How much does advertising affect us? It affects us more than you might think! In fact, you might not even be aware of the decision process you’re going through when you make a choice about what to buy. As you pass those metal sign holder stands and the acrylic display stands, here’s what happens:

• We make a choice among thousands of options. Amazingly, our brains are able to process being bombarded with an average of 3,000 ads and promotions every day. From what we see on TV to the contents of those metal sign holder stands, to clear window decals with advertising on them, we’re not only seeing it all, but making choices in a fantastically short amount of time. Most consumers make a choice to either stick with a brand they wanted to buy or go to a competitor in about three to seven seconds!
• We do buy a lot of things on impulse, though. Unsurprisingly, about six to ten purchases we make in a store can be called impulse buys. A Mass Merchant Study done in 2014 showed that 16% of unplanned buys were made because someone put the right ads in metal sign holder stands or someone had creative retail display ideas and we noticed it.
• The best thing advertising can do is give us a good feeling about a product. We respond more to this than even to descriptions of how great it is or what it can do for us. A lot of times we really don’t know much about the choice between two or more products, so whichever ones gives us the best feeling is the one we’ll end up buying. And since about 82% of us are making our buying decisions once we reach the store, those display racks and flyer holders really are important to our decision-making process.
• We don’t do as much online as we perceive ourselves as doing. Most people think that they do a lot of research online before they buy something, and while it is true that most of us use our smartphones to do some, 77% of people still go to the store to see and touch products to shop. So while internet advertising is important, those metal sign holder stands are really useful for retailers, too. In fact, a sign that lasts a year costs between $.03 and $.37 cents per person to reach 1,000 people. To reach that many people with a commercial ad would cost $4.05 to $7.75!

We definitely pay attention to advertising. Studies show that merchandise with signage attached tends to outsell merchandise without signs by as much as 20%. Noticing and processing signs is part of the way our marvelous brains work, and is how we make choices: even when we’re not aware of it. Get more here.