Good afternoon, readers of our site. Do you know what determines the level of sales? Some might say that it depends on the quality of the product, on the brand, on the fame of the company, or on advertising. Sales also depend on the successful location of the store, marketing strategies and customer service. All this is correct, there are dozens of factors, but few people know that even the most unsaleable thing can be sold, the buyer can be forced to buy something that he absolutely does not need.
Scientists from all over the world have been analyzing buyer behavior for many years, studying various scientific methods of influencing our desires to buy this or that thing. It turns out that we are a very simple species that is easier to control than it seems. Now you may think, no, I’m not like that, I won’t be fooled by various scientific tricks. I want to disappoint you, because you, me, and millions of other people around the world every day in stores, restaurants, and supermarkets are faced with well-developed sales techniques. Sometimes we don’t even notice them, but somewhere, on a subconscious level, everything is put aside, and the desire to pay attention to a certain group of products, stop near a shelf, buy this or that product arises.
Today the article will be about the 5 most common scientific methods that help sell goods. Be sure to read the article carefully, draw conclusions, and use these techniques when building your sales schemes.
How to sell a product: Rule No. 1 - the buyer is predictable
Next time you walk into a large grocery store, pay attention to what's on the right. Remembering supermarkets in Kyiv, I can say that many of them have a department with fresh fruits and vegetables immediately to the right. Some try to place baked goods nearby. It is noteworthy that practically the entrance doors are located in such a way that upon entering you will be forced to turn to the right. This construction is not accidental, and everything is subject to strict rules and long scientific research.
As it turns out, people are very predictable, almost like animals during migration. We choose the same routes around the store. Scientists who have studied the behavior of buyers in different countries have come to the conclusion that we prefer to walk around the store counterclockwise.
Modern markets are designed in such a way that you unwittingly follow a well-thought-out route. Knowing that when you enter a store, you will definitely turn to the right, marketers try to place the freshest, most seductive and attractive product there. It is the first one that catches your eye, and whether you like it or not, you will think about it, consider the need for such a purchase. As a rule, the products that are placed are not the most popular ones, those that need to be sold quickly. They understand that if you place a shelf of chips or refrigerators with beer at the entrance, you will simply grab them and go to the checkout without ever seeing all the store offers.
Another trick is that the first thing you see shapes your impression of the entire store. When you go to the market and see fresh herbs, bright and beautiful fruits, you will automatically be more loyal to this store; it will be associated with freshness, bright colors and pleasant smells.
The order in which products are “showed” to you is also thought out to the smallest detail. Having seen the palette of colors and freshness from the fruit, you move on, you see other products, but not at all the ones that I buy most often. Bread, dairy products, meat, eggs - all this is located at the very far end of the market, and by the time you get there, you’ve already thrown a bunch of nonsense into the cart that you didn’t even intend to buy in the first place.
Remember! The most important thing is to get the customer to stay in the store as long as possible, walk through as many shelves as possible and look through as many products as possible. A person will never buy “Haporel Honey Pepper” if he does not know about its existence.
Why does this work?
Walking in circles is a common activity for herd animals, but why people behave this way is not yet clear. Research has shown that shoppers in England, Japan and Australia prefer to walk around the store clockwise, possibly due to the fact that they drive on the left side of the road in their countries. If you are used to driving on the right side, then there is a high probability that in the store you will also go to the right, along the wall.
Be that as it may, we can say that this impulse is really strong. In the USA they even tried to conduct an experiment. They opened the right door in the store and wanted to force customers to walk clockwise, that is, turn left. Imagine the surprise when customers entered through the right door, but still went to the left entrance to start moving counterclockwise. This is already embedded in the subconscious, so people feel more comfortable.
How to sell a product: Rule No. 2 - more shiny
Everything shiny and beautiful is automatically perceived as something new, fashionable and valuable. Many drivers can confirm that after a good wash and polish, they even feel like the car drives much better. “This cannot be my 1990 Lada, which I previously drove. Look how shiny it is, the engine works differently.”
This is precisely why in good and expensive stores everything sparkles, glows, shimmers with different colors of the rainbow.
Envirosell Inc. conducted a large-scale study and found out that a shiny display makes those passing by involuntarily slow down, and some even stop to take a closer look at the products on display. And it's hard to fight this.
