All psychological triggers

Awaken automatisms

Action Bias

The need to take action.

Encourage situational impulse buys.

Increase value

Aesthetic Design Heuristic

An aesthetic design increases brand confidence.

Use aesthetic design to raise the value of your product.

Awaken automatisms

Affect Heuristic

Decisions are made on the spot.

Emotions sell: use them in product descriptions.

Increase value

Anchor Effect

The first information is remembered.

Use anchor prices to make products look cheaper or more exclusive.

Provide security

Authority Bias

Authorities can have a strong influence.

Let authorities say something positive about your product.

Awaken automatisms

Autonomation Bias

Trust in algorithms.

Imply that an algorithm generated or calculated the results.

Increase motivation

Autonomy Bias

The pursuit of freedom.

Do not force a fixed path through the page on your visitors.

Optimize user guidance

Availability Heuristic

Quickly available information is used.

Communicate clearly and unambiguously.

Provide security

Bandwagon Effect

The imitation of other people.

Show that your product is trending and that authorities use it.

Optimize user guidance

Banner Blindness

Banners are ignored.

Place key elements in the reading flow and do not make them look like ads.

Optimize user guidance

Barnum Effect

General statements refer to themselves.

Ask questions that call for an answer to reinforce your visitors in an attitude.

Optimize user guidance

Bizarreness Effect

Conspicuous things are easier to remember.

Use unusual elements on purpose to draw focus to them.

Increase motivation

Blind Spot Bias

One's own alleged freedom from prejudice.

Get second opinions so you can decide as objectively as possible.

Optimize user guidance

Breaking Rules

Stand-out elements attract attention.

Give one element of a group a different design to make it stand out.

Provide security

Buyers Remorse

Regretting a purchase decision.

Reassure customers after the purchase that they made the right choice.

Increase motivation

Call to Action

A direct call to act.

Ask your visitors directly to take action.

Increase motivation

Challenge

Challenges provide motivation.

Create playful challenges that raise user motivation.

Awaken automatisms

Cognitive Dissonance

Incompatible settings.

Resolve possible tension in your visitors in good time.

Provide security

Commitment & Consistency

The desire for consistency.

Ask your visitors questions that make them take a position, then respond to it.

Provide security

Confirmation Bias

The confirmation of one's own expectation.

Back up emotional purchase decisions with supporting statements.

Awaken automatisms

Context Effect

The memory depends on the location.

Use familiar comparisons in product and service descriptions.

Provide security

Courtesy Bias

Social desirability in surveys.

Make sure your customer surveys produce accurate results.

Increase motivation

Curiosity

People are curious.

Be creative and try to make your visitors curious.

Optimize user guidance

Curse of Knowledge

Overestimating other people.

Explain your products so that a child would understand them.

Increase value

Decoy Effect

An unattractive offer makes the other offers seem more attractive.

When offering two products, add an expensive and less attractive third option.

Optimize user guidance

Default Effect / Ellsberg Effect

Preferring a known option.

Suggest a default option so that users prefer to choose it.

Increase value

Denomination Effect

It is better to pay small amounts more often than all at once.

Offer installment payments, subscriptions or similar options.

Increase value

Diderot Effect

One purchase pulls the next.

In after-sales, promote more products that match the purchase.

Increase sympathy

Dunning Kruger Effect

Misjudging one's own abilities.

Offer help, even when something seems self-explanatory.

Increase value

Endowment Effect

Personal items are gaining in value.

Give personal items a very special place.

Optimize user guidance

Faces and Views

The facial expressions of other people are observed.

Use pictures of people to trigger specific emotions.

Increase motivation

Fear of Missing Out

Don't want to miss anything.

Use highlights in your marketing that nobody wants to miss.

Optimize user guidance

Framing Effect

Frame information in a positive way.

Choose favorable wording and presentation in product descriptions.

Optimize user guidance

Gaze Cueing Effect

People follow the gaze of others.

Use gazes to guide your visitors' attention.

Awaken automatisms

Google Effect

Make information available.

Make sure relevant information is quick and easy to find.

Increase value

Having vs Using

More money is spent on additional features.

Focus on the relevant product features, but list all functions.

Provide security

Hindsight Bias

The “I knew it all along” effect.

Set clear expectations and rule out misunderstandings.

Increase sympathy

Humor Effect

Funny things stay longer in the memory.

Wrap important information in humor.

Provide security

Hyperbolic Discount

The preference for immediate profits.

Make sure incentives are available immediately.

Increase value

Ikea Effect

The high value of self-made things.

