Contact

Tag: brain-studies-2

Posted on

The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Consumer Emotions

Nowadays, social media platforms, which are an important socializing space for people, are no longer a part of everyday life, but have become everyday life itself. Individuals promote their personalities through their social media profiles. Especially the number of followers and likes has become an important criterion for gaining respectability. Therefore, users with more followers find it easier to reach large audiences and create influence. Now let’s define the influencer world…

Influencer means a person who influences. It also refers to people who practice a type of marketing known as Influencer Marketing. People who have a large following on social media platforms, who can influence the behavior of this audience and thus change the purchasing decisions of their followers are called influencers.

The influence of influencers on consumers is huge and growing. People value the advice of influencers they find trustworthy, sincere and engaging. When promoting a particular product or brand, a good influencer naturally acts as if they are using the product and offers their followers their real experiences. This can lead followers to develop a more positive view of products and brands.

“In the Influencer Marketing Report, brands’ collaborations with influencers are analyzed in three categories: paid, in exchange for products and invitations to events. Advertisers can collaborate with influencers on a “paid” basis, such as a certain number of posts or payment for each post. In addition, brands can send free branded products to influencers as part of their advertising campaign and encourage influencers to share content about these products. In addition, they can invite the influencer to an event organized by the brand and invite them to post about the event for a fee or voluntarily. In addition to these collaborations, brands can also pursue different collaboration strategies. These strategies are shaped by the brand’s objectives and can be categorized into three categories: brand ambassadorship, product placement and event interpretation. A brand ambassador is a person who represents the brand’s identity for a fee within the framework of a long-term relationship.”

The fact that influencers share their lives and emotions with social media users enables users to create an emotional bond. Users support influencers in any negative situation related to influencers. Most users may also consume because of the emotional bond they have established with the influencer rather than the product. Again, women have purchased products promoted by influencers on Instagram more than men in the last year. This shows that advertising activities for women on Instagram may be more effective than for men.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

KIRAN, S., YILMAZ, C., & İlkim, E. M. R. E. (2019). INSTAGRAM’DAKİ INFLUENCER’LARIN TAKİPÇİLER ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİ. Uluslararası Yönetim Bilişim Sistemleri ve Bilgisayar Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(2), 100-111.

Erdoğan, H., & Özcan, B. M. (2020). Influencer pazarlaması kullanımının tüketicilerin satın alma niyetine etkisi: Instagram influencerları üzerine bir araştırma. İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(4), 3813-3827.

Posted on

Online Shopping and Consumer Perception

The spread of technological developments in all areas of our lives makes our daily routines faster and more effective. We no longer have to physically go to a store to meet our needs. Thanks to online shopping, we can easily obtain the products we want. This situation provides great convenience. Because the wide range of products makes it more possible to find an option to meet all kinds of needs. With the recent efforts of online shopping sites to become “super apps”, we can find products in many different categories such as grocery shopping, electronic products, clothing and many more on the same platform. This helps us avoid both physical and mental fatigue and saves time. We can now meet all these needs with a few clicks.

Another advantage offered by online shopping applications and sites is the big discounts. These discounts make consumers more cognitively satisfied and the feeling of a discount or a freebie can release hormones of happiness and pleasure. This, in turn, leads consumers to have positive feelings towards online shopping brands that offer such innovations and deals. It creates emotional bonds such as loyalty and commitment.

Consumers often try to find the best price by comparing prices from various sellers. In addition, online shopping sites often offer discounts and campaigns. Again, the comment section on online shopping sites allows people to access other people’s experiences. This allows consumers to learn more about the product before they buy. In a sense, it is a critical detail for online brands to give importance to the comment section on their sites and applications in terms of user experience. Especially in terms of both design and the way comments are presented, it is extremely important that the comment section appeals to the emotions of consumers. Considering that both positive and negative comments will be made here, the brand may need to work on the comment section.

