Aldi and Co.: Marketing tricks - this is how discounters force us to buy

Aldi, Lidl and Co. use various tricks to manipulate customers who are supposed to buy more.

But there are tips that can help:

Who doesn't know it: You go shopping at Aldi, Lidl and Co. because you need certain products - and in the end a lot more ends up in the shopping cart.

Then it can take longer at the checkout again if you don't use various tips and tricks*.

Is that just because of the shape and size of the car?

They are usually set up in such a way that customers get the impression that there isn't that much inside and they can still buy a little more.

In fact, there are other tricks that Aldi* and Co. use to manipulate customers.

HEIDELBERG24* has summarized the common shopping traps.

Aldi, Lidl and Co.: Goods arrangement makes customers shop more expensive

The shelves at Aldi Süd, Lidl and other discounters are set up in a certain way.

On the one hand, cheap products are usually on the lower shelves.

This means that goods that either make a good profit or simply have to go are arranged at eye level by the supermarket employees.

As a result, customers in particular who rush to shop quickly grab the first product they find without paying attention to prices and other items of the same type.

However, customers who shop quickly are not the goal of Aldi and Co. Of course, because if you go shopping in peace, you might discover one or the other product.

So that there is no rush, discounters like Aldi use a trick: They ensure a relaxed atmosphere.

Pleasant temperatures, a quiet zone in the entrance area - as Focus writes, Lidl and Co. ensure a good atmosphere so that customers don't feel hectic.

Another move by the discounters: the placement of goods.

Snacks next to juices, soda and beer?

That's no coincidence, because it's likely that you'll grab a bag of chips when you're packing your after-work beer.

So in the evening you may have everything at home, but you may still have bought more than originally planned.

Just one of various shopping traps at Aldi and Co. that customers should see through*.

Aldi, Lidl and Co.: Manipulation when shopping through lamps and packaging

The topic of "freshness" is also important when Aldi manipulates customers, who are currently changing a lot for animal welfare, such as the 5D rule for meat* or the way milk is kept*.

It is true that there are always outliers that do not seem to be quite as fresh and therefore cause a laugh on the Internet*, but discounters rely on special lamps and perfect lighting, especially for fruit and vegetables.

If you then pack bananas, apples and lettuce, don't be surprised if they look a little different at home.

With packaged and ready-to-eat products, Aldi and Co. also attract customers, because they get the feeling of buying something special.

It's just different packaging.

The baking machines and stations, for example, follow a similar principle, which entice with the good smell of baking.

Customers often have to walk counter-clockwise in the store, i.e. to the left.

Studies have found that this "customer guidance" promises slightly higher sales.

Not sure why.

The majority of customers are right-handed - perhaps this makes it easier for them to reach for the shelves.

Aldi, Lidl and Co.: Customers shop safely with these tips

And who has noticed that you often walk counterclockwise in the supermarket?

It is said that around 80 percent of people are right-handed.

Going counter-clockwise, the important shelves, such as those with sausage, cheese or dairy products, are on the right.

This should make it easier to reach for the product.

However, that could actually be a coincidence.

The only question that remains is: How can customers counteract the manipulation by Aldi, Lidl and Co.?

There are a few little tips and tricks, such as not going shopping when you're hungry.

The eyes are then larger than the stomach.

The shopping list can also help, because then you focus on the essentials when shopping and buy less spontaneously.

The problem with the large shopping carts can also be avoided: your own basket or a tote bag.

It hardly matters whether you wear them or put them in your shopping cart.

The only important thing is that you have to go to the checkout as soon as they are full.

(tobi)

List of rubrics: © Fabian Sommer / dpa