Awaken automatisms

Affect Heuristic

Decisions are made on the spot.

Hand-drawn balance scale with a pink heart in one pan and a pink brain in the other, on a blue stand.

How it works

Decisions are made on an emotional level and only rationalized afterwards. Emotional likes and dislikes dominate the decision-making process.

When to use it

Use the effect if you want to encourage your customer to act spontaneously.

Emotions sell - use them in product descriptions.

Avoid this

Avoid trying to convince your users with too much text and detailed information. Technical details alone won't make a difference.

Online examples from practice

Stirring Emotions

Emotions sell - use them in product descriptions.

  • Think about what feelings and associations you want to evoke
  • Use images that evoke positive associations
  • Don't overlook the wording
  • Casually mention the benefits to customers
  • Address Longings
Browser-window mockup of two sofa product cards, a plain sofa for 300 euro and a styled sofa with plants and accessories for 450 euro.
Browser-window mockup with two sofa photos, a bullet list of accessories and a price, crossed out with a pink X.
Browser-window mockup of a guest checkout box with 'Ohne Registrierung fortfahren' button and a text link suggesting a free customer account.

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