Gut beats brain! The role of behavior patterns in e-commerce

Effective tool in e-commerce

In e-commerce, these shortcuts are achieved through testimonials or external seals of approval, for example. These are largely heuristics. This means that they allow us to make good decisions with little knowledge and little time, thus conserving our brain's capacity. These standardized behavior patterns are also important from an evolutionary perspective: if our ancestors had had to think long and hard about whether every rustle in the bushes was a danger to them or not, we would probably no longer exist today. We can describe behavior patterns as the secret masters of our decisions. It is therefore obvious that they are an incredibly effective tool for positively influencing the user experience and conversion. Behavior patterns are therefore also classified as "persuasive communications" and are considered communicative persuasion tools.

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Study confirms effectiveness in e-commerce

At elaboratum, we were able to demonstrate the positive effect of behavior patterns in e-commerce in the "PsyConversion®" study with 2,400 participants. The results show that behavior patterns have a positive effect on the UX and conversion rate of the optimized site at several points along the sales funnel in e-commerce. Users also make higher-value purchases on sites that appeal to our subconscious behavior patterns, resulting in larger shopping carts. Behavior patterns have a subconscious effect: business value, i.e., the combination of conversion rate and shopping cart size, increases regardless of whether users rate a modified site better or not—by an average of 23.4%.

Manipulation does not remain without consequences

Anyone who deals with this topic must face the discussion of where manipulation begins and define clear rules for where the red line is drawn. However, the debate is not based solely on moral aspects. Fortunately, it has a convincing economic foundation: any manipulation of users is punished with post-purchase dissonance. Increased return and cancellation rates and a damaged customer relationship are the undesirable consequences. In the worst case, the customer relationship may even end altogether. Anyone who thinks in terms of customer life cycles and is interested in a long-term profitable relationship should adapt the decision-making architecture so that users only receive a small nudge in the direction that meets their needs.

Win-win situation argues against manipulation

E-commerce management in the modern sense relies on recommendations and customer lifecycle value and should refrain from deliberately manipulating buyers. Acquiring new customers is significantly more expensive than maintaining existing customers. Therefore, the business goal should be to build lasting relationships with loyal customers. This can only be achieved if customers are satisfied with their decisions in the long term and if they have not made decisions against their rational will.

Even in science, behavior patterns are not considered manipulation. In her book "Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion," author Nathalie Nahai describes behavior patterns as a means of "reducing the distance between divergent points of view and working together toward a mutually beneficial outcome." So her definition also refers to a benefit for both sides. This clearly distinguishes behavior patterns from so-called dark patterns, which are explicitly designed to influence the buyer against their interests.

The top 5 most effective behavior patterns

There is a wide range of patterns to choose from. Many work very well in specific, specialized applications, but not in others. In addition, despite all the differences in target groups and business models, there are some particularly effective behavior patterns that have proven to be largely universal in their effectiveness:

• Decoy Effect: When people have to choose between a cheaper option A and a more expensive option B, they usually choose the cheaper alternative. However, if a third, significantly more expensive option C is added, this can make it easier to choose option B. Option C is the unattractive decoy, which differs so greatly from option B in terms of price or performance that the latter now appears attractive.
• Anchoring: The anchoring pattern can be understood as a metaphor. If you drop an anchor in a boat, you can no longer move far away from that spot. The so-called price anchor works in a similar way. Once a numerical value has been perceived, it is always used as a reference when processing a price. Regardless of whether the numerical value is related to the price or not. So if you include high values on your website (e.g., visitor numbers or satisfied customers), you will ensure that prices are perceived as lower. The same applies to reduced prices: the higher original price should always appear first to make the reduced price seem even cheaper.
• Authority: We tend to trust authority figures. Recommendations from experts, trust seals, or one's own expert status can act as authority figures and convince buyers of quality, encouraging them to make a purchase. The use of such authority figures on websites increases buyer confidence and willingness to purchase.
• Social proof: When we find it difficult to make a decision, the actions of other people provide a good guide. Whether it's individuals (experts, testimonials, influencers), the collective of other customers or users, or test institutes, for example: when we are unsure, we believe that other people who have already made a decision have more specific knowledge in this situation, which has enabled them to make an informed decision. This makes the perceived risk of our own decision seem lower.
• Endowed Progress Effect: Our brains want to complete incomplete tasks. Artificially created progress brings people closer to their goal, increasing their motivation to achieve it. For example, if a bonus system awards initial points or stamps, this increases customer loyalty. In online shopping, this effect can be used in the checkout process. If the progress bar shows progress right from the first step, it increases our motivation to complete the process.

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Practical example: Kerbholz

Kerbholz manufactures watches and eyewear from natural materials and sells them via an online store. The use of various behavior patterns was intended to optimize the online store in terms of the behavior patterns of store customers.

Building trust through the social proof pattern

Both the product presentation in the online shop and the product description have been optimized with the help of triggers that appeal to the buyer's subconscious behavior patterns. For example, the "social proof" pattern has been integrated into the product presentation. When we don't know how to make a decision, we look to other people for guidance. We trust that other people who have already made the decision have more knowledge about it and think that we minimize our risk by trusting them. An example of the implementation of the social proof pattern is the integration of customer reviews.

Optimization of price display using the magnitude priming pattern

Work was also done on the presentation of prices. The behavior pattern "magnitude priming" states that numerical expressions are processed and encoded in the brain as representations of size. If prices are to be perceived as low, it is recommended to keep the font size and line thickness of the numerical value small. These and other measures led to a 91.1% increase in the conversion rate using simple means.

Optimization of product presentation through the use of behavior patterns in the Kerbholz online shop

Optimization of product descriptions through the use of behavior patterns in the Kerbholz online shop

Uplift in conversion rate at Kerbholz through optimization of the Kerbholz online shop using behavior patterns

Practical example: Sunrise

Sunrise has focused on a different point in the customer journey. Sunrise is Switzerland's largest non-state-controlled telecommunications company and offers mobile, internet, TV, and landline services for private and business customers—including via its own web shop.

Optimization of the checkout area through measures with low technical complexity

Behavior patterns were used to optimize the checkout area. When selecting and designing the patterns and triggers, only measures with very low technical implementation complexity were chosen. This made it possible to take restrictions imposed by parallel projects into account while still achieving rapid improvements.

Increase conversion rates by adjusting text elements

The focus was on adapting the text elements. The use of over 15 patterns in the checkout process resulted in a 16% increase in the conversion rate, even with this limited design scope. The example shows that optimization based on behavior patterns does not always have to be visual. Sometimes, it is enough to adapt small text passages with even less effort to achieve a better result.