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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Entertainment
Krishan Davis

The tricks major supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda use to get you to spend more

The tricks supermarkets use to encourage shoppers to spend more money have been revealed.

You may not notice it, but apparently nothing in a Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda or other supermarket has happened by accident. There is a lot of psychology and subconsciousness to it.

Experts say it is all about the layout, which mirrors the techniques used by casinos in a bid to coerce gamblers into risking more money.

Music playing, larger trolleys and more expensive items being on one side of the shop are all other tools.

The research was carried out by gambling website casino.org.

Direction of shopping

Stores encourage you to shop from right to left, with more expensive items on the right-hand side of the aisle, so you see them first.

Soft drinks

The soft drink aisle will often be coloured red or something similar, which makes the customer feel warm and secure.

This is where customers are proven to spend the most time making a decision on a purchase.

Aisle ends

The place where you'll find the offers.

Known in the industry as the 'end cap', this is prime real estate and brands will apparently pay thousands to have their items placed there.

Music

When a store is busy, in some cases faster music is played to get people to move through quickly and reduce congestion.

Sales can be up to 38 per cent higher when music is played in a supermarket.

Checkouts

Here you won't find many empty surfaces area as supermarkets don't want you to have a last-minute change of heart.

Fresh fruit and veg

Having fruit and veg gives the shop an air of freshness and makes the shopper feel more healthy as they start their shop with a few bits of fruit or veg, and encourages them to treat themselves later on.

Shopping trolleys

Pretty simple this one; bigger trolleys encourage you to buy more. This simple trick can lead to customers spending 40 per cent more than they originally intended.

Sale/ offer signs

Offer signs are often placed between reduced items and standard priced things. This makes you think full price items might be discounted.

Free samples

This could create a sense of obligation in the customer. When something is given away for free, a lot of people feel a need to reciprocate by buying something.

Milk, eggs and bread

Everyday essentials like these will be positioned long distances from each other to encourage the shopper to move around the whole shop and be tempted bt other items.

Aldi's bread aisle (Surrey Advertiser)

Meat counter

 

The background of the meat counter will normally be a primary colour, making the fresh meat stand out more visually.

For the latest news in and around Bristol, you can check back on Bristol Live's homepage.

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