Your Brain on Shopping

Application of neuroscience to marketing has been focused on advertising and media and less on shopping.

There is an obvious limitation due to the relative lack of portability of equipment required to monitor brain activity and other physiological reaction.

This video shows Dr. David Lewis from Mindlab demonstrating the use of EEG equipment to assess consumer reaction in store.

The current trouble is that EEG and other portable equipment only gives a very limited read on brain activity. Peaks when we see bright colours isn't that insightful. No doubt the technology will improve.

I guess it is possible that one day researchers will be able to see the kind of activity that fMRI allows (e.g. activation and deactivation of the insula and the medial prefrontal cortex assocatied with purchase decisions) while a consumer shops. That will obviously provide almost scary insights.

Good post on the neuroscience of purchasing here.