The Neuroscience of Groupon Jonah Lehrer breaks down the science of why we shop the way we shop when discounts are involved … however, that title’s not fully accurate … While I’ve enjoyed my few Groupon forays – and appreciate the crafted wit of their sales pitches – I think their business model is best understood as a logical extension of what online retailers are already good at: selling us stuff at slightly cheaper prices. This is a lovely thing, but it’s not exactly revolutionary. Physical stores, after all, have been putting crap on sale for as long as there’s been crap to sell. The internet has just made these sales more transparent, easier to search and compare. As a result, we buy more stuff. To understand how this process works, it helps to know a bit about what happens in the brain when we shop. At the moment, our understanding of retail neuroscience remains rather crude, a scientific cartoon of what is undoubtedly an extremely complex mental process. Nevertheless, I think this rough draft of research can still help us better understand both the current limitations and future opportunities for online retailers. The science also helps me understand why, even in this age of online everything, I still insist on schlepping to a 3-dimensional store for certain product categories. (via Wired Science)
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The Neuroscience of Groupon

Jonah Lehrer breaks down the science of why we shop the way we shop when discounts are involved … however, that title’s not fully accurate …

While I’ve enjoyed my few Groupon forays – and appreciate the crafted wit of their sales pitches – I think their business model is best understood as a logical extension of what online retailers are already good at: selling us stuff at slightly cheaper prices. This is a lovely thing, but it’s not exactly revolutionary. Physical stores, after all, have been putting crap on sale for as long as there’s been crap to sell. The internet has just made these sales more transparent, easier to search and compare. As a result, we buy more stuff.

To understand how this process works, it helps to know a bit about what happens in the brain when we shop. At the moment, our understanding of retail neuroscience remains rather crude, a scientific cartoon of what is undoubtedly an extremely complex mental process. Nevertheless, I think this rough draft of research can still help us better understand both the current limitations and future opportunities for online retailers. The science also helps me understand why, even in this age of online everything, I still insist on schlepping to a 3-dimensional store for certain product categories.

(via Wired Science)

Source: Wired

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