The Importance Of Shopping

An inevitable routine of purchase-making has been a part of my life since adolescence. I proudly assumed a role of an everyday consumer at an early age and didn’t hesitate to spend the weekly allowance. My parents, however, made sure that these purchases were backed by somewhat conscious decisions and not based on compulsiveness, ultimately providing a foundation for my shopping behavior. As the years went by, I experienced an increased exposure to general marketing and there was a notable shift of my purchase triggers. Even so, while my shopping patterns were affected inconsiderably, my childhood friends faced a different situation. It appeared, as though the advertisers have captured their attention, therefore, much of their decision-making

These patterns are commonly known as habits, and are made up of three stages – cue, routine and reward. An example of this is when a person thinks of their favorite candy bar, which is a cue, followed by a purchase, which represents the second stage, and the loop is completed with a reward – consumption of candy. While the human brain is responsible for conjuring the habits, they are not permanent and can be altered. Marketers saw this as an opportunity and began investigating how they could adjust these routines. Another example is described by a journalist, Charles Duhigg, when he writes how Procter & Gamble struggled with the promotion of a cleaning product – Febreze. The company was mistakenly focused on representing Febreze as part of the cleaning process and not a reward. Columnist states that, “The marketers needed to position Febreze as something that came at the end of the cleaning ritual, the reward, rather than as a whole new cleaning routine” (Duhigg). Ultimately, P. & G. shifted the marking message, hence, it was reflected by the record-breaking sales. I believe that such strategy doesn’t take advantage of the buyer, and in addition, it portrays the company as trustworthy and