Part 1: E-Commerce Psychology Series - Because They Buy
Key takeaways while enrolled in a course at Interaction Design Foundation
Most everything in life comes with an instruction manual. Well, not quite. But here’s a truth: understanding your user could be the key to that next successful marketing campaign or brilliant design revamp. How? Knowledge.
The market is your instruction manual. The real key is to do something with that knowledge. Committing to act on the ‘right’ knowledge, as often as possible, will prove to be your greatest endeavor.
Take the Challenge
You see, this is no ordinary blog post series. Yes, this is an external medium for exploring subject knowledge surrounding the Psychology behind E-Commerce transactions. In fact, I’m really glad you’re here and I’m excited to share with you what I’ve come to know.
More importantly, this is a place for an internal exchange, a commitment to your purpose, that which you champion, to serve other human beings, just like yourself, by bringing value to their lives in a more meaningful way. The best way to do that is to commit to action, the right action.
You will consume ideas, facts, concepts, and opinions throughout the course of this series. You’ll learn new things. But what is a silver bullet worth if it’s not loaded and the trigger is never pulled. Humans learn by ‘observing’, but it’s not till the rubber meets the road that traction really becomes evident. And, if you’re moving in the right direction, there’s no telling how far you will go.
So, before you read on, commit now, that you will do something different. That you’ll do great things with what you are about to read and learn. This is your day. It’s your time.
Finding is Understanding
You may be a designer, a developer, in marketing, an entrepreneur, or simply a curious reader engaged in an alternative line of work. Your objective may be: To improve the lives of others around you through the power of great design. Or, you may be endeavoring to increase overall revenues and decrease marketing expense through a site revamp or a laser focused marketing approach.
However, you may not quite have a handle on what ‘great design’ is and where to begin in the creation process. You may not know what marketing initiatives would fit your objectives and how to get the most bang for your buck.
Whoever you are and whatever you do, what you are about to read is relevant. Why? Because humans operate, and consume the goods and services of, every business. The psychology of e-commerce and business centers around human thinking. Understanding how your users think and behave can prove to be pivotal. Remember, it's out there. But, it requires you to cast your rod and reel it in.
Psychology & E-Commerce
Psychology is a large part of the equation when designing and marketing. A simple definition of psychology could be: A study of the functions of the brain and its behavior in context with its environment. Desires. Motivations. Emotions.
E-Commerce could be defined as: buying and selling goods and services via the internet.
Combine the two, E-Commerce Psychology, and you have: the study of how the brain dictates what to buy based on the environment presented via their display screen...or something to that effect. In other words, buying and selling online is different than buying and selling in person. It’s a different game. It’s ever changing and can seem complicated. Keeping up takes effort. But there are ways to crack that code, to understand the ‘why’ and ‘why not’. I intend to take you down a road where, by the end, you’ll know more than you known now about how to design, develop, or market the right digital content whether it be a website design, video ad, or copy.
Timeless Knowledge vs. Trends
Diving deep into the annals of history should be a no brainer for anyone who is serious about understanding what works and what doesn't. Standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before never ceases to be out of style. Learning from the past is always trendy. Repeating the things that didn't work isn't the goal. The goal is to find what worked, test it against your current market, and see if it still works for you and your users.
Recap
As you progress through this blog series entitled "Because They Buy", your job is to instantly execute on what you read wherever it makes sense for you. You owe it to yourself, to your colleagues and especially to the user you serve. This read only covered a few initial ideas. However, additional topics will be covered in greater detail.
Remember that, no matter what, the user is king. You are the servants to that master. You help to bring continual joy and life to their lives. The more you learn and know about them, the more successful you will be in helping them fulfill their wants and needs. Why do they buy? Sometimes they don't even know. But if 'you' know, well, it may be like a hot knife through butter.
Action
Commit to do something about what you've read today. Follow your intuition. Pause. Listen. Identify at least 3 things you can do for one or multiple projects you may be juggling. Share in the comments what you've learned or what you will commit to do.
Just go for it!
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