Involve your visitors in creating the product wherever possible.

Increase motivation

Illusion of Control

The alleged influence on the uncontrollable.

Build in detailed selection steps to raise user motivation.

Increase motivation

Illusion of Validity

The misinterpretation of data.

Do not rely on data alone; understand the background too.

Optimize user guidance

Inattentional Blindness Effect

The overlooking of things.

Keep in mind that your visitors will not notice everything you do.

Provide security

Information Bias

Researching information.

Provide further information so that you stay in control of the communication.

Awaken automatisms

Inner Dialogue

People talk to themselves.

Use first-person wording on purpose to trigger the inner dialogue.

Increase motivation

Joy & Fun

Make complex things seem simpler.

Add playful elements to processes to raise motivation.

Provide security

Law of the Instrument

The misappropriation of objects.

Show in your marketing how visitors can use your product.

Increase value

Loss Aversion

Always be on the winning side.

Make sure your visitors suffer no losses or disadvantages.

Increase value

Magnitude Priming

The visual pricing.

Present prices differently on purpose so they look cheaper.

Awaken automatisms

Mental Models

Familiarity ensures better understanding.

Use familiar principles to explain your product.

Increase sympathy

Mere Exposure Effect

Repetition leads to a positive perception.

Repeat aspects and messages on purpose in different places.

Increase sympathy

Mirroring

The emotions of others are reflected.

Put yourself in your visitors' shoes and mirror their emotions.

Awaken automatisms

Negativity Bias

People tend to remember the negative things better.

Avoid any kind of bad user experience.

Increase value

Nonsense Math Effect

Numbers increase credibility.

Back up your statements with numbers and statistics.

Increase value

Not Invented Here

The rejection of the unknown.

Give users the feeling that they worked out the information themselves.

Optimize user guidance

Paradox of Choice

Spoiled for choice.

Keep the choice small or let visitors narrow it down with filters.

Increase sympathy

Pareidolia

People see familiar creatures and faces everywhere.

Use shapes in your design that look friendly.

Increase sympathy

Peak End Rule

Create a positive mood at the right time.

Make sure finding the product and buying it feel especially positive.

Optimize user guidance

Picture Superior Effect

Pictures support the memory.

Avoid walls of text and show relevant, supporting pictures.

Increase motivation

Planning Fallacy

Underestimating the duration of the task.

Show that a process can be completed quickly.

Increase motivation

Preview

A preview provides security.

Show your visitors what comes next.

Optimize user guidance

Primacy / Recency Effect

The beginning and the end will be remembered.

Show important information and benefits first and/or last.

Optimize user guidance

Reactance

Don't like to be told what to do.

Avoid coming across as too authoritarian on your website.

Increase value

Reactive Devaluation

The rejection from the opponent.

Make sure you are not seen as an opponent or competitor.

Increase motivation

Reason Why

Justify actions.

Give reasons to raise the willingness to buy.

Increase sympathy

Reciprocity

Tit for tat.

Be generous and fair to your customers and they will return the favor.

Awaken automatisms

Rhyme as a Reason

Rhymes are easy to remember.

Use rhymes where they fit the context to appear more credible.

Increase value

Scarcity

Scarcity creates an incentive to buy.

Highlight that an offer is limited.

Increase motivation

Self Serving Bias

Own successes and failures of others.

Do not frustrate your customers with products that are hard to understand.

Provide security

Social Proof

The decision of others is trusted.

Show that other people like your product.

Optimize user guidance

Spacing Effect

Repeat information.

Point out the benefits of your products throughout the customer journey.

Increase motivation

Spurring / Cheering

Positive feedback provides motivation.

Motivate your visitors with positive feedback.

Awaken automatisms

Stereotyping

People think in pigeonholes.

Use the effect in testimonials to achieve a specific impression.

Increase motivation

Storytelling

Telling stories.

Wrap product copy in entertaining stories.

Increase sympathy

Sympathy

Sympathy strengthens trust.

Show personal and authentic elements and mirror your target group.

Increase motivation

Try Out

The desire to test something.

Give visitors ways to try out your product.

Increase motivation

Unit Bias

No half measures.

Use the unit bias to offer products in larger units.

Awaken automatisms

Verbatim Effect

The skimming of content.

Use simple, familiar concepts for complex products.

Increase motivation

Zeigarnik Effect

People want to finish things.

Point to the sore spot and give a friendly reminder of unfinished tasks.

Provide security

Zero Risk Bias

The desire not to take any risks.

Communicate that there is no remaining risk.