Why does this work?
In 1990, researchers from England put forward a rather interesting theory. They believe that our love for everything shiny dates back to the times of the first people. It was then that the first people looked for good, clean and drinkable water, focusing on its shine.
Scientists conducted a study and asked people to choose vessels with the best water, in their opinion. Many girls, without hesitation, chose the one that shone the most. The argument was that this water is more trustworthy and should be clean, tasty and pleasant.
Next, the experiment was with children, very young, who did not have time to fall under the influence of society. Two plates were placed in front of them - white and shiny. Almost everyone chose the shiny one, squatted down and tried to lick it. No child has ever done this to a white girl.
The results of the research allowed us to put forward a hypothesis that people used to look for water and recognize it by its shine; it was this skill that remained in the subconscious and did not disappear over thousands of years. Therefore, when we see something shiny, we involuntarily stop, try to look at it and understand what it is.
How to sell a product: Rule No. 3: enjoy shopping
In Europe, and recently in our country, on all major holidays, Christmas, New Year, many stores organize grand sales. In the USA there is a whole sales season, which begins with Black Friday. People take time off from work, line up at stores late at night, stand and crowd at the entrance, waiting for the store to open and for huge discounts. Do you think all this is because they need to buy some thing, or because they want to save money? 95% of buyers during the sales season simply get a thrill from the purchases themselves, from shopping, from shopping and the opportunity to buy something, and even cheaper than yesterday. Skilled sellers know about this human weakness, and can more than sell goods stored in warehouses in a few days.
Many of you laugh at shopaholics whose girls don’t feed them bread, let them buy a new jacket or blouse. But wait, this technique is used for more than just clothes and shoes. According to statistics, many gamers have about 10% of the games they bought, played several times and that's it, the discs gather dust on the shelves. Some people buy books and then don't read them. Yes, a person can be forced to buy anything, and he will think that it is necessary. The understanding that a thing is useless comes much later.
Look around, you don’t have these things that you bought, but now you don’t understand why? My friend has a lot of DVDs with a variety of films. He definitely won’t watch them, but every time he buys them, he says that he is adding to the collection. The process of finding a good film and buying the disc itself brings pleasure.
Why does this work?
This is where old Dopamine comes into play. This substance is produced by your brain when you are in love, when you eat delicious food or do what you love. Dopamine affects all functions of the body that are responsible for behavior, cognition, movement and other important things, such as the ability to retain saliva in the mouth.
The effect of dopamine becomes stronger if you enter a new store or arrive in another city. New emotions, new desires. It’s not for nothing that scientists note that we make the most pointless purchases while traveling. And, of course, we don’t actually need the thing. We want to feel an emotion, to get a dose of dopamine.
How to sell a product: Rule No. 4 – numbers are not your strong point
In 2010, Steve Jobs introduced the world to a new miracle of technology - the iPad. And the price for it was quite low, only 499 dollars. This is a very good price for... although wait, for what? Before this, there were no tablets on the market, no one could say the exact price, but everyone thought it was excellent, and even very low. The price was more than phones and most laptops, so how can you be so sure it was good?
And one more thing, why do they still continue to put nines at the end of price tags? Buyers have long understood that 499 is almost 500 dollars, so set a normal price that is already this dollar. Many are sure that they have seen through this marketing ploy and are not falling for it. But is it? Not a fact, far from a fact. Knowing that you are being manipulated in this way and not falling for the bait are two different things.
In fact, people are not good with numbers. Only a few can calculate the real benefit and understand the real price of the product. Let's say you wait until there is a discount on a sweater you like, then you go to the store and pay with a credit card. The bank calculates a percentage for the use of money, and it happens that a sweater purchased at a discount turns out to be more expensive than it was originally.
Also, many end up with loans. No one considers the actual amounts, they are tempted by small monthly payments, take out a loan for a long period, and at the same time the overpayment can reach 100% of the amount.
Sellers understand that the price of the product depends on them. Even when you see that the product is 50% cheaper, then from the price they came up with. I specifically looked at prices for household appliances with a 30% discount in one large store, and then on the Internet I found a similar offer, without a discount, and even at a lower price. It turns out that you save 30% of the price taken “out of the blue.”
