Manipulated by the Unknown

From: http://news.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory201010280409-196048.html

新加坡年轻人依然迷信

新加坡年轻一代虽然都普遍接受高教育，但在买东西的时候，依然容易受迷信思想的影响。

一项有关购买行为如何被左右的调查显示，例如，经提醒红色是吉祥颜色的青年中，70%表示会选购红色的手机，没被提醒者当中，只有50%会选红色。另外，超过70%经提醒“8”是吉祥数字者，会选标价$1118的家具，而不是较便宜的$1114家具，没被提醒者当中只有40%会选$1118的家具。

领导这项调查的是新加坡国立大学管理学院副教授洪瑞云和研究助理黎威杰。共270名19岁至23岁本地青年参与调查。

洪瑞云因此认为，商家若在店里张挂一些象征好运的颜色、号码和标语，有助于吸引年轻消费者购买商品。

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Are you really that superstitious when it comes to purchasing things? Personally I would only consider 3 three factors - quality, cost and appearance.

Nah, I wouldn't choose something red just because it is a lucky colour. Most of these 'lucky colour' or 'fashionable colour' thingy are just marketing gimmicks anyway, meant to attract people to buy a particular product. If a purple merchandise can't be sold, the company will try to claim that purple is the most 'hip' colour of the year.

I will buy things like clothes and accessories based on whether they look nice overall or not, instead of their colour. Red is too flashy for me. Even if I wear such clothes, it would be for variety, not for luck. No I don't wear red underwear. >_>

I'm more accepting when it comes to mobile phones, as long as it's not too ugly or too hard to use. The most important is the cost: zero-dollar ones are the best. =p

It seems more absurd to think that people actually consider auspicious numbers on the price. As if after buying the item you will still attach the price tag on it. Given the same item, I would rather pay $4 over $8 any time. After the full amount is paid, the price doesn't really matter anymore. If one is really so concerned about paying the 'unlucky' $114, he can convince himself that he paid $108 instead and gave $6 to charity. He feels good not only because he has paid a lucky number, but