In the first article in our series, we looked at the jam paradox and worked out how this psychological phenomenon influences our buying behavior and how it can be used productively in Shopware.

Now we'll take a closer look at human memory and the important principles behind it. Because they also have an influence on the shopping experience in e-commerce and can be used in a targeted manner in Shopware.

The Psychological Principle

The ability to remember is better and more intensively developed in humans than in any other animal. We can remember many dates and events. Nevertheless, our memory does not function like a movie that we can simply rewind. Rather, the process of remembering is reconstructive and prone to errors and distortions. Memory is simplistically divided into 3 areas:

  • Ultra-short-term memory (filters our impressions).
  • Short-term memory (intermediate storage for information, also called working memory)
  • Long-term memory (stores memories long-term to lifelong).

For our consideration regarding online shopping, short-term memory is particularly interesting because this is where information is processed. Despite its complexity, working memory has a very limited capacity. Recent research suggests that we can only remember three to four units of knowledge (called chunks) for a short time. And these quickly disappear. In a few seconds to minutes, for example, we can remember a phone number, a product name or a specific piece of information.

Psychology in UX: How Can Design Help Users Remember?

If we look at how the different memory types work, it becomes clear that we should not unnecessarily ask users to remember things from one page to the next. The following functions, for example, offer some assistance:

  • Comparison tables: With the small amount of information our short-term memory can store, it is almost impossible to compare a product with more than one feature. (Example, see image: Apple)

  • Shopping cart or favourites: Often, the user does not even remember which product he has favourited or even already had in his shopping cart. What he no longer remembers, he can no longer buy.

  • Recently viewed items on the home page: On the one hand, the customer then does not have to remember the items, and on the other hand, he evaluates things more positively if he already knows them. Recognition activates the brain's reward system. (Examples can be found in the gallery: Amazon, Thalia and Otto).

Screenshot Apple Website Unterstützung Produktauswahl Laptop

Implementation in Shopware

Filter

Sensibly created filters also help your customers to find their way around your offer. This way, they can narrow down the selection of your products and get only the products that are relevant to them and their requirements.

Shopware offers you the possibility to create individual filters for each item listing in the "Properties" tab and to fill these filter categories with different properties.

Screenshot Produkteigenschaften im Shopware Backend definieren
New filter categories or additional properties per filter category can be compiled with a few clicks.
Screenshot Shopware Produkteigenschaften anlegen

Comparison Tables

The ability to compare products and see all the similarities and differences at a glance makes it easier for your customers to decide.

In the comparison table in Shopware, all properties that were stored in the backend configuration are compared with each other.

Screenshot Shopware Produktvergleich Frontend

Wishlist

So that your customers don't lose sight of the products they like but don't want to buy right now, they can save them in their personal watch list.

Screenshot Shopware Produkte Merkliste
When you click the "Remember" button, the items are added to the list and stored there until the customer actively removes them from his list.
Screenshot Shopware Produkte Merkzettel anzeigen

Recently Viewed Articles

Slider with "recently viewed items" can also be placed anywhere in the online store within Shopware.

This slider is an existing element that is present in Shopware Standard and can be inserted in the edit mode of the worlds of experience as often as desired and in different places.

Screenshot Shopware recently visited
For example, this slider can appear within the product listing or on the home page.
Screenshot Shopware Funktion Zuletzt angesehene Produkte Frondend

Screenshot Shopware Funktion Zuletzt angesehene Produkte Frondend

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So, with a few simple adjustments, you can ensure in Shopware that the biological hurdles of human memory do not have a negative impact on buying behaviour. Now that we have dealt with the first two psychological phenomena, we will turn to the concept of social proof. in the next and last article of the series.