That means that for 1000 members visiting Amazon Prime 740 actually convert and take an action, which in return contributes to the huge success of Amazon. That is really, really impressive.

You might ask yourself now: “How in the world do they do it ?”. Well, it is actually not that difficult. Amazon and many of the world´s most successful online companies radically use behavioral psychology and neuromarketing strategies on their websites and APPs. By applying scientific findings from these study areas, they are able to grab attention, increase engagement and persuade their customers to take action.

Many of these techniques have been widely researched and can be implemented quite easily. We know e.g. that there are mainly 6 psychological principles of persuasion that also work greatly online. One of them is the rule of scarcity, which is broadly used. It basically means that opportunities seem more valuable to us when they are less available. In contrast, the more available something is, the more indifferent we are about it. You can simply apply the rule of scarcity by displaying either limited OPTIONS or give a TIME limit to your customers.

Also, cognitive biases, such as Anchoring and the von Restorff Effect are often used to grab the attention of customers. Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that we all use and are prone to – simply because our brain want to save time and energy. But they often lead to irrational behaviors and bad judgements – that is why they are so interesting for psychologists and marketers :).

Now how does all of this look like in real-life?

Well, let’s have a look at a screenshot from Amazon. You can see here an offer for an Apple Iphone 8 Plus.

The first thing that will most likely trigger your attention is the 4.5 stars and the 7449 ratings from previous buyers. Here, Amazon is playing with conformity and social proof to give a potential customer a feeling of safety and trust. It sends the message that you have a trusted seller here, many people have bought the item before and they were super happy. Therefore, it is also safe for you to buy here.

Right below you can see the pricing options. The price is clearly reduced from 450 $ to 320 $, signaling you that you can almost save 130 $. This sends the message that this is a great bargain and you shouldn´t wait to buy now.

On the right side you can see the Add to Cart and Buy now buttons. Note how they are in different colors to keep your attention levels up. More importantly, slightly above you can clearly see that “only 1 is left in stock” and there is a clear call-to-action note to “order soon”. This is the rule of scarcity in action. Here, the message is very clear – they are limited items available and you should order as soon as possible – otherwise you are missing out on a potential great deal.

In the right lower corner you can see a comparison to other sellers on Amazon, reassuring you that you really make the best and cheapest deal possible, if you buy from this seller.

Lastly, above the product description you can read in blank that the “product works and looks like new. Backed up by the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.”This is done to give reassurance and safety and to build trust. It sends the message that even if you were unsatisfied with your purchase, you can send it back without any problems and you didn´t make a mistake.

That’s really interesting stuff isn’t it? And even more fascinating, all these techniques work greatly and contribute to the huge success of Amazon. Keep in mind that everybody can learn these methods and if applied correctly they can make a huge difference for your online business.

Do you have similar examples that caught your attention while you were browsing? Awesome – send them to us and we will publish the 3 most interesting ones on our site.