Online shopping has become a dominant force in the retail industry, with more and more consumers turning to their computers and smartphones for their purchasing needs. In fact, according to Statista, global e-commerce sales are projected to reach 6.54 trillion US dollars by 2022 (Statista.com). As online shopping continues its rapid growth, businesses are constantly searching for ways to stand out among the competition and increase their chances of converting website visitors into paying customers.

One crucial aspect of successful online marketing is understanding consumer behavior and psychology. This is where neuromarketing comes into play – an emerging field that combines neuroscience with traditional marketing techniques. By utilizing knowledge about how our brains process information and make decisions, neuromarketers can create highly effective strategies that influence consumer behavior on a subconscious level.

In this blog post, we will explore how neuromarketing works in the context of online shopping – from attracting potential customers through targeted design elements to nudging them towards making a purchase decision at checkout.

What Is Neuromarketing?

Neuromarketing refers to the application of principles from cognitive neuroscience (the study of brain structure and function) in order to understand consumer responses towards specific stimuli such as advertisements or products (Cox & Weelersburg-Jacobse). It involves using technologies like functional MRI scans or EEGs (electroencephalography) along with behavioral experiments conducted under controlled conditions in order measure physiological reactions related specifically product features or branding campaigns directed at different customer segments.

The idea behind it all is rooted deeply within human perception – given any two identical objects/situations presented successively alongside each other; most humans have been found judge one cue/face/product image over another solely based off familiarity/habituation bias which stay your unconscious or ‘dumb’ thinking mode – and can’t be overridden by conscious awareness alone. Understanding this unconscious thought process, often referred to as System 1 thinking (Kahneman), is the key to unlocking consumer behavior.

Attracting Potential Customers with Visual Cues

According to Harvard Business Review, a study conducted in 2014 found that customers make a subconscious judgement about people/things/products within seconds of their first encounter – and they’re usually spot-on (Wilson). This implies that businesses have just one chance at making a good impression on potential online shoppers, failing which most consumers will simply click away from your website.

To prevent such situations and ensure customers stay longer on their websites while minimizing bounce rates; companies need insights into how our brains process visual cues better than anything else made available through neuromarketing research techniques like eye tracking studies. According to Nielsen Norman Group’s “Eye Gaze Patterns”, we tend assess products placed towards top left.page sections first for navigation then move down & across-from-left-to-lowest-point-rightwards-then-back-up-in-the-middle before repeating patterns until eyes get too tired/inspired not needing navigational feedback any more/nothing captured interest anymore: 

Therefore placing crucial information such product images/videos along different page elements mentioned above could increase user engagement/page interaction rate significantly thereby increasing chances of conversion manyfold especially when focused around hotspots calculated using data based off previous A/B tests under similar conditions given target demographics were met beforehand assuming increased attention per second means higher likelihood capturing users’ thoughts turning them closer call-to-actions located close-by sooner afterwards among other effects caused by interplay between designed stimuli perceived intellectual curiosity over visitors/users producing mental arousal could influence related activates may impact impulse-buy desires etcetera.