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The Dirty Tricks Behind Amazon & Flipkart Sales - Future IQ

61,201 views • Jul 11, 2025
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Concepts in this episode

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  1. Scarcity & Urgency (Artificial Scarcity) mechanism

    Artificial scarcity converts a purchase into a race. A vanishing deadline suppresses deliberation and speeds action—even when the seller manufactures the urgency and quietly resets the clock.

  2. Social Proof mental-model

    Social proof turns visible behavior into borrowed confidence: when many people—or the right people—appear to choose, enjoy, or endorse something, you treat their response as evidence before evaluating the thing itself.

  3. Decoy Effect mental-model

    The decoy effect changes what feels like a good choice by placing an intentionally inferior option beside the seller’s target. The decoy is designed not to win, but to make one comparison—and therefore one purchase—feel settled.

  4. Anchoring mental-model

    Anchoring changes how a price feels by planting a reference point before the buyer evaluates it. ₹499 can seem like a bargain beside ₹1,000 and expensive when judged on its own.

  5. Charm Pricing (Left-Digit Bias) mechanism

    Charm pricing exploits left-digit bias: ₹499 is categorized as belonging to the ₹400s, even though it is only ₹1 below ₹500.

  6. Fake Reference Price (Pre-Sale Markup) mechanism

    A sale discount can be manufactured by raising a product’s price before the event, then trimming that inflated price. The crossed-out number creates an [[anchoring|anchor]]; it does not prove that you are saving money.

  7. Price Discrimination mechanism

    Price discrimination raises revenue by separating buyers according to willingness to pay. The seller preserves a high price for customers who barely feel it while offering a lower route to customers who would otherwise walk away.

  8. Value of Time principle

    A discount is valuable only when it outweighs the time, attention, and friction required to obtain it. The same ₹100 saving can be sensible for one person and an expensive distraction for another.

Description

Ever wondered if those massive online sales like Amazon Prime Day, Flipkart Big Billion Days, Myntra’s End of Reason Sale or GOAT Sales are really helping you save money — or just cleverly pushing you to spend more? This episode of Future IQ uncovers how these “BIG SALES” use smart psychological tricks to make you buy things you didn’t even plan for, and often the more expensive versions too. From fake scarcity tactics like “only 1 left in stock” and social proof nudges showing “3 people just bought this,” to decoy pricing strategies and sneaky anchoring that makes discounts look irresistible, there’s a whole marketing game happening behind the scenes. We also reveal how retailers quietly inflate prices weeks before the sale, only to drop them later and advertise it as a huge discount. This video dives into why tempting credit card offers work so well, and how your brain’s quick decision system (System 1) often overpowers your logical side (System 2) during these flashy sales. With practical tips on using tools like Keepa and PriceHistory.in to track real prices, and why shopping with a no-nonsense friend can actually save you thousands, this episode will change the way you shop forever. So before you get swept away by the next big sale banner, watch this and learn how to shop smarter, save better, and never fall for these clever traps again. Join the Future IQ Community: https://tapthe.link/futureiqwa More Videos: Why Diwali Was Never About Religion: https://youtu.be/_AByBm35DgI Why you're addicted to shopping - Psychology Of Persuasion: https://youtu.be/lEvzk05XzOg You Are Paying More Than Others: https://youtu.be/gyyVUjInirg The Dollar Value Of Your Time - How Much Are You Worth An Hour?: https://youtu.be/gyyVUjInirg Mastering Both Your Brains - System1 & System 2: https://youtu.be/DIVTMooO7o4 Links: Book: Influence the Science of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Many examples of decoy effect: https://arpitsrivastava.com/marketing-examples-of-the-decoy-effect/ Are you a System 1 or System 2 thinker? https://www.psytoolkit.org/survey-library/thinking-style-rei.html Hope you enjoyed FutureIQ by Navin Kabra and Shrikant Joshi. Do hit us up on Twitter: @ngkabra http://twitter.com/ngkabra @shrikant https://twitter.com/shrikant Listen it on the podcast provider of your choice: https://tapthe.link/FutureIQRSS

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