With so many choices in today’s flooded consumer-market, sometimes it can be difficult to make rationale decisions. Never has there been a time like today where consumers have so many choices to spend money on. Marketing professionals have us just where they want us—and we drink their ever-evolving, sophisticated tactics up like water.
Whether you’re surfing the web or walking into town, we have become immune to the bombardment of marketing-related content just begging to grab our attention.
In fact, even while we’re asleep, businesses are still deploying strategies to obtain our interests. Long after we’ve logged into our social media accounts, swiped our credit cards or used our smartphones, corporations are pinpointing our ever move—gathering data via complex algorithms that precisely tailor our curiosities. It’s a scary world out there to be a consumer; implementing a savvy approach during purchasing-decisions is imperative.
In order to not be manipulated by companies, you need to stay ahead of the game using your own approach. For example, perhaps you’re on the market looking to install the best television service provider for you and/or family; well, researching your “wants” versus your “needs” and evaluating competitor pricing (e.g., http://www.tvproviders.com/) is an essential element of being a savvy consumer.
Overall, the informed savvy consumer makes decisions based on his or her OWN terms and completes the due diligence to not be controlled by the “corporate hand.”
Don’t be distracted by the lights…
One of the greatest tools marketing experts use against the modern consumer is working off our emotions. We are easily intrigued be “dazzle,” and this emotional response to advertising strategies is how companies can easily rip us off. Don’t let the “sexiness” of product fool you into believing it worth its value.
Remember that old saying “never judge a book by its cover?”—Well, those wise words couldn’t more appropriate during your shopping experience. Instead, go inside the “book” and uncover its practical features to give a rational context of whether or not the product is something you not only want, but also need.
Shop around
The paradox of shopping smart: low prices mean lower quality, high prices means higher quality. Using this age-old formula of purchasing isn’t something that is necessarily foolish, but it is something you shouldn’t automatically consider. So, if or when making a large financial decision, it’s imperative to receive multiple quotes from retailers or service providers. That way, you make businesses compete for your business—allowing you to make a well-round purchasing decision.
Learn how to negotiate properly
Having the confidence to negotiate properly is vitally important in the consumer-market. Instead of feeling controlled by the seller, do the opposite and allow your value as a customer to surface. Sure, developing negotiation abilities does come natural to certain individuals, but if socializing is something of a difficulty for you, you simply need to practice. Start small in your negotiations at first. Learn how to maneuver your words that will make a business representative become more fixated to appease your demands. As mundane as it sounds, a little experience can go along way, and when large purchasing decisions do arise, you will be ready.
Image: https://pixabay.com/en/shopping-mall-store-retail-center-509536/