I recently embarked upon one of the worst purchasing experiences one can ever make: buying a new mattress. The only purchasing experience that is worse is buying a new car.
Time is an invaluable commodity – it can’t be renewed and once time is gone, we can’t ever get it back. Businesses like Amazon realize this and have thrived by providing quick, effortless and seamless purchasing experiences.
So, why does it take 2 hours to buy a mattress, that I have already decided to purchase, before even arriving at the store? It was a complete waste of time as each computer entry: address, contact phone number, confirmation of address and phone number (4 times); with explanations of “the computer is running slow” between each click, ate into 2 hours of my precious time. It was then I realized that there is a well-crafted strategy at play.
Beware the “waiting game” in sales and its deliberate manipulation. We know that buying a car or a mattress is a lengthy process and we have been groomed to submit to that reality. But as I got angrier and angrier in that mattress store, I decided to arm myself and never let a seller ever do that to me again.
I did some research into the science behind the manipulation of lengthy purchasing and found that this is quite a prescribed process. Here are some of the tactics used:
1. The creation of a sense of urgency. By making you wait, they aim to intensify your desire for the product or service. Delayed gratification can amplify your anticipation, leading to an increased willingness to spend more or make impulsive decisions.
2. Long purchasing processes often involve multiple steps or stages. Each step incrementally commits you further to the purchase, making it harder to back out. As you invest more time, effort, and sometimes even money, you become psychologically more committed to completing the purchase, ultimately making it difficult to abandon the process.
3. Drawing attention to limited availability, special pricing, or product scarcity can also manipulate your decision-making process. By extending the purchasing process, marketers create an illusion of exclusivity, making you feel privileged to be part of a select group of potential buyers. This perceived exclusivity intensifies your desire to own the product and can lead to impulsive buying decisions.
4. Lengthy purchasing processes often involve repeated exposure to the product or service. Marketers intentionally use this exposure to anchor the product in your mind, making it harder for you to consider alternatives. This technique works by creating a cognitive bias known as the mere exposure effect, which suggests that people tend to develop a preference for things they are familiar with.
Know that there is a deliberate intention behind these lengthy purchasing processes. Understanding the underlying manipulation tactics and being prepared can help us to navigate through them more effectively. Finally, safeguarding yourself against manipulation will ensure your purchases align with your needs and values.
As for me, that mattress may belong to them before I purchase it, but my time is mine. Next time I find this happening to me, I am setting a timer for the valuable time that I am willing to spend on the endeavor. It the purchase is not complete by the time the timer goes off; I am walking out.