Let's go back to the iPad's very low price of $499. Where did the belief that the price is really good come from? Several months before the presentation, many leading magazines and Internet sites, commissioned by Apple, carried out a good marketing ploy. They allegedly published information from reliable sources about the new tablet, its functionality, and hinted that having such characteristics, the gadget would cost at least a thousand dollars. At the presentation, Jobs also emphasized this fact that the price was planned to be much higher. That's how people got the impression that 499 is very cheap. Perhaps the price was too high, but people thought otherwise.
How it works?
Imagine 3 tennis balls lying on a table. Introduced? Now try to imagine 4037 of the same balls. I am sure that it will be almost impossible to do this, and it is difficult to imagine a table on which they will fit. The brains of many people are simply not equipped to work with such numbers, because nature did not provide us with such functionality, and natural selection did not take into account mathematical abilities.
The story with 499 dollars and 500 is an excellent confirmation that numbers are not our strong point. Even if you understand that the difference is tiny, just one dollar, the subconscious perceives it differently. This happens for one simple reason - you read prices from left to right, and remember, to a greater extent, only the first. You would rather call $499 “four hundred and something” rather than “almost 500.” Sometimes people ask me how much this or that product cost. I answer that it’s a hundred and something rubles, and then I catch myself thinking that it cost 199. Even knowledge and understanding of this marketing ploy does not protect against errors in price perception.
Research also shows that those who try to calculate expenses directly in the store and save on purchases spend no less, if not more. The notorious nines at the end of the price tag do not allow us to accurately and quickly calculate the price. Answer the question, how much will 5 avocados cost 30 rubles each? I'm sure you answered immediately. Now calculate the price of the same number of avocados, but at 29.89 per piece. I think problems have arisen.
How to sell a product: Rule No. 5 – a familiar logo can deceive taste
Incredible brand trust is justified, but only to a certain extent. If you have owned a BMW car, then when buying a new one, you will give preference to this particular brand. Users of Apple products are unlikely to ever exchange them for Samsung. But at a certain point, a brand name can play a cruel joke on you. You begin to idealize the product, exaggerating the pleasure it can deliver. I’ll say right away that I don’t mean fashionistas who are chasing Gucci shoes and Prada handbags. For them, the brand is a kind of mark that brings these girls closer to the upper strata of society.
I'm talking about something completely different:
In 1970, the Pepsi company conducted one interesting experiment, calling it "Pepsi Challenge." Cola and Pepsi were poured into identical glasses. People were asked to choose which drink tastes better and what suits them best. Most Americans chose Pepsi. This experiment ended in stunning success, many media reported on it, and it would seem that after this Cola should have drowned in its sugar syrup, sales would have fallen to a minimum, and the company would have left most of the market. But, as we see, Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi to this day. And this despite the fact that many still say that Pepsi is much tastier.
What is even more surprising is the fact that when there were logos on the glasses, people, seeing the familiar white lettering on a red background, chose Coke. This phenomenon was called the "Pepsi Paradox".
A similar experiment was carried out with wine. One test group was told the price of the drink ($90 and $10) and almost everyone said that the expensive one was of better quality. But the second group did not know the prices, and the answers about quality were divided 50/50. By the way, in China there is very expensive beer (a bottle costs more than $40), but it tastes like cheap beer, which in the states costs no more than $3. The whole secret is that the enterprising Chinese stuck on a beautiful label, carried out an advertising campaign and inflated the price.
Why does this work?
And again it’s all about our brain, more precisely in the hemispheres. One responds to visual perception, and the other to taste. When you don't see a logo, you trust solely the taste, the real taste. When a person sees a logo, then memory comes into play, which associates the logo with something good, better quality and famous, which means that products under this brand will be better.
Without logos, your brain tells you that Pepsi is much better and tastier, choose it. But as soon as you see the logo, your brain repeats: “When it’s great, you should drink it.” Dozens of years of advertising campaigns and driving data into a person’s head have done their job. Companies are actually brainwashing consumers into liking not what is better or healthier, but what they want to sell.
