They say women love shopping and we all know it’s true. I mean what reason do we have not to love shopping. Personally, I would say it’s a stress reliever for us. Be it shopping in a mall or even in the local market. Every shopping is shopping depending on the money in you pocket.
As a woman, it’s more like a must for you to know your way around town, know how to bargain while also getting everything you need amidst all the chaos around you . I started going to the market with my mom around the age of 13. She usually bought foodstuff for the week since she had to go to work and all go that. My first shock was how this woman will bargain with a vendor till they’ve down to half the price or even lower. I used to tell her she’s cheating them and all she tells me is that even with what she paid, they still cheated her.😂
Now, I know that it’s actually true cos tell me why you go to buy something and they give it to you for twice the actual price. And when you start bargaining, you get to a point where they don’t want to go down anymore and that’s when you know that you’ve gotten to the actual price. I love that I learnt this trick quickly cos it has come in handy for me so many times. Now , let’s talk about marketing strategies. One thing vendors in Accra are know for, especially clothing sellers is to put the dress or whatever on your shoulder while you walk.
You’d literally be minding your business in town only for someone to drop a Jean on your shoulder and tell you to have a look. Once you take it to have a look it’s game over for you. They would assume you want to buy it and then ask you how much you wish to pay for it. Man, these people are like pros because the way they make you feel in control is something else. Eventually, you’d end up buying it thinking you got it cheap because you paid the price you wanted but surprise, you got cheated! It gets really embarrassing sometimes because even if you are not interested they will keep following you till you give in.
Another marketing strategy most companies use in town these days is neuro marketing . You know how you go to the supermarket or the mall to get one bottle of juice or water and you end up coming home with sweets. If you notice, they keep these sweets and what have you at the counter where you are to pay. Once you get there and it catches your eye, your mind would linger and you’d eventually use your spare change to get some of those snacks but hey, it’s all part of their marketing strategy.
I really used to fall victim to this until I learnt about it. I was literally always over spending because of those petty snacks at the counter of every shop. Now, when I walk into a shop or wherever, I make sure to go straight and get what I came for and off I go. I don’t even make my mind go there before I end up spending my hard earned money on things I didn’t budget for.
As a business person, making sales is very important as you need profit to expand. Business people now will go to every length to get you to purchase their products and so, you the consumer must also ensure that you don’t spend out of your budget.
all images belong to me.