When we examine consumers’ online shopping behavior emotionally;

For many people, shopping is a pleasant activity. Online shopping can increase this pleasure as it offers consumers the opportunity to shop while sitting comfortably at home. Buying a new product or finding a desired item can give people a sense of satisfaction. Online shopping can provide this satisfaction quickly. Online shopping gives consumers freedom of choice and a sense of control. Consumers have more control over finding the products they want at the time and price range they want. Every emotion that people feel towards the brand can increase brand loyalty.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Uygun, M., Özçifçi, V., & Divanoğlu, S. U. (2011). Tüketicilerin online alışveriş davranışını etkileyen faktörler. Organizasyon ve Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(2), 373-385.

DANIŞMAZ, A. T. (2020). Covıd-19 salgınının tüketicilerin online alışveriş tercihine etkisi. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırma Dergisi, 9(2), 83-90.

Posted on

Emotions Affecting Consumer’s Purchase Decision

While in the past emotions have been studied in depth in the fields of psychology, philosophy and sociology, in the last 20 years they have become an important focus in understanding human behavior thanks to significant advances in disciplines such as brain sciences, behavioral economics and game theory. The transformation in this field has provided a new perspective on understanding human behavior and emphasized the role of emotions. Marketing science has also been affected by these developments and has become the focus of many researchers.

Emotional factors that influence consumers’ purchasing decisions are an important focus for marketers. Brands strive to understand consumers’ emotional needs and make them emotionally connected to them. Emotions have a significant impact on consumers’ attitudes, product evaluations, decisions and satisfaction. In addition, emotions play a major role in evaluating consumption experiences, sometimes even as a consequence of a consumption experience. Emotions are automatic responses based on pre-coded generalizations. They make quick and automatic judgments about the world based on pre-formed judgments stored in the unconscious, which can lead to psychosomatic reactions.

According to Montelongo, individuals’ motives and reasons for emotional buying are diverse. Some emotions are particularly prominent in buying behavior. These are

Excitement: Another factor that can create emotional buying motives in customers is the excitement that arises with the launch or production of new products that reflect the latest technology-based style and fashion sense and that can change existing products. However, a brand constantly coming out with a new product may shake the consumer’s sense of trust. Security: It is one of the most prominent emotional reasons for purchasing certain products, especially in industries such as electronic devices and transportation. In such industries, emotional buying can be encouraged by emphasizing the safety and reliability features of the products. Fear: Different customers may have concerns about different products at different times, so efforts to address these concerns can trigger emotional purchase motivation. For example, the fear that some products will be unavailable for a long time if they are not purchased can evoke an emotional purchase in customers.

Consumers’ current mood can also affect their consumption behavior. Consumers with positive emotions tend to keep their product selection short, while consumers with negative emotions tend to gather more information about the product (Chen et al., 2015). Consumers experience negative emotions when they consume the products they need, while those who cannot access or consume the product they need experience negative emotions such as tension and disappointment (Bagozzi et al., 1999).

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

KARAMAN, D. (2021). TÜKETİCİ SATIN ALMA KARAR SÜRECİNDE ETKİLİ OLAN DUYGULAR VE NEDENLERİN KUŞAKLAR KAPSAMINDA İNCELENMESİ. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi(45), 107-119. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.784589

Posted on

A Brief Journey into Our Unique Brain

Think about your brain – you will immediately say that it is like no other organ. Of all the human organs, the brain is the last to be demystified. The discovery of its anatomy and functions spans millennia.

Today, the neuroscientific study of the brain is an unfinished adventure and still very mysterious. Yes, our brain is different from all our other organs; it does not beat like our heart, it does not expand and contract like our lungs, it does not secrete visible substances like our bladder and intestines. But it is what keeps us alive, it is the center of consciousness, it is not ordinary at all…

Now let’s take a short trip to our brain:

Our brain, which weighs an average of 1300-1400 grams, has an extremely compact structure. When all the folds in the brain are flattened, it covers an area of about 2300 cm.

