Imagine that you’re standing in a store, looking at a rack of shirts. You reach for one with a large print on it, only to realize that there’s another shirt behind it with an even bigger print – and then another one behind that!
Your brain gets confused because they’re all fighting for your attention. It’s like being at the circus: if you don’t know where to look, your eyes start darting around everywhere instead of focusing on anything specific.
That can be bad news when you’re trying to make money online; bad design means lost sales. So how do we avoid these design pitfalls? Let’s take an example:
You want to sell hats online – but not just any hats – beanies! And since these things are worn close to people’s heads (well… unless they have dreadlocks), then it makes sense to use high quality materials like wool or alpaca wool.
But wait – isn’t alpaca wool really expensive? Well yes, but if we use real photos instead of drawings or sketches then customers will trust us more and thus be willing spend more money than if we had used cheap materials with hand-drawn pictures on them instead).
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. The brain’s initial response to a product is driven by subconscious factors and emotional triggers. |
| 2. Cognitive biases and psychological shortcuts play a significant role in forming instant preferences. |
| 3. Visual appeal and aesthetics heavily influence the likability of a product upon first encounter. |
| 4. Neuromarketing techniques capitalize on understanding the brain’s rapid decision-making process. |
| 5. Building a positive emotional association with a product can lead to increased long-term affinity. |
Make The Product Look Familiar
You want to make sure your product looks familiar. First, it’s important to establish trust with the consumer because they are unfamiliar with the brand and how it works. They don’t know if the product will work for them or not.
Doing this is easy: just make sure your product looks familiar!
If possible, show consumers what happens when someone uses your product.
For example, if you were selling sunglasses and wanted to show how cool they looked to people who wore them all day long (because you know how much we love looking at other people), show those images in a way that focuses on how happy these customers are with their purchase!
Exploring the intricate world of neuromarketing reveals fascinating insights. Discover 15 Terrifying Examples of Neuromarketing at Work that showcase the power of subconscious influences in consumer behavior.
Always Use A Real Photo Of The Product, Not A Hand Drawing Or A Sketch
Let me be clear: you should never, ever use a hand drawing or sketch to show off your product. Your brain will immediately recognize it as such and demand more information before deciding whether or not to like your product.
Never use a photo of a prototype either. If you do, then your brain will know that the product isn’t ready yet and that creates anxiety for many people who want to buy things but don’t understand how long it takes for products to go from idea to store shelf.
If you have an existing competitor’s product in front of you as an example of what other companies offer in this category/segment, keep it away from view during this phase of the process because it could sabotage your chances at success!
Your brain will instantly recognize this image as something familiar (your competitor), which means any positive associations with their brand might transfer over onto yours before they even know what they are looking at!
Let The Colors Of Your Product Stand Out
You can use colors to make your product stand out. You should think about which color contrasts the most with its background, or if it’s better to use a combination of contrasting colors.
For example, if you want to use blue text on a white background, then you can use bright red letters instead of just black ones so that they pop out more.
You should also think about what colors are in the product itself and what they look like when they’re mixed together (e.g., orange + blue = purple).
If there are any important details in the picture (like text), then make sure that those details stand out too! In this example, we see how different elements have been emphasized with different types of fonts:
Effective marketing goes beyond products—it’s about understanding human nature. Dive into the relationship between marketing and psychology in Understanding Marketing Is Understanding Human Beings.
Use Clear Cut-Off At The Edges
You can use a clear cut-off at the edges of your product.
A blurry edge will distract people from thinking about the product, or even make them think that it is a different product entirely. You want them to focus on what you’re selling, not on all of the other things in their peripheral vision that are competing for their attention.
Also note: avoid blurry edges that aren’t clearly defined and don’t have a clear cut-off point. This can cause confusion as well as a distraction from what you’re trying to sell.
Have Short Copy On The Page With The Product
You’re not done yet. You also need to write some text about the product that goes beyond just describing what it is and how much it costs.
The best way to do this is with bullet points. Bullet points allow you to quickly communicate in a simple, easy-to-read format the most important features of your product, as well as some key benefits that customers will benefit from when they buy your product.
You can use bullet points for each of these things:
Product description – tell us what this thing is and why we should care about it (think “what makes this product unique? why would I want one?”)
Benefits – list out all of the ways customers will benefit from purchasing your product (for example: “it will improve my golf swing”, or “save me time” etc.)
Materials – tell us what materials were used to make this item (if there are any), and if those materials have any special qualities like being eco-friendly or non toxic etc).
Show That Your Product Is Good With Lots Of Testimonials
We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But when it comes to products and services, we do often without realizing it.
This is because our brains are wired to make snap judgments based on how attractive something looks. Think about it: if you saw a person you thought was attractive and then talked to them for 10 minutes, would that opinion change? Probably not very much!
The same thing goes for your product, if someone thinks it looks good right off the bat (and they don’t know anything else about what you offer), chances are they’ll stick around until they find out everything else they need to know.
So how do I show people that my product is good? By making sure my website has plenty of testimonials! This way new customers can see other people who have already used my product and liked it enough to leave their own personal review of what working with me was like.
Science can play a significant role even in marketing challenges. Learn how data-driven strategies can transform a seemingly unimpressive product in How Science Can Help You Sell a Lousy Product.
Center Products And Headlines On The Page
If you’re designing a landing page for your e-commerce store or startup, here are some basic principles to keep in mind.
Center the product and its headline. Don’t put too much text on top of it; instead, let the image speak for itself.
Make sure that headline is clear and concise: If someone lands on your page and can’t figure out what they’re looking at within five seconds, they’ll leave without reading further.
A good rule of thumb: if you’re having trouble saying it out loud in less than five seconds, cut it down to make things simpler!
