“Your focus determines your reality,” wrote Daniel Goleman. In his book “Focus” he made reference to our most important and often underestimated cognitive capacity: attention. Attention is what allows us to locate ourselves in the world, notice what is happening, and make decisions.
For that reason, it is not strange that stores and brands go out of their way to get our attention. To achieve this, they resort to a myriad of “triggers”, stimuli that activate old associations and generate emotional states – often at an unconscious level – that push us to enter the store and even buy.
How to get the attention of potential customers?
1. Merchandising to be where we are
Have you ever wondered why store bags always carry the brand logo? Merchandising is one of the most effective strategies to capture attention, increase brand awareness and attract potential customers.
Merchandising includes all promotional products bearing the image of a store, brand or franchise. It can be the classic personalized bags with the brand logo, but also more original gifts such as anti-stress balls or supports for mobile phones and tablets.
With these products, which usually stand out for their usefulness and usability, the brand manages to consolidate itself in the mind of the customer and, at the same time, expand its reach by making itself known to a wider audience, which is why it is a very effective marketing strategy.
2. The shop window as a generator of curiosity
In “The Ladies’ Paradise”, Émile Zola’s novel about an orphan who arrives in Paris to work in a department store, it is possible to glimpse the importance of the presentation and decoration of the stores to attract the attention of potentials customers in the distant 1883. Today, window dressing continues to be essential for stores and brands, above all as a differentiating element.
A creative and original showcase, whose design moves away from the conventional or tells an interesting story, is a statement of intent that does not usually go unnoticed. The curiosity that a well-designed showcase can arouse increases the chances that we will enter the store and end up buying.
3. The power of music as a connection element
In 1982, Ronald E. Millman conducted a classic psychological experiment in which he found that when the background music had a faster beat, customers bought less: they walked faster, picked up only the items they were looking for, and generally spent little time in the store.
However, when the rhythm of the music slowed, the movements of the customers did too. They spent more time in the shop and spent more. The reason? Music acts directly on the structures of the limbic system of our brain, the main ones responsible for our emotional reactions.
As a result, it has a huge influence on our emotions, produces changes in our mood and ends up influencing our decisions. For this reason, it is one of the cards up their sleeves that stores use to attract our attention, make us feel more comfortable in the establishment and encourage us to buy.
4. Aromas as activators of emotions
The smell of freshly baked cake can transport us to our childhood while the aroma of roses makes us feel happier and the smell of coffee gives us a pleasant feeling of security. Lavender and cinnamon are often relaxing while peppermint infuses energy. We are generally not aware of the associations these aromas generate, but they do influence our purchasing decisions.
In 1993, the neurologist Alan Hirsch verified it. He designed a pioneering experiment in the area of scent marketing in which he placed two pairs of identical Nike shoes in two exactly the same rooms. The only difference is that one room was odorless and the other was filled with a pleasant flowery scent.
Hirsch found that purchase intent shot up 84% in the scented room. Scent marketing “captures” our unconscious, makes the shopping experience more memorable and reinforces brand identity. For this reason, more and more brands are designing their own aroma, which serves to distinguish them, but also to seduce their potential customers.
5. Each color has a precise objective
We tend to associate colors with different feelings: while yellow transmits optimism and orange fills us with energy, blue generates confidence. For that reason, colors and lighting are other elements of sensory marketing that stores use to grab the attention of potential customers and increase purchases.
Seemingly inconsequential details, like a red tag, can turn a small sale into a super sale in our brains. It has also been appreciated that green buttons in online stores receive 10-20% more clicks and generate more conversions, because they often give us a sense of calm and security just when we need them, to alleviate the anxiety that occurs just before making the purchase decision.
In summary, stores and brands resort to different strategies to capture our attention, from corporate gifts that become powerful marketing messages to aromas or colors that activate different emotions. In a world increasingly saturated with stimuli and advertisements, brands combine art and Neuroscience, design with Psychology, to stand out and be memorable. It is up to us to pay attention to them.
Sources:
Chebat, J. Michon, R. (2003) Impact of ambient odors on mall shoppers’ emotions, cognition, and spending: A test of competitive causal theories. Journal of Business Research; 56(7): 529-539.
Spangenberg, E. R. et. Al. (1996) Improving the Store Environment: Do Olfactory Cues Affect Evaluations and Behaviors? Journal of Marketing; 60(2): 67-80.
Milliman, R. E. (1982) Using Background Music to Affect the Behavior of Supermarket Shoppers. Journal of Marketing; 46(3): 86-91.