There are 100 billion nerve cells in our brain. These are the neurons that regulate heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, control hunger, thirst, sex drive, sleep patterns.

10 billion transmitters are generated every moment. The signals carried by nerve cells travel extremely fast on neurons.

Our brain makes up 2% of our body but consumes 20% of our oxygen.

Our primitive and middle brain is 500 million years old, while our new brain is 3-4 million years old.

We use all of our brain, not just 10% of it. Brain imaging techniques show that every region of the brain is actively working. 

It is the center of our emotions that govern our behavior.

It is responsible for what we know and what we don’t know.

Our brain is selective. Although it is constantly recording an enormous amount of information, it selects only a tiny fraction of this information for processing.

Every brain is unique. The differences in each brain allow each individual to have unique personalities.

Although the brain cells in our brains do not reproduce, they can change, meaning that brain tissue can be strengthened and developed like a body muscle, depending on how much it is exercised.

Fortunately, we do not lose brain cells as we age, and we can regenerate the lost ones by activating them.

The characteristics of our brain:

It is egocentric

 Likes contrasts

Loves what is understandable

Remember the beginning and end of processes, the in-between boils away

Visual

Emotional

Loves stories

Neuroscience research has been developing at an ever-increasing pace in recent years, illuminating the complex mental and emotional processes of the brain. In this context, Electroencephalogram (EEG, brain electrical activity) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI, brain blood circulation) methods, which allow the measurement of brain activity without causing any pain or damage to the subject, are the most important scientific tools at the disposal of neuromarketing.

Considered as a new generation method in today’s marketing world, ‘Neuromarketing’ is the neurological and physiological study of the mind’s subconscious reactions to various stimuli. Today, it has been scientifically proven that the unconscious mind is very effective in consumer decisions. Using this method, consumers’ unconscious perceptions, tastes, preferences, reactions and purchasing tendencies are scientifically measured.

The main advantage of the neuromarketing method is that it offers the opportunity to look at the consumer world from a broad perspective by shedding light on the parts that remain in the dark in consumer attitudes and behaviors. Technologies such as EEG, Mobile EEG, Eye Tracking, Facial Emotion Matching and Galvanic Skin Resistance are used for measurements in neuromarketing research.

“The brain loses millions of cells every day, and lost brain cells can be replaced” – Amy Cuddy” Presence

“The number of nerve cells is the same at 70 as it is at 20” – Amy Cuddy Presence

“We are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think” – Antonio Damassio”

The transfer of 100 billion cells into a machine, immortality, is just around the corner… 

Reference:

Carter, Rita. Beyin Kitabı (s.38,39). Alfa Yayınları.

Cuddy, Amy. Presence (p.352). Little, Brown and Company. (01/30/2018).

Posted on

The Effects of Attachment Styles on Consumer Behavior

Attachment theory was established through the work of John Bowlby and important contributions by Mary Ainsworth. This theory suggests that an infant’s social and emotional development is profoundly shaped by their relationship with their primary caregivers. Ainsworth designed “The Strange Situation Experiment”, which observed that infants and children develop basically three distinct styles of attachment with their caregivers: Secure, Anxious and Avoidant. In addition, attachment theory has revealed that adults rely on the attachment style they developed in childhood when perceiving and responding to intimacy in all their relationships. Briefly speaking, it has been observed that securely attached individuals are comfortable with closeness, mostly affectionate and loving; anxiously attached individuals are in constant need of closeness, overthink and worry about their relationships; and avoidantly attached individuals equate closeness with the loss of freedom and therefore try to keep closeness to a minimum.

Research shows that individuals form business relationships in ways similar to interpersonal relationships and that attachment types have an important role in understanding customer behavior and in the formation of trust and loyalty to a company.

Research investigating the effects of attachment styles on consumer behavior suggests that securely attached individuals are more likely to stay in long-term relationships with brands and companies and to trust and commit to them. Consumers with this attachment type have been observed to develop a more positive perception of satisfaction, trustworthiness and commitment to companies and company employees than insecurely attached (avoidant or anxious) consumers.

