Analysis Of Martin Lindstrom's Buy-Ology: Truth And Lies About Why We Buy

Why do we buy? For some of us it would be difficult to survive without the purchases of necessities. But, rather than the needs of humans, why do we buy the products that are not necessarily, well, necessary? The brands and products we adore so much have become a habit of particular interest to us. For example, if you need laundry detergent, how often do you switch brands every so often? The answer is probably never. We stick close to our hearts during buying decisions, and even then they might be unconscious decisions that we just make. Buying used to be an overwhelming task. Sifting through multiple brands, checking prices, and ultimately making a decision that fits the personal consumer on the individual level. Now, we can finish an entire shopping list in one lap

Lindstrom noticed that shoppers stuck to a certain brand and he couldn’t understand why. Before the study, Lindstrom got the idea from his stay at a hotel. He got to his room, and almost instantly forgot where he had left his room key. Although he had the same key in his hands only seconds earlier, he could not remember where he would have placed it. He blamed the confusion on his brain where he was imagining of other things in his mind (i.e. his location, activities, food). If asked, he would have no recollection of where it would be. “Our brains are constantly busy collecting and filtering information… most will become extraneous clutter” (Lindstrom, 2). After realizing this, he figured this is how consumers feel when making purchases. They have so many things on their minds that choosing between different brands would be strenuous and not a beneficial use of time. Throughout the book, Lindstrom discusses his research and evaluations on what the consumer mind is actually saying during the process of