If you work according to a standard store scheme, the question is how to capitalize the products purchased from private traders, if you work according to an agency scheme, as if we are just an intermediary in delivering products from the manufacturer to the client, the question is how not to attract the attention of the inspection authorities, since this already looks like to deliberately evade the law on consumer protection during distance selling.
Vadim
Hello, Vadim.
It seems to me that if you have the same product suppliers, then it’s really easiest for you to enter into an agency agreement with them to find buyers and take a commission from a % of sales. Plus, enter into a separate contract for the delivery/cargo transportation of goods.
Then it would be best for you to open an individual entrepreneur with two taxation systems. Cargo transportation will be under the simplified taxation system, and agency services at the simplified taxation system of 6%.
But, to avoid problems with regulatory authorities, I still recommend checking that farmers have all the necessary documents. The sale of food products is controlled more strictly than manufactured goods, and if someone, God forbid, gets poisoned, there will be a serious investigation.
Here are the documents for the sale of dairy products and vegetables
In addition, if you deliver products, your transport must comply with the Sanitary Rules for Food Trade Enterprises - SanPiN 2.3.5.021-94. Section “Sanitary Requirements for the Transportation of Food Products”.
A vehicle intended for the transportation of food cargo must have a sanitary passport of the appropriate type.
The driver (forwarder) is required to have a medical book with him, in which notes must be made that he has passed the appropriate medical commission.
The car body must be clean, which must be confirmed
relevant documents based on the verification carried out. That's why
special attention is paid to the procedure for washing the car body before
transportation of food products, as well as after it (requirements for
temperature of water and detergents, washing time, control after
disinfection, etc.).
Only specialized accredited organizations have the right to wash the body of a vehicle intended for the transportation of food products.
who, upon request, are obliged to provide the necessary
documents on the appropriate cleaning and disinfection procedures carried out.
The climatic conditions in the car body must satisfy
transportation requirements for each type of product. Thus,
perishable goods must be transported in a closed body on transport equipped with special refrigeration units,
capable of maintaining a certain climate regime. To them
include refrigerators and insulated trailers and semi-trailers.
Before submitting the vehicle for loading, the internal
temperature conditions must comply with the transportation standards of the category
transported cargo, as well as compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards
body cleanliness. Upon completion of loading, the vehicle must
be sealed if the transported cargo does not contain its own
sealed containers or packaging.
For transporting perishable goods over long distances
they may be heavily cooled or frozen beforehand if they
Of course, such a procedure is allowed (for example, meat, seafood, etc.).
Transportation of frozen products is carried out only in refrigerators,
capable of maintaining temperatures down to minus 20 degrees.
With the popularization of online business, most ideas have significantly reduced the requirements for organization and investment in entrepreneurial activity.
An example of this is the organization of online sales of homemade food products. There are quite a large number of similar enterprises in the West. Selling homemade food online has long been considered a promising business idea there. In Russia, such a niche in the restaurant food market is virtually unfilled. This speaks of great potential and the opportunity to earn money for those who decide to implement the idea of an online homemade food store in RuNet.
Who can start a homemade food business?
Any housewife can start selling her own culinary delights. To do this, it is enough to know how to cook deliciously, register an individual entrepreneur, obtain permission from Rospotrebnadzor and the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station to sell food, and also create your own page on RuNet. This can be either an open group on one or more social networks, or a website. But you can implement the business idea of online trading of home-cooked products in another way - by creating an online home-cooking service that involves the publication of advertisements by those same culinary specialists who want to sell the results of their cooking activities. Therefore, a business selling homemade food can be created by both a chef and a webmaster.
Organization of an online store/homemade food service
You can create a portal either independently or with the help of experienced specialists. This event will definitely require capital investment. Also, money will need to be invested in promoting the site - its popularization. To avoid worrying about food delivery, you can shift this responsibility directly to the sellers themselves. This way they can compete with each other. In the future, it is quite possible to introduce customer service on the portal. This will allow you to earn additional income. The main profit of such an Internet portal will be made through payment for the right to publish advertisements and a percentage of products sold. To avoid problems with current legislation, you can come up with requirements for chefs and their products - for example, the mandatory presence of licenses or permits from Rospotrebnadzor, or other departments regulating this field of activity.
conclusions
Organizing an online store selling homemade food is a relatively low-cost and very promising business. All Russians, without exception, will be able to use the services of such a company, since it is not tied to individual territorial spaces. Chefs from different cities and regions will be able to publish their proposals on the portal.