It has been observed that avoidantly attached individuals have less trust in companies, do not establish long-term relationships and do not prefer cooperation. Although many studies have shown that anxiously attached individuals trust companies less like avoidant individuals, some studies have found that anxious individuals trust companies more and establish long-term relationships with them due to their need to constantly seek closeness and maintain the relationship no matter what. It has been observed that insecurely attached consumers do not connect sufficiently with company employees and compensate for this inadequacy by connecting with the company, that is, with an abstract concept.

The research provides some recommendations for companies to implement based on consumers’ attachment types. It states that companies can approach securely attached customers through all available tools and channels as long as they treat them as equal partners without trying to gain the upper hand. Consumers with avoidant attachment style, on the other hand, should be presented with multiple options and should not be pressured to make an immediate decision. In addition, they should be reached through digital channels rather than personally, and should be exposed to less advertising and marketing. For anxiously attached consumers, companies should make intensive marketing contacts to persuade the consumer that their intentions are good and strive to build consumer trust and loyalty by demonstrating that they are interested in all the needs and problems of the consumer. Research emphasizes that companies must first establish trust for all attachment styles, and only then can they build a long-lasting relationship with the customer.

Neuromarketing uses scientific techniques and tools to understand consumer behavior and needs at a biological and psychological level. For this reason, it is thought that neuromarketing can help companies in measuring attachment types and investigating the effects of attachment types on consumer behavior. In this way, companies can better segment markets, manage customer relationships better and use resources more efficiently.

References

Neuroscientist Yağmur Başak Ören

Aaker, J., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1086/383419

Frydman, S., & Tena, M. A. (2022). Attachment styles and customers’ long-term relationships in a service context. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(1), 267-284. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12834

Levine, A., & Heller, R. (2012). Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find – and Keep – Love. TarcherPerigee.

Mende, M., & Bolton, R. N. (2011). Why attachment security matters. Journal of Service Research, 14(3), 285-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670511411173

Posted on

2024 Consumer Psychology and Trends

Consumer-related motives can be divided into physiological and psychological. This distinction also shows the relationship between motives and needs. Physiological motives stimulate movements that are linked to the basic functions of the body. Psychological motives, on the other hand, stimulate emotional and mental movements.  Perception is the acquisition of information about the existence of an event or object through the senses. Every person gives meaning to all stimuli in the environment. Consumers perceive information from their environment. However, everyone’s perception is different and personal experiences, beliefs and values influence perception.

Marketers take these factors into account to ensure that consumers perceive their product or brand in a positive way. By drawing inferences from previous shopping experiences, consumers engage in a learning process that influences their future purchasing decisions. These experiences shape consumers’ perceptions of a product or brand, and these perceptions enable marketers to ensure that they are consistently top of mind and strengthen customer loyalty. Moreover, consumers’ memory of the product or brand offers a strategic advantage to improve the effectiveness of marketing efforts, as a memorable brand can create a long-lasting bond between customers.

Especially in the past year, many different marketing and advertising strategies have been tried to better understand consumer psychology. In this process where social media was actively used, more brand collaborations were made with “public faces” on platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok in order for the consumer to experience a sense of belonging.

Brands need to carry out marketing activities in accordance with the profile of the brand’s purpose, especially when promoting the product. For example; if any product is to be promoted in Istanbul, that product must be suitable for historical places. “Maiden’s Tower” is important for the consumer, a lasting effect can be left in the consumer’s brain with a harmonious product match here. However, the suitability of the product, graphic design and many other details must be suitable for advertising. Especially here, the question “what does the brand want to tell?” is of great importance.

It is among the trends of this year that augmented reality-oriented advertisements, especially on street billboards, arouse excitement in the consumer. Again today, everything is about “experience”. Brands associate many of their activities with consumer experience. Consumers have an experience-oriented perspective. With experience, they can actually experience any product or content in their emotional world, which is changing due to the intense use of social media, and establish a bond with it.

