The Psychology of Online Sales
Using human psychology to ethically increase sales results in increased profits, customer satisfaction and brand reputation. This course is primarily concerned with online sales but the word 'sale' can be substituted for 'commitment' making learning outcomes applicable to not-for-profit and charitable institutions too.
Understanding the psychology of online sales is key to targeting an audience and knowing why users make the choices they do. This ten week course delivered by the Interaction Design Foundation examines evidence based psychological techniques that amalgamate content and design to deliver increased sales and profits. The word 'sale' can be substituted for 'commitment' making learning outcomes applicable to not-for-profit and charitable institutions too.
Certification not only provides the foundation of great design and content to facilitate sales, but it ensures an ethical approach that guarantees long-term sustainability for a business.
view certificate
The Subconscious Mind - The Customer of Design
This module examines the theories that underpin the psychology of online sales and how to harness this effectively when targeting an audience. It explores the roles of differing parts of the brain, and how each can be targeted to drive sales and commitment. Topics covered include:
- Making a Decision - The Thought Process
- The Three Parts of Your Brain
- The Old brain
- The Midbrain
- The New Brain
- Emotional Perception
- Emotions Control How We Act
- The Subconscious Mind – Working While We Aren't
- The Subconscious Mind – Speed and Accuracy
- Do We Really Know What We Like?
- Know Your Audience
- Cultural Differences and Their Impact on Web Design
- Gender Differences and Why They Matter In Web Design
Social Validation
This module explores how the actions of strangers can influence others and offers different ways social validation can be used beyond sales. It also examines the Bystander Effect Theory and how this impacts the realm of online sales. Topics covered include:
- The Bystander Effect
- Bringing the Bystander Effect Online for Help
- The Power of Strangers
- Reviews and Ratings
- Rational Resistance to Social Validation
- Social Networking is for Much More than just Sales
- Obligation, Obligation, Obligation
- Harness a Refusal to Drive Sales
- Harness a Concession for Commitment
- No Strings Attached
Design to Grab Attention
This module examines the key principles that govern communication design and how these principles apply to website design. Comprehension and application of these principles ensure the most effective use of images, video and colour schemes. Topics covered include:
- Successful Online Marketing
- Key Components of a Website
- Images in Web Design
- Video and Web Design
- Colour Schemes and Web Design
Choice Is Not All That It Appears
This module introduces choice manipulation, scarcity, immediacy and an audience’s desire to feel privileged as effective sales tools. It also explores how different parts of the brain react to choice overload, snap decisions and immediate reward vs long-term payoff. Topics covered include:
- Options and Selling Online
- Social Validation of Choice
- Taking a Choice Away – Introducing Scarcity
- Invoking Privileges to Make Sales
- Price and Quality Perception
- No, you're not having this – Why Banned Products Sell
- Choice Overload – Overwhelming Your Customers
- Avoid Logic! Why Knowing Why You Want Something May be Harmful to the Outcome
- Immediate Reward and Long-Term Payoffs through Choice
- Buy it now! The Instant Sales Technique
- Price Comparison for Bigger-Value Sales
- Product Placement – Premium Sales Slots
Gaining Commitment, It's all About Them
Customer commitment brings a solid base of revenue which is critical to the long term success of any business. This module explores several ways to acquire and maintain the commitment from online customers Topics covered include:
- The Internal Dialogue and Why it Matters to Designers
- You and Your – The Most Powerful Words in Communication
- Keep the Audience Entertained and Boost Your Engagement
- The Inconsistency of Self and Why It Helps Designers
- Human Inconsistency – Changing Someone's Self-Viewpoint Through Design
- The Power of Public Commitment
- Gaining Commitment – Using Reciprocity to Drive Sales
- Surveys and Reviews that Build Commitment
Build Similarity and Then Make Them Afraid to Lose
Building rapport and empathy with customers makes them feel valued and more likely to purchase. This module examines how to build rapport and how the science of attraction relates to this. Topics covered include:
- Build Similarity and Then Make them Afraid to Lose
- We Buy From People Like Us
- Rapport – How to Create It and the Science of Attraction in Design
- The Power of Endorsements for Brands and Products
- Decision Fatigue and Why Less Choice is Better
- Fear of Loss Provides Motivation to Buy
- Taking Value Away from Your Customers can Enhance Your Sales
- Considerations of Privacy and Security in Online Products
Learn to Tell a Story
Storytelling is a key component of sales and helps customers feel they are part of something bigger than just an exchange of goods. This module shows how to craft a narrative that helps increase sales by building rapport. Topics covered include:
- Everyone Loves a Story, and We are All Natural Storytellers
- Chunking Information – How do you eat an elephant?
- Sympathetic Bonding and Why It's Useful in Design
- Pictorial Superiority – A Picture May be Worth More than 1,000 Words
- Words are Pictures
- Bringing Your Story Together
- Don’t Tell People Something; Show Them
Integrity Matters, Long Term Relationship Building
This module explores concepts related to long-term relationship building. Understanding the long-term sales cycle and employing methods to create a repeat customer base can successfully harness the power of customer loyalty. Topics covered include:
- The Sales Ladder – The Start of Something Bigger for Your Business
- Acquisition vs Retention and What It Means for Your Online Business
- Reputational Capital - Why it Matters
- Increasing sales through reputation
- How to Deliver Value to Increase Online Sales
- Trust and the Issues that Customers Face when Making Purchasing Decisions Online
Sociability and Going Viral
Viral marketing is one of the most powerful sociability forces in business. This module explores concepts related to viral marketing and how they can be utilised to increase the profile of a product or service. Topics covered include:
- Assumption: A Recipe for Disaster
- Social Evolution and Why We Need to Communicate
- Why the Internet Exists
- Introducing Viral Marketing
- Membership Sites – Persuading the Masses
- What is The Next Big Thing?
About the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF)
The appropriate use of user experience (UX) design offers a greater chance of product success compared to products developed without the application of UX design principles. The Interaction Design Foundation (IDF) is a global organisation sharing and growing knowledge in the field of UX Design. IDF is at the forefront of education in areas of UI Design, Human Computer Interaction, Service Design, Customer Experience and Organisational Design Thinking.
www.interaction-design.org
Thanks for taking the time to learn about my study of The Psychology of Online Sales
return to the top