I’m a bit of a salesman’s dream, particularly when it comes to sweet treats. Frankly, it only takes a doughnut or cookie to cross my line of sight in a supermarket and I’m tempted. I’m a textbook impulse buyer.
Supermarkets know there are plenty of people like me! Place something tempting in front of the customer right before they think they’ve finished the shop, and they’ve made themselves another sale!
In his article titled, The Significance of Impulse Buying Today, Sid Hawkins Stern described the four different types of impulse purchases.
The first is called "Pure Impulse Buying" where the consumer breaks their normal pattern of consumption. The next is called "Reminder Impulse Buying," which is when a consumer forgets to add an item to their shopping list, and when they see the item in the store, they remember that they need the item and purchase it. The third type of impulse purchase is "Suggestion Impulse Buying" where a consumer sees a product they have never seen before, and convinces themselves that they need the item even though this is their initial encounter with it. The last type of impulse purchase that Stern includes is "Planned Impulse Buying." This type of impulse buying occurs when a consumer goes into a store with certain items in mind, but is waiting for deals to entice them to make the purchase. (Stern, 1962)
Stern wrote the article some 60 years ago. Now, in an era of technology, we see these strategies used to great effect by huge online selling platforms who can infiltrate our everyday in a way we’ve never experienced before- through the palm of our hands.
These strategies of sales got me thinking about how we can develop intrigue and gain attention in our classrooms. If we were to change the ‘buying’ from Stern’s article to ‘buy-in’ for our classrooms and curriculum, maybe we have some models for inclusive and engaging learning.
‘Pure Impulse Buying’ where the consumer breaks their normal pattern of consumption.
At it’s heart, this is the seller’s element of surprise. It’s the 5 creme eggs I brought when I only went in for stamps- it was irresistible. This kind of learning works wonders in the classroom, particularly when routine is well-embedded. If children are expecting one of their standard 5 reading lessons a week, and suddenly the third one is an online virtual author visit, or they know they have PE on Thursday afternoons, but today they’ll be playing against another class too, there is immediate interest as a result of that change. The buy-in comes from the something different that is offered. What enticing surprises could you build in to your units of learning?
*This particular aspect obviously needs consideration for those children who find change from the usual difficult to navigate- but a simple conversations prior to the change taking place will often smooth over that ridge.
‘Reminder Impulse Buying’ when a consumer forgets to add an item to their shopping list, and when they see the item in the store, they remember that they need the item and purchase it.
I think of this as the implementation of retrieval practice in the classroom. A child may not always have the key facts they learnt in Y1 about The Great Fire of London at the forefront of their mind, but when they revisit London through their Geography learning in Y4 they may be able to recall some of that prior knowledge they already have. The more our curriculum reminds children of what they already know and encourages them to revisit it, the wider their schema becomes. The knowledge map they build during their time in our school begins life as merely outlines, but as they continue to revisit and build on prior learning, the map becomes far more helpful. You won’t get bigger student buy-in than when you broaden their worlds and empower them with knowledge.
‘Suggestion Impulse Buying’ where a consumer sees a product they have never seen before, and convinces themselves that they need the item even though this is their initial encounter with it.
Our children are growing up in an age where everyone is vying for their attention. The classroom is no different. So how do we convince our young learners that learning is learnt their attention? New experiences, an engaging and progressive curriculum design and careful consideration about different effective ways of working in the classroom might help. I suppose an example here is the idea of a ‘hook’ in your writing or topic or using some kind of technique such as ‘Mantle of the Expert’. Or perhaps if you opted for something like ‘comfy reading’, where a child gets the chance to read their book wherever they like in the classroom, rather than just at their desk instead.
Considering what the children have never had the opportunity to do, never experienced, or not learnt about before is a sure-fire way to achieve buy-in and provide them with an exciting broadening of their educational landscape.
‘Planned Impulse Buying’ when a consumer goes into a store with certain items in mind, but is waiting for deals to entice them to make the purchase.
Particularly at Primary, teachers have an unbelievable position of privilege within the eyes of most children. We’re often seen as role models or heroes in their eyes. It’s this that gives us an incredible opportunity when it comes to student buy-in. When a child enters our classroom inspired by, or in awe of their teacher, they’ll be willing to take the learning journey with them- even if the route is unexpected or the subject doesn’t immediately grab their attention. If we foster a thirst for learning in our classrooms, that first sip each day becomes all the more delicious.
If learning is well-placed, builds on prior knowledge and experience, offers something new that excites and inspires, then buy-in from all stakeholders in the curriculum seems more likely. I want the children in my class to be unable to resist the impulse to learn because the offer is too tempting.
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