Today, with neuromarketing technologies, it is possible to objectively present data on how the suitability of any product, advertisement, advertising content creates emotions in the consumer, the sense of excitement and arousal. With the developing technology in every field, the question marks are decreasing in the information age.

Reference:

Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Posted on

The Effect of Light on Human Psychology and Brain

When we are less exposed to light during the winter months, we may face various psychological and physiological difficulties. The human eye perceives visible light at wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers. This light emitted from the light source is reflected from objects depending on factors such as color temperature, vibration frequency, color rendering index (CRI), brightness and interaction with various substances. These reflections create different contrasts, reach the eye and affect people’s physical and psychological health.

Vitamin D deficiency can occur, especially when sunlight is not sufficiently utilized. Vitamin D can affect mood as well as general health. People with low vitamin D levels may have an increased risk of depression. The shorter days and longer nights in winter can cause the body to tend to increase the hormone melatonin. This can lead to reduced energy levels and insomnia.

An important fact that has a significant impact on people’s psychology and overall health is the provision of quality and adequate sleep. In this process, the hormone melatonin plays an important role. Melatonin is secreted in response to a decrease in the level of light falling on the retina and promotes the onset of sleep. When light increases, melatonin secretion decreases, which promotes wakefulness. Therefore, a healthy secretion of the hormone melatonin is essential for the regular functioning of the biological clock and to improve sleep quality.

Today, people are exposed to artificial light day or night. Reflected or direct light during the night hours, when we sleep due to the biological clock, can disrupt sleep patterns. Television, computer monitors, cell phone screens, digital clocks, notification lights, vehicle headlights, streetlamps are some examples that can affect our sleep patterns at night.

Some experimental studies have shown a reduction in symptoms of depression in individuals who are more exposed to sunlight. When this effect is combined with antidepressant drugs, it reveals that more effective results can be obtained compared to the use of medication alone.

Another important effect of lighting is that its color and brightness values affect people’s eating habits. Studies have shown that people eat slower and less frequently in dimly lit restaurants. However, in this case, people are less alert and therefore less attentive to food calories. It is also thought that different light environments may affect eating habits through the influence of hormones. For example, it is thought that warm and yellow tones of light may affect the secretion of hormones such as serotonin and melatonin during meals. This in turn can affect the experience and taste of eating. Color and light arrangements can change the atmosphere of a space and the perception of food, which can have an impact on people’s food choices and consumption habits.

Reference:

 Psychologist Merve Altındağ

KÜÇÜK, S. (2023). Aydınlatma ve Işığın İnsan Yaşam ve Sağlığı Üzerindeki Etkileri. Yeni Yüzyıl Journal of Medical Sciences, 4(3), 95-102.

Posted on

User Experience & Neuromarketing

Throughout history, human-centered approaches have been adopted to improve efficiency and deliver a better product, service or interface. Developed in 1993 by Donald Norman, this concept involves the interaction of the end user with every aspect of a company, services and products. Starting from the decision to download a mobile app, encountering the app, interacting with the app, using the app components and realizing the purpose of downloading the app are all examples of a user experience process. User experience practice focuses on improving this human experience. To provide a high-quality user experience, the service needs to bring together elements of engineering, marketing, graphics, industrial design and interaction design. User experience encompasses an individual’s interactions with a brand’s product or service.

User-friendliness focuses on the ease of use, accessibility and comprehensibility of a product or service. It evaluates how effectively users can use an interface to achieve their goals. It plans how users will interact with a system. This includes user interface design, navigation layouts, button placements and other interaction elements. They seek to understand user behavior and needs by studying and analyzing users’ interactions with the product. This includes methods such as user testing, eye-tracking studies and feedback collection. It deals with organizing and presenting information to make it easier for users to access information. This includes elements such as categorization, labelling and menu layout. User experience designers conduct user research to understand potential users and develop solutions that fit their needs. This can include demographic analysis, user profiles and market segmentation. It includes colors, typography, graphics and other design elements to make the user experience visually appealing. Visual design deals with brand identity and user interface aesthetics.

