The hidden shopper: the psychology of buying decisions

Wendy Lanchin, Anthony Tasgal

Assumptions that have long been made in retail marketing strategies about the psychology of consumer buying behaviour have been shown to be flawed.

The hidden shopper: the psychology of buying decisions

Wendy Lanchin and Anthony Tasgal

In light of the changing face of the retail industry and consumer purchasing behaviours, we decided to investigate some of the perceived wisdoms that shape the majority of the retail marketing strategies we see in stores on the high street, online and other retail environments, using emerging and established research.

We found five established assumptions about human behaviour that have influenced marketing for decades. These assumptions share the benefit of being consistent, convenient and susceptible to conventional market research. Unfortunately, the growing body of psychological...

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