MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a record $1 trillion this holiday season.
Don’t fall for the tricks and tactics that convince you to spend more than you planned!
“They just want you to hurry up and try to buy it!” laughed Joel White, an Orange Mound resident.
White told FOX13 he has seen these tactics firsthand online. “It’s kind of like they’re pressuring you into it, but I kind of wonder if they’re really what they claim to be,” he said.
“Retailers and advertisers are always trying to get you to buy more than you need and spend more than you want,” explained R.J. Cross, the online life campaign director for Public Interest Research Group.
Tactic #1: Fake Countdown Timers
Last year, FOX13 exposed countdown timers on Etsy that consumers complained were misleading.
As the timer for the “sale” ended, our team watched the item reset to the exact same price with a new timer.
This year, we could not find a single countdown timer on the site.
“A lot of them are just unnecessary pressure tactics trying to get (us) to make a decision,” Cross explained.
Tactic #2: Scarcity appeals
On the Amazon Haul webpage, shoppers see that certain products are already in hundreds or thousands of people’s carts.
“Those numbers exist without context,” Cross explained. “Sure, 18 people may have it in their cart, but one person is only going to actually buy it, and maybe the store has 200 in stock.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” explained Quonta Jones, an Atoka resident. “I didn’t know that.”
He said he won’t let these tactics influence his holiday shopping.
“It’s easy to influence people to buy something,” Jones said.
