Ask HN: what influence your purchase?

[duinote]

I had a discussion with my co-workers on influence of purchase. IMO, even we think we are rational, we are not. some of us, even very rational hackers, do lots of research before we make a purchase, but large part of it are influenced by other people. That's why branding is so important, apple is doing so well. It is because we care what other people think.

I know I am stating the obvious, but do you think we have underestimated the peer pressures? I don't have a question, but I want to hear what other hackers thinks how much you are influenced by peers and others.

[mindcrime]

Honestly, it's hard to say. I don't think I'm driven much by obvious and immediate peer influence, since I can't remember the last time I bought anything... mp3 player, car, clothes, etc. based on any influence from a close friend. I have pretty specific tastes in each of those things, and I tend to buy what I want based on my own criteria.

Now how much my tastes - in general - where shaped by the influence of others in an indirect sense, is hard to say. For example, the last portable music player I bought was chosen specifically because it was the biggest device the local Best Buy had in stock that supports Ogg Vorbis. I favor patent unencumbered formats like Ogg, and am trying to get away from using mp3s in general. So, how much did my friends, colleagues, etc. influence my stance as a free software, open standards, open source, etc. ideologue? I have no idea.

Same for my last car... I bought a Mazda RX-8 because I like fast, sporty little cars; not because any of my friends have RX-8's (ok, one friend has one, but I didn't know it when I bought mine.) But who's to say why I like fast, black, sports cars? I look at it more as a matter of accretion, over the course of decades, and the influence of many sources... not something I can pin on any specific (small) set of immediate influencers.

Clothes? Hmmm.. I don't dress like anybody I know, since I like to wear waist-coats and cravats with jeans. It's an eclectic taste I glommed together from bits & pieces of various influences.... being a Doctor Who fan, liking the Steampunk genre, Victorian era fiction, etc.

Now is any of that purely rational? Hell no. There's definitely a peer influence, "glommed together from bits over time" aesthetic. But there is (sometimes) a rational aspect mixed in. Like choosing a certain music player because of it's format support and storage capacity, or choosing Mazda because they have a good quality reputation, etc.

I guess that was a lot of words to say "I don't know," but that's kinda it. It's hard to isolate the different factors that go into these decisions.

[duinote]

Ya, I agree. I am like you a lot, but I know I am influenced by others. Like after I pick my choice I am comfortable with, but seeing not a lot of people making the same choice may make me think again.

What I am thinking is, do ppl really admit that they are affected by others?

[evac]

Coming from a psychology background myself, I would say yes, we definitely underestimate how external factors affect our decision-makings. Peer pressure is one obvious influence, but I would personally say the biggest influences come from factors we're not even aware of. Some I can think of at the top of my head are the way we're influenced by:

- our fear of loss - our first impressions (which usually influence all subsequent decisions/habits) - our sense of ownership of an idea/opinion/product - our self-fulfilling expectations (something you expect to be great will usually be great) - and so much more we're usually not aware of

For more on the topic, a very readable and engaging book on behavioral-economic influences is Predictably Irrational. At his blog, he shares some of the book's interesting ideas and findings about different factors: http://danariely.com/the-books/

[Serene]

Mental resource depletion is another factor. Those who had their attention manipulated were more prone to buy and pay higher prices: http://econpapers.repec.org/article/ucpjconrs/v_3a33_3ay_3a2...

Peers influence is strongest in adolescence

[arepb]

Agree that peers being something is powerful -- not so much for peer pressure (although that's important for some), but more for the sense that if 10 of your friends bought something, it must not be a total disaster. Peer protection.

That is the really far out view of a world where you have redlaser/blippy/amazon all tied together with a social network. "10 of your friends bought Red 5 Lime Flavored gum" etc on the low end, or "10 of your friends get their car serviced here" on the higher risk end.

[duinote]

An analogy I am thinking is, if someone or lots of people tells me that an iphone clone in china has outdone the iphone. what would I do, even from my experience it is the other way around.

[veb]

If it looks like it was from the future, I must have it.