7 'Neuromarketing Tactics' You Need To Stop Falling For
Every day, marketers leverage these seven tactics to get you to spend your money unnecessarily. Here's how.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | May 01, 2025
Have you ever come home from a quick "essentials" run, only to realize you've somehow spent $140 on a self-stirring mug, three different scented candles and a four-pack of face masks you'll probably never use? The purchases themselves will differ from person to person, but the experience itself is almost universal.
The reason people so often arrive home with bags full of goodies they don't actually need is purely psychological — and it's known as "neuromarketing." Marketers and retailers leverage this sneaky science to influence your daily buying decisions. And more often than not, these tactics are designed to override your better judgment. The goal, always, is to make you feel like you need something that you didn't even want five minutes ago.
Here are seven of the most common neuromarketing tricks used on consumers every day — and how they keep making you reach for your wallet when you really shouldn't.
1. The Framing Effect
The way in which a product is worded can completely shift your perception of it, even when the actual facts don't change. According to research from the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, this is what's known as the "framing effect." Simply, this suggests that our choices are incredibly sensitive to the way in which products (or their alternatives) are presented — and marketers often capitalize on this.
For example, would you rather buy a yogurt that says "99% fat free" or one that says "contains 1% fat"? Most people choose the former, despite the fact that they both mean the exact same thing.
This is because our brains are trained to respond more favorably to positively framed information. Marketers rely heavily on this bias to make products seem healthier, safer or better than they objectively are. But, in reality, the product you choose isn't necessarily better; it just sounds better.
2. The Illusion Of Affordability
Perhaps one of the most classic, insidious tactics is to break a large number into smaller, more digestible chunks. Instead of telling you that a service costs $365 per year, marketers will instead tell you that it's "only $1 a day." Suddenly, the once-egregious price doesn't sound too bad.
Yet, we often fail to realize that the total cost hasn't actually changed. Instead, the price breakdown serves to make it feel more affordable than it is in reality.
More often than not, you might not need the product at all — or, worse, you might not actually be able to afford it. Either way, you're more likely to be tricked into thinking it's reasonable when the price is minimized to sound harmless.
3. Decoy Pricing
You're likely confronted with "tiered" pricing options on a daily basis. Netflix offers you "Standard with ads," "Standard" and "Premium" subscription plans. Starbucks offers you "Tall," "Grande" and "Venti" cup sizes. This tactic, known as "decoy pricing," is a staple in everything from retail to subscriptions, and it's carefully designed to guide you toward the option that profits the vendor most.
In most cases, the cheapest tier will feel inadequate, and the most expensive tier will feel excessive — this is the desired effect. Thus, in comparison to its counterparts, the central option will almost always feel "just right."
Truth be told, however, the top and bottom tiers only function to nudge you toward the option marketers wanted you to pick all along: the middle. And, more often than not, the middle tier will include features you didn't really need to begin with.
4. The Allure Of 'Freebies'
There are few things in life that short-circuit our rational thinking as powerfully as the word "free" does. Even if it's something you'll never use, the presence alone of a freebie is enough to sway your decision to buy.
The effectiveness of freebies is one of many products of reciprocity. Research from the American Journal of Sociology suggests that humans are inclined to respond to generosity with generosity, and to negativity with negativity. Society relies on this principle of reciprocity to function; naturally, so do marketers.
For example, if you're offered a free tote bag with your purchase, you're more likely to go through with it — even if the bag is shoddy and the purchase wasn't necessary in the first place. Retailers revere this trick: the word "free" will make you feel as though you're getting more value. But all it really does is sweeten the deal enough to override your self-control.
5. The Contrast Effect
Imagine seeing a $1,000 coat in a store. Likely, your first thought would be, "That's ridiculous." Now imagine that, next to it, you see a similar coat priced at $8,000. To most people, the $1,000 option will suddenly seem more reasonable.
According to research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, this is what's known as the "contrast effect." Simply put, humans have the tendency to compare objects with whatever's around them. In terms of consumption behavior, this means that our evaluations of prices or value often hinge on others in close proximity.
Marketers use this to their advantage by placing moderately expensive items next to outrageously priced ones. From luxury retail and electronics to real estate, this is another tactic leveraged to make the "middle" option seem like the smart, reasonable buy. In most cases, however, it may not always be the best choice; the fact is that it simply looks better in context.
6. Anchoring Bias
You'll often see price-tags labeled as "Was $200, Now Only $99!" Sales like these serve to make the original price — $200 — your mental anchor. Even if the product itself was never actually sold at $200, the $99 will nevertheless feel like a bargain in comparison.
According to 2017 research from the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, this is known as the "anchoring bias." As the study explains, humans usually opt for cognitive strategies that conserve mental resources. When it comes to decision making, "anchoring" makes this conservation much easier.
In terms of purchasing habits, this bias entails that the first number you see will create a reference point for your brain to use in order to judge everything else, even when it shouldn't. So, sales and bundle pricing will often result in you thinking you've scored a deal, or that you're a smart shopper. But in reality, your own cognitive bias has simply been used against you — and, often, you're paying what the store really wanted in the first place.
7. The Endowment Effect
It's usually much harder to let go of something once you've established that it's already "yours." Even if you've only had it for a minute, a sense of ownership will make relinquishing the object all the more difficult. As research suggests, this phenomenon is known as the "endowment effect" — the tendency to overvalue things we own (or feel like we own).
Marketers exploit this by offering free trials, free returns or "try before you buy" policies. The premise is that once you've had a product in your possession, even if only temporarily, you're more likely to keep it.
This small — if not false — sense of ownership is enough to greatly distort your judgment; it convinces you that life without this product would feel like a loss. Consequently, once the free trial is over, you'll still feel the subliminal urge to buy it. Not because you truly need it, but because it feels like it's already part of your life.
Do you fall for these marketing tactics a little too easily? Take this science-backed test, and find out if it's time to audit your spending habits: Financial Management Behavior Scale
A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.