How to Predict What People Will Buy: The Subconscious Psychology Vital to Successful Product Design

Psychologist and market researcher Louis Cheskin explains how to effectively package and color goods for maximum appeal to the customer.

First published in the 1950s, this book has its basis in the many years of experience Louis Cheskin had in designing, marketing and selling products. The importance of color and imagery in achieving strong sales was discovered by Cheskin's team at the Color Research Institute; through showcasing products to focus groups of different demographics - male, female, old, young - they discovered how preferences differed. This research was borne out in product releases, with those following Cheskin's guidelines achieving better sales and being favored by more customers.

Cheskin explains that individual people like to assume they are in full control of deciding whether to buy a given thing, arriving at a decision via the use of logic and reasoning. However, the truth is that the subconscious is a powerful force in the human psyche; whether a person's subconscious prefers a given packaging for its coloration or design traits is important - for it is the subconscious that informs, and commonly assumes precedent, over the conscious, thinking part of our brains.

Revolutionary in his lifetime, the research Cheskin pioneered continues to be used by modern-day marketers and product designers. As this book demonstrates, predicting what a person will buy is both doable and crucial for success in business.