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Brought to you by Lovable 🤔 Did you know... We've all gone to Target with one mission: to grab a single tube of toothpaste.
But 45 minutes later, we're checking out with a caramel macchiato in our hand and a cart full of socks, all-purpose cleaner, and sunglasses. (With the tube of toothpaste buried at the bottom.)
That's not an accident.
Keep reading to uncover this psychological sales strategy. 🕶️
Read time: 3.1 minutes ⚡ |
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Imagine this…
You've gotta stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some mushrooms for dinner.
The shopping trip should only take five minutes—max.
Narrator: It did not take five minutes.
You grab a basket and head toward the produce when a display catches your eye.
Mayo is on sale: buy one, get one free. So is spaghetti sauce.
You realize you're just about out of mayo, so you add two jars to your basket. And spaghetti sauce is always good to have on hand, so you place two jars of that into your basket, too.
You finally make your way to the produce and grab the mushrooms, only to spot basil packs dangling above them.
They would pair great with your recipe. So you stock up on some basil, then head to the checkout.
There are two people ahead of you, so you scan the candy and magazines lining both sides of the checkout line.
Next thing you know, you're adding a pack of M&M's and the latest issue of Time to the conveyor belt.
The kicker?
Instead of paying $2.50 for just the mushrooms, your total bill is now $30.26.
Why did you buy more than what was on your original shopping list?
In today's edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we'll explore the Gruen Effect—why we make impulse purchases when we're disoriented by the layout.
Let's get into it.
🧠 The Psychology of the Gruen Effect While designing storefronts on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, architect Victor Gruen believed that stores should engage and guide shoppers.
He was right.
That philosophy shaped his design for the first modern shopping mall and later inspired the term "Gruen Effect."
The Gruen Effect kicks in when a space disorients or distracts buyers.
This pulls their attention away from their original intent and nudges them into impulse purchases instead.
This psychological tactic works by: - Interrupting your brain's plan-following mode (like grabbing ONE tube of toothpaste)
- Hitting you with sensory cues (like lighting, smells, or music)
- Offering "rewards" (like a killer deal on cozy socks)
When you're disoriented, your cognitive defenses drop.
So instead of asking, "Do I need this?" your brain goes, "Oooh, that's nice. I should grab that, too."
Big retailers like IKEA engineered their layout to be maze-like for this reason: to extend browsing time and increase impulse purchases. And it works, even if you're not selling DIY dressers. Researchers estimate that over 50% of all purchases are unplanned.
So smart marketers ethically use this tactic to slow down the buyer journey and help browsers discover other useful purchases they may not have originally planned to get.
🤔 How To Apply This Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more? eCommerce
Use strategic cross-sells on the checkout page
Supermarkets surround the checkout area with candy, gum, and magazines. In the online world, you can tap into the same impulse by offering strategic cross-sells at the checkout.
Branch Basics did this by recommending Laundry Detergent right before we bought The Concentrate. On the checkout page, your customer is already thinking about the original product.
Now, they're imagining how *this* product would be useful, so they think, "Why not?" and add it to their cart—even though they didn't plan to.
Psst… There's another science-backed technique being used on this page. Don't know what it is? Snag this no-BS copywriting playbook to find out →
Product pages
Trigger detours with personalized options Amazon's "Products related to this item" section uses the digital equivalent of detours to nudge buyers toward additional purchases while they're still in browse mode. But they don't stop there. They draw browsers to the bright "#1 Best Seller" badges like bees to a honeycomb.
So they click on each book and get redirected to their respective product pages filled with even more recommendations. Suddenly, they're adding multiple books to their cart—even though they originally planned to grab just one.
SaaS
Use the element of surprise to drive stickiness
Notion illustrates their newest feature (or upgrade opportunity) in a pop-up while you're using the workspace.
These keep users engaged longer and reduce friction when exploring new features or opportunities to upgrade. So even if they were just signing on to check Tuesday's to-do list, suddenly they're downloading the Notion app and exploring it for at least 15 minutes.
(Neither of which was on their to-do list.)
💥 The Short of It The Gruen Effect shows how thoughtful design can nudge buyers off autopilot and into exploration mode. When done right, it's an opportunity to put smarter, more satisfying purchases in front of browsers—not ones they regret.
Until next time, happy selling! With ❤️ from Katelyn and Jordyn P.S. P.S. Wanna *really* get inside your buyer's head? There are a few ways we can help: |
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