pay more, but in the other you don't.