Shopping Psychology

(myfoxboston) - Shopping, for some it's a sport, for others, a chore. You may have the best of intentions but sometimes what ends up in your cart doesn't at all resemble your original list!

“It's really interesting to see what people will do," says Carol Kauffman-Scarborough, a professor of marketing.

She says when people are in a shopping environment, they’re going to react to cues, and for different people, it’s different things. So if you're really determined to cut costs, it may be more about how you buy, not what you buy.

“They're going to react to what they can see, what they can touch, what they can smell, what they can hear," Kauffman-Scarborough says, and the senses really do play a role in how much you spend. which is why you want to look, but don't touch. “Touch can have a significant effect because it tends to draw the customer into the product.”

Some research suggests when you put your hands on an object, it increases your psychological sense of ownership, making you more likely to buy it. If you can't keep your hands to yourself, shopping online eliminates this temptation.

“Many of the cues that may draw them in, the ability to touch, try on, to smell is controlled because of the online environment," Kauffman-Scarborough says.

Another potentially money-saving tip, forcing yourself to use a shopping basket to physically carry your purchases, will keep you from getting too comfortable and you won't be compelled to fill a void, "a basket can be much more manageable amount to purchase and to estimate how much you've spent," Kauffman-Scarborough says.

Managing your mood will help manage your budget as well.

“People in a bad mood, a sad mood, may tend to feel like they deserve more or they might not attend to the budget," according to Kauffman-Scarborough.

In fact, one Harvard study found people who were feeling depressed were willing to spend 30 percent more. Someone in a happier mood has an easier time resisting impulse purchases. Happy or sad, beware of what's called the shopping momentum effect, because researchers say, once you give in to one impulse buy you tend to buy even more.

Finally, shopping on pay day is a sure-fire way to overspend. Visit the mall on the week you don't get paid instead, you'll be a lot more budget-conscious.

"There's a number of rewiring that people can become more aware of that how they're feeling, what they do, what the cues are, might draw them in to spending more than they actually might have available," Kauffman-Scarborough says.

Have you changed the way you shop due to the economy? Have money-saving tips to share? Tell us about it...