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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

be easily transferred to business. It is just important actively have been looking for this product.
that your goodie fits the product and that you
advertise trial and gift campaigns in your newsletter! Bernd Weber, neuroscientist from the Life & Brain
Center at the University of Bonn, has proven that just
The choice paradox looking at large percentage signs activates the brain's
reward system. For this purpose, test persons were
Having a lot of choices seems to be attractive and shown products and prices in a computer tomograph,
without doubt generates a lot of interest, but it paralyzes some of which were provided with percentage signs,
the purchase decision. The cause is the risk of choosing which immediately addressed the reward center and
the wrong product, which increases proportionally to the evoked positive expectations. At the same time, self-
selection. Customers no longer know what the best deal and error-control decreased. Combined with email
is, and before they risk buying the wrong thing, they don't marketing, the effect of these methods even increased,
buy anything at all. So, the large selection becomes a since emails are personalized messages.
sales killer!
The recipient's interest is primarily piqued by the
Basically: subject line. Accordingly, the recipients who read your
email are even more susceptible to your stimulating
• Make it easy for your customers to choose. email design, since simply opening the email implies
Reviews weight the offer and provide orientation: interest in the offer. As a result, biased readers are
identify frequently purchased and therefore popular easy prey for your intense stimuli. So, you can be sure
products! 70% of all customers include other that “free” will ultimately pay off.
customer ratings in their purchase decision! Work
with stars to be able to grade ratings from "0 - 5" - The purchase impulse – “free of charge”
"bestsellers" - disturbers are also very striking.
“Free of charge” is one of the strongest triggers for
• Do not overwhelm the customer with a huge opening an email and buying a product.
variety of products and to take away the fear of
making the wrong decision. Therefore, highlight one Dan Ariely, psychologist and author of the book
to three campaign specials! Mark your specials with "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape
disturbers or make them larger. Our Decisions", also calls it the "free" effect. The “free”
concept is so convincing that people even get a tattoo
• Limit your offer or offer give support in making a for it, as Ariely proved in an experiment, in which
decision, so that your customers are not students stood up for a free tattoo that 68% would not
overwhelmed by too many products. Present a have gotten had it cost something. This means for your
maximum of six products per category in your email marketing using the word “free of charge” to
newsletter or just announce the campaign in your attract more newsletter subscribers.
email, for instance, with a subject line like: "Summer
Sale - 50% Off!" After all, anything that is free is irresistible: free
registrations generate more subscribers, addresses
The bestseller effect and participants; subject lines with the words “free” or
“free of charge” achieve higher opening rates and thus,
Whether software, baby food, or spirits, if you don't know lead to significantly more sales in the long term.
a product, you are happy to try a “best seller” or a
“favorite”. What millions buy is an incentive for millions As you can see, sales psychology can be easily
more. The bestseller effect, also known as “social proof,” translated to your newsletters and promotional emails
in psychology, is the key here. It is based on the “herd and should be used in one form or another for pushing
instinct” of people: Without thinking twice, we imitate the sale up. Use your strengths and popularity to convince
behavior of others—the group just has to be big enough. new customers or undecided buyers of your products
The individual assumes that the group is doing the right and let the herd instinct work for you. Large discount
thing. For your email marketing this means mentioning labels, free promotions and exclusive offers for your
the bestsellers or positive customer feedback. existing customers trigger the impulse to buy and at the
same time give a feeling of appreciation. ◊
The bargain hunters

If we like a product and if it is reduced on top of that, it is By Daniela La Marca
almost impossible to resist. We don't even need to

February 2021: Conversational & Event-Triggered Marketing 9