Anatomy of a Sales Trap – Example 2
In our previous Anatomy of a Sales Trap we discussed several methods stores use to increase impulse purchases. Today we analyze another supermarket sales trap – the stand-alone display. Lets take a quick look at how such a stand-alone display works.
The product – Quaker Oats Chewy Protein Bars.
In Store Speed Bump
Ever wonder why there are no clocks in grocery stores? Supermarkets know this simple fact – the more time you spend in a grocery store, the more you’ll buy. (Clocks remind you of how much time you’ve actually spent in the store).
Supermarkets have devised many more ways to get you to slow down, including placing strategic “speed bumps” in their aisles in the form of stand- alone displays. They realize customers often have “tunnel vision”, going up and down aisles looking only for those items on their lists.
Stand alone displays are attempts to break this tunnel vision and get customers to notice products they might have otherwise sped right past. Its hard not to notice this Quaker Oats display that juts out ever so slightly into your walking path.
Playing on Your Senses
Grocery stores love to play on your senses. Its well known that shoppers buy more when they’re hungry. The bright colors of the display draw you in. The product is placed in easy reach. Marketers have learned that you are much more likely to buy a product if you touch it. Notice the large picture of chewy protein bar on the stand-alone display. The product close-up plays on your appetite. If you’re hungry or in the mood for a quick snack, this product may be just the thing you need.
Imposter Sales Signs
The large price sign on the bottom of the display clearly states the price of $3.45. So large is the sign and so boldly displayed is the price, that you automatically assume that the item is on sale.
Now here’s the trap ….
Grocery stores have learned from studying years of consumer data that your average shopper simply assumes that products with large price signs are actually on sale. But upon closer inspection, nowhere on the stand-alone display does it state that this item is on sale.
In fact, if you travel two aisles over you’ll find the same exact product on the store shelf for the same exact price of – $3.45 !!
Lesson - Be very weary of stand-alone displays. These displays often promote items you’d never have thought of buying in the first place. Consider that the manufacturer has to actually pay supermarkets extra money to place these displays in their stores. This cost of course is passed on to you in the form of a higher price. Be especially careful as these stand-alone displays often give the impression that an item is on sale when its actually not!
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