Choose colors that complement each other (your headline should stand out against the background).
If there’s something else visually striking about your product like a beautiful pattern or graphic make sure those elements aren’t competing with each other either (for example by using different shades of red in both places).
Keep headlines large so they’re easy for people who may be visiting from mobile devices where text size can vary widely!
Have Your Homepage And Other Landing Pages Match One Another, So People Can Tell They’re From The Same Company
The first thing your customers will see when they arrive at your homepage is the logo.
The fact that you have a consistent logo across all pages is a good sign, because it means that you’re able to maintain a cohesive brand identity. It also helps people remember who you are and what you do.
Having a theme for your website can make it easier to maintain and update your site over time. You should choose an existing theme or create one from scratch, but make sure it matches with all of your landing pages and other content (like blog posts).
Make Sure Whatever You Have On The Background Doesn’t Distract From Your Products And Headlines
Make sure whatever you have on the background doesn’t distract from your products and headlines. It’s important to keep things simple and consistent so that users don’t feel overwhelmed by too many colors or not enough contrast between elements.
The main thing you want to focus on is getting a good photo of your product so it looks appealing, but also make sure to keep it interesting. Don’t just do the basic profile pic like some people who just put up a picture of them with their product in hand, that’s very boring!
Neuromarketing’s influence extends beyond supermarkets. Explore how you can harness its techniques in various contexts through Neuromarketing Isn’t Just for the Supermarket – You Can Use the Technique Too.
Don’t Have A Slideshow With Images And Headlines That Change Every Second – That Confuses The Brain And Makes It Less Likely To Buy From You!
The brain will not be able to process the information you are trying to give it if it is too busy looking at a slideshow that keeps changing every second. This kind of slideshow confuses the brain, and makes it less likely to buy from you!
Let Buyers Know What’s In It For Them, Right Away – Not Just How Great You Are As A Company Or Brand
- Value Proposition
- Clear Call to Action
- Clear Product Description (including model number and color)
- Clear Product Image (to see size or style)
- Price Point (and if it’s on sale)
- Shipping/Delivery
Make Shopping Easy By Having Clear Calls To Action On Relevant Buttons, Like This One
Your brain has a lot to process when you look at a website or app. It’s important to make it easy for your users by providing clear calls to action on relevant buttons.
This is why we use “Sign in” and “Register” buttons, instead of the more generic terms like “Log in” or “Create account”. This way, users know exactly what they’re supposed to do when they click on these buttons: sign up or create an account (and then log in).
It’s also why we use specific wording on our CTA buttons that are tailored towards the user’s needs: if we’re talking about a product that is only available for sale in one country.
Then we might display text like “Order now” instead of “Buy now” since our users probably won’t be able to buy anything if they’re not located physically within the specified country boundaries.
Make Sure Important Elements, Like Text And Images, Don’t Overlap With Each Other – That’s Bad Design And Will Confuse Users’ Brains
When you’re designing, it’s important to make sure that all of your elements are separated. If they overlap with each other, it will confuse users’ brains and they won’t know what they’re looking at.
This can happen in a lot of ways: if text and images are competing for attention on the same plane (i.e., they’re both in focus), or if two different things are clashing together in the same area of space – this is bad design and people won’t like it as much!
Effectively selling products and services online requires strategic insights. Uncover tips and strategies from a TEDx speaker’s experience in How I Gave a TEDx Talk on How to Sell Products and Services Online.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve seen all this, what can you do about it? If you’re a retailer or e-commerce site with an online presence, it’s time to get serious about your design.
You need to make sure that your product page looks clean and organized so people will be able to find what they need easily. Your headline needs to be short and clear; don’t go overboard with text as well!
Make sure your images stand out by using bright colors or contrasting elements like shadows – this way customers can tell what each image is showing them before they even click on it.
And finally: always keep things simple when possible because complicated designs tend not only be harder on the eyes but also cause confusion when trying decide which part(s) appeal most strongly toward making purchase decisions (since everything looks so busy).
Further Reading
For deeper insights into how the brain influences purchase decisions and the science behind human choices, consider exploring the following resources:
How the Brain Makes a Purchase Decision Short Description: Delve into the intricate processes of the human brain when making purchase decisions and how marketers can tap into these mechanisms for effective strategies.
Neuroscience News – Decision Making in the Brain Short Description: Stay updated with the latest neuroscience research on decision-making processes within the brain and their implications for understanding consumer behavior.
The Brain Science Behind Our Decisions Short Description: This article uncovers the intricate relationship between brain science and the decisions we make, shedding light on how this knowledge can impact marketing strategies.
FAQs
Got questions about the fascinating world of decision-making and the brain’s role? Here are some commonly asked questions and their answers:
What is the role of the brain in purchase decisions?
The brain plays a pivotal role in purchase decisions, as it processes information, emotions, and cognitive biases to assess options and make choices aligned with personal preferences and needs.
How does neuroscience contribute to understanding decision-making?
Neuroscience provides valuable insights into the neural mechanisms behind decision-making. By studying brain activity and cognitive processes, researchers can uncover the subconscious factors that influence our choices.
Can marketers leverage brain science for effective campaigns?
Absolutely. Marketers can utilize insights from brain science to craft persuasive messages, design engaging visuals, and create experiences that align with consumers’ subconscious preferences, enhancing the effectiveness of their campaigns.
What are some common cognitive biases affecting decisions?
Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. Examples include confirmation bias, loss aversion, and the framing effect, all of which influence decision-making in various ways.
How can businesses apply neuroscience findings to improve customer experiences?
Businesses can use neuroscience findings to enhance user experiences by optimizing website design, user interfaces, and customer interactions to align with the brain’s cognitive processes and create more intuitive and satisfying journeys.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.