Sneaky supermarkets and the psychology of motivation

Ever gone to the supermarket for bread and milk and come away ￡80 poorer with a XXL pack of Sugar-Coated Frosted Chocolate Bombs?, a jar of artisan olives, and a paddling pool?

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Me too! <hangs head in shame>

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I do it all the time.

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But it’s not our fault. Supermarkets are sneaky. They draw on a whole range of modern psychological influence tactics to get us to spend more.

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They know grocery shopping isn’t the most pleasant chore for most of us. In the world of advertising, it’s called a grudge purchase.

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(Because if you didn’t have to spend money on milk, you’d happily spend it on something fun instead.)

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But they also know we’re affected by cues when we’re hungry/bored/indecisive about dinner, so they make the most of these emotions with their in-store display strategies. For example

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• Having tempting items at the front of the store that all magically go together i.e. strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream
• Placing staple foods like milk and bread far from the entrance and far apart from each other, so you have to trawl the whole supermarket to get to them
• Hiding essentials like eggs to increase shopping time (I can NEVER find the eggs – can you?) Supermarkets are absolute experts on behavioural science to get us to do what they want.

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And you can learn how to use basic human behaviour in your favour too – in your emails, your presentations, your meetings, you name it.

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Understanding the psychology of motivation is a power skill like no other in today’s workplace.

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But let me be clear.

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You’re not hiding the eggs — but you do need to appreciate how people think if you want them to act.

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And we all want a piece of the action, don’t we?!

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I’ll be writing more about motivation over the coming weeks.

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And going big on psychology in brand new chapters of the next edition of Email Attraction.

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I think you’re going to like it…

I'm a marketing and brand consultant and communication coach. To get your business off that comfy old couch and out there winning business, visit kimarnold.co.uk or drop me a line at [email protected].

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