The Psychology of “Everyone’s Doing It”—And Why It Sells. Anchoring and Social proof for marketers.

In a previous post I covered three useful behavioural marketing techniques that you can use to sell more effectively.

In this post, I add a few more that you can use add to your marketing toolbox for building more effective campaigns and activations.

You can see the first 3 point here.

4. Anchoring: The Price Perception Trick ⚓️

So, why are we talking about boat bits?

Anchoring is a behavioural science term. It’s kinda sneaky, but powerful. It’s when your brain grabs onto the first number or piece of information it sees—and refuses to let go. That first impression becomes the “anchor,” and every decision you make after that gets pulled in its direction. Even if the anchor is totally random or irrelevant, it still messes with your judgment.

This idea came from Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, and it shows up everywhere: pricing, negotiations, marketing—any situation where people have to make a decision without a clear answer. The anchor sets the tone, and everything else just follows its lead.

Why Anchoring Works:

• People rely on the first price they see as a reference point (the anchor) for value.
• A higher “original” price makes a discount look bigger, even if the final price is what you wanted to sell at anyway.

How to Use Anchoring Effectively:

✅ Use strategic pricing tiers – Showing a premium-priced option makes the mid-tier product look like a great deal. Wine lists do this all the time - that €200 bottle of wine is not there to be bought, it anchors the rest of the wine list. 🍷

✅ Highlight real discounts – If you show “was €150, now €99,” make sure that €150 price was actually charged before. This seems obvious, but for anchors to work, they have to be believed.

✅ Bundle products for perceived savings – People feel they’re getting a better deal when bundled items seem cheaper than buying separately.

🚫 Avoid inflated discounts – If people realize you raised prices before slashing them, you’ll lose credibility.

⚠️Having the anchor too far out can have a negative effect. Think of a wine list with a €10,000 bottle of wine.

You would either a: not believe this at all or b: think that the €30 bottle is so bad as to not be drinkable.

5. Social Proof: The “Everyone’s Buying” Effect 👀

Social proof is that little voice in your head that says, “Well, if everyone else is doing it…” It’s a mental shortcut we rely on when we’re unsure—looking to others to figure out what the “right” move is.

Robert Cialdini made it famous, and for good reason. Social proof is everywhere: five-star reviews, long lines outside a restaurant, influencers hyping a product. When we see other people buying in, we’re more likely to do the same. It’s not logic—it’s human nature.

Why Social Proof Works:

• People look to others to guide decisions because they don’t want to be responsible for the outcome if it goes poorly. They can always point at the crowd for some relief.
• The more people appear to be buying, the safer the purchase seems. Others have already taken the risks and proved that it is safe.
• Popularity is also a proxy for quality - if everyone does it, it’s probably good.

How to Use Social Proof Effectively:

✅ Use real customer activity – Show how many people have purchased or reviewed a product (if it’s true). Include the actual reviews where possible.

✅ Feature testimonials – Stories from satisfied customers are powerful motivators. Narrative is way stickier than numbers. Tell a story.

✅ Highlight bestsellers – A “most popular” badge reassures hesitant buyers. It validates the quality and removes risk.

🚫 Avoid fake urgency notifications – If “10 people are viewing this” appears on every page, buyers get skeptical. If 10,000 are viewing it, I might assume it’s bad because no one buys or that I don’t have a chance to get it.

🔪Pro tip: don’t overuse it.

Over the course of a few weeks, I received 5 different social proof notifications for a watch I was considering.

The lesson I took away is that there was no real pressure. I can take my time - all these people are looking but not buying.

Using These Tactics Without Being Manipulative

There’s a difference between ethical persuasion and deceptive manipulation. Ethical marketing builds trust and long-term customers—manipulative tactics might drive short-term sales but hurt credibility in the long run.

Recap: Here’s how to do it right:

✅ Use scarcity, urgency, and exclusivity authentically – Only apply them when they’re actually true.

✅ Be transparent – Let customers feel like they’re making informed decisions, not being tricked.

✅ Focus on the customer’s needs – Don’t just push urgency—explain why your product is worth acting on.

I have used these techniques countless times over the years to build very high performance campaigns.

The trick (as with most things) is to understand the underlying reason(s) for the behaviour and then tweak it to fit your use case.

Good luck and happy behavioural marketing :)

#marketing