Hello!
We continue to publish useful tips for those who are at the beginning of the journey of creating and developing a successful online store. In previous publications we talked about how to find “your” product (and), what are its features?, your business idea and .
Today we will talk about what you need to consider if you decide to sell your own products online
Own goods and services
The Internet has opened up a whole new world for manufacturers: selling products has become much easier and faster. But there are a number of nuances here.
There are undoubted advantages to selling your own product: you have full control over your brand and its development, you have a chance to occupy a free niche in the market, adjust the product taking into account customer requests, and so on. But in addition to organizing the trading process itself, you will have to invest time and effort in the production itself.
That’s why you definitely need to think ahead about how you will scale your business, how your product line will grow and change, what challenges you may encounter in the future, and what it will take to remain competitive and offer something new to your customers.
Handmade goods store Plushkin.club
What should be your first steps in selling online?
- Evaluate the initial data. Where will you get the raw materials (depending on the type of your business, this could be wholesalers or retail, friends, or even a flea market). You need to clearly identify suppliers and calculate all costs.
- Determine how you will deliver orders: will you choose transport companies or choose Russian Post? Will you send the packages yourself or spend money on couriers and delivery services? Shipping is one of the key aspects of selling products online.
- Think about the packaging of the product: how reliable it is, how it will affect the overall cost, and whether it will withstand transportation.
- Fully calculate the production process: how long it will take to produce one unit of goods, how much you can do in a day, in a week, in a month. Will you work to order or intend to keep a stock of goods in order to promptly send them to customers? Document absolutely everything, from production costs to the amount of time spent.
- Before selling a product in an online store, think about where you will store the product. Even if you have spare space in your home, you'll probably have to look for something larger as you scale your business. Explore alternatives: how much does it cost to rent suitable premises, how much will logistics services cost from a 3PL (Third Party Logistics) provider.
- Timing plays a big role in selling products online. Your website should clearly state how long it will take for the product to be manufactured and delivered to the buyer after payment for the order. You can place this information in the product description, as well as duplicate it in transaction confirmation emails. Be honest, make the process as transparent as possible, meet deadlines, and then customers will trust you.
Working with a manufacturer or wholesaler
This option involves you finding a partner to develop, produce and sell your product. This is a great option if you don't have the opportunity or don't want to do it yourself. Or you doubt that you can handle scaling your business on your own, and therefore are ready to work in collaboration with a larger manufacturer or wholesaler who will handle sales.
Online store of the Miratorg holding, which unites several manufacturers
However, the investment is likely to be more significant. And you will also have to be responsible for the brand and quality of the product to customers.
What points should you pay attention to before you start selling a new product?
- You can establish partnerships with an already successfully operating company, or find an “unpromoted” manufacturer that meets all your requirements. In any case, finding a partner can take quite a long time, so prepare for this in advance.
- Make sure that your partner is in compliance with the law and has all the necessary documents (licenses, permits). Seek recommendations from those who have already worked with this manufacturer or wholesaler. It's a good sign if the company you're researching also asks you for the same information to prove your business is legitimate.
- Assess your capabilities and partnership prospects:
- What will be the final cost of the product, taking into account outsourced production, delivery and potential hidden fees?
- How quickly can the partner ship the goods?
- How is delivery and inventory management organized in the company? Is this included in the price of the product or is it an additional service? Will you control the branding?
- Study the contract: is there room for maneuver in it, is it possible to make adjustments that your business needs? Can the conditions be called strict? What exactly are you risking? -How is communication structured in the partner company? How often will you be provided with up-to-date information about changes, innovations, and discounts made to the product?
- What are the minimum order quantities?
- Be sure to study a sample of the product before signing the contract. Make sure it meets your expectations. Manufacturers typically charge a fee for sending the sample, but you can negotiate an option where payment will be made if the contract is signed.
So, weigh all your options and get started! Remember: in the worst case scenario, if nothing works out, you can choose a different direction and move on. Selling in an online store is not as difficult as it seems!
Share your experience in the comments!
Prepared by Victoria Chernysheva
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