By integrating neuroscience research into user experience design, it is possible to better understand the effects of products and services on users. One of the commonalities between neuromarketing and user experience design is neurodesign principles. These principles can be used to make visual communication, user interface design and brand messaging more effective. Neuromarketing is concerned with the methods used to assess and understand emotional responses. Understanding emotional intelligence in user experience design can improve the ability of design to create emotional connections. User feedback, when integrated with neuromarketing data, can assess users’ emotional responses to better understand their impact on the design. Through the collaboration of neuromarketing and user experience, the emotional impact of services and products can be deeply and professionally understood.

Reference:

Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Pak, H., & Aydın, M. A. H. M. U. T. (2021). Kullanıcı Deneyimi.

Ustaahmetoğlu, E. (2015). Nöropazarlama üzerine bir değerlendirme. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 3(2), 154-168.

Posted on

Personalized Perception

Each individual’s perception may react differently to the same event or situation. For example, even two people who see the same picture may have a different perception due to their personal background, emotional state and previous experiences. Therefore, perception is personal and varies between individuals. Perception is a cognitive ability to capture, process and actively make sense of information received through our senses. Our sensory organs play an important role in helping us perceive stimuli from our environment, enabling us to understand our surroundings. This cognitive process is extremely important for our everyday life. Perception is an ability that can be developed and exercised through cognitive training. This process requires both “bottom-up” and “top-down” processing of information. That is, it is not only passively guided by information from the outside world, but also actively anticipates and controls a particular stimulus. In this way, perception both interacts with information from the outside world and gains meaning by interacting with the individual’s prior knowledge and experiences.

Perception is a complex process that is not reduced to the classical five senses. Among them, spatial perception involves the ability to be aware of environmental relationships and depends on dermal and kinesthetic perception. Shape perception refers to the ability to learn about the boundaries and angles of an entity and is linked to visual and dermal perception. Example;

Time perception refers to the ability to understand changes in stimuli and organize them over time. Kinesthetic perception involves the ability to interpret information about the environment and the movement and speed of the body and is related to visual, spatial, temporal, dermal, proprioceptive, visceral and vestibular perception. Chemosensory perception represents the capacity to interpret the interaction of chemicals in saliva and is linked to taste perception. Perception is an active process in which we need to select, organize and interpret the information transmitted to the brain. This process consists of a series of important steps. First, in the selection stage, the amount of information we encounter in everyday life exceeds our cognitive capacity. Perception therefore has to filter and select. This selection is based on priorities that are unique to us. Next, we need to organize the stimuli into groups in order to make sense of the information we have selected. There is synergy in perception because what is perceived is considered as an overall whole. Finally, in the interpretation stage, we complete the perception process by giving meaning to all the selected and organized stimuli. The interpretation process is shaped by our past experiences and expectations. In this stage, we combine the perceived information with our own unique perspective and evaluations,

There is a strong relationship between perception and neuromarketing. Neuromarketing can study brain activity to understand how attention can be captured. It can develop new methods and strategies by taking into account the individual’s personalized perception. The difference in perception can be turned into positive data.

Reference:

Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Evelyn Shatil, Jaroslava Mikulecká, Francesco Bellotti, Vladimír Burěs – Novel Television-Based Cognitive Training Improves Working Memory and Executive Function – PLoS ONE July 03, 2014. 10.1371/journal.pone.010147

Improves Sleep Quality and Cognitive Function among Older Adults with Insomnia. PLoS ONE 8(4): e61390. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061390 Thompson HJ, Demiris G, Rue T, Shatil E, Wilamowska K, Zaslavsky O, Reeder B. – Telemedicine Journal and E-health Date and Volume: 2011 Dec;17(10,):794-800. Epub 2011 Oct 19.