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7 clever tricks Primark does to keep you walking & buying more than you need – & how to avoid overspending
PRIMARK is famous for its budget-friendly fashion and beauty items, but it also employs some clever tactics to encourage you to spend more.
Like many retailers, it uses subtle — and often unnoticed — strategies designed to get you to part with a bit more of your money than you intended.
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Dr Jansson-Boyd, who is an associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: "As a store, Primark uses a high number of well-known marketing aspects that we know customers respond effectively to."
Here are some little-known tricks Primark shoppers should know about…
1. CAFES FOR 'DWELL TIME'
Primark serves over a million shoppers every day in more than 400 worldwide stores and racks up over £5billion in annual revenue.
And experts claim they try to keep customers in store for as long as possible.
Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary Primark: How Do They Do It? Consumer journalist Harry Wallop said: 'It's a phrase used in the retail industry 'dwell time'.
'You don't want people to just come in and buy an item and leave.
'You want someone to come in, look for the item, think 'that looks like a nice cafe. I'll stop there, I'll then buy something else'.
'On the way you spot another bit of homewares, it's only £5.
'If you can increase the dwell time you are onto a winning formula and you have justified the high expense of operating a high street store.'
Spanning 160,000 square feet spread over five floors, the Birmingham store - their biggest worldwide - is certainly a destination in itself.
It also boasts a hairdresser salon, nail bar, eyebrow grooming and a barber's.
2. NO-BRAINER PRICES
While some people head in stores for the haul items, others go just for the store's 'basics'.
psychologist Dr Amna Khana added: 'Primark's essential components of their products are generally built on basic, staple products that don't necessarily always change.'
Retail consultant Nicole Higgins continued: 'Generally with clothing, 20 per cent of your range will make up 80 per cent of your sales.
'If you go into Primark's lingerie department, they will have hundreds of styles, lots and lots of different colours but probably the items that are making the most amount of money are the five-pack knickers, the basic T-shirt bras.
'They are the core bread-and-butter products.'
3. DELIBERATELY FOLDED ITEMS
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In any Primark store, you will often see a fair amount of clothing items folded on shelves.
While you may think this is done to save space, it's actually just another way to get shoppers to part with more cash.
Dr Jansson-Boyd said: "When items are folded, shoppers can't fully see what it is until they go and pick it up and unfold it.
"It is well-known that once consumers touch an item, they take on psychological ownership.
"This increases the likelihood of purchase as they feel that the item belongs to them."
4. TILL TEMPTATION
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If you're an avid Primark shopper, you'll know that you can often spend just as long waiting in the queue as you do browsing the store.
But Dr Jansson-Boyd said the technique of "funnelling" people to line up along the tills gives shoppers more time to grab a last-minute item, such as socks, face wipes and shopper bags.
She explained: "Along the funnel, there are various small bits and pieces that tend to have a broader appeal.
"And as people get bored waiting, they often pick up additional items as they are readily there.
"Some of those items are sweets – which people buy as an added treat for a job well done."
5. TRENDY DECOR
Primark stores are lively, bright and feel quite youthful - and this is all intentional, Dr Jansson-Boyd said.
"The stores use cues for their younger target markets.
"This includes neon type signs and slogans on signage such as 'find your amazing'.
"This suggests that you can be fabulous by buying something from Primark.
"This is the type of messaging that Gen-Z responds effectively to."
6. NO CLOCKS OR WINDOWS
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Ever find yourself losing track of time when you are browsing in Primark?
It turns out that the lack of clocks or windows can be strategic in the retail world.
Retail expert Burt Flickinger, told CNN: 'Windowless shopping creates an environment of consumption without distractions.
'When people have a sense of timelessness and comfort, families spend more because they can focus just on the stores and the mall experience.'
7. SOCIAL MEDIA GAME
You may have been influenced to spend more at Primark before you even set foot in the shop, according to their own team.
Finance director John Bason at Associated British Food, which owns Primark, told Drapers: 'One of the main areas where Primark has got stronger is driving our footfall through social media.
'On Instagram we're up to nearly 7 million followers, which allows for targeted marketing.
'A number of our collaborations have worked very well, including with [influencer] Alice Liveing, and we are working on future collections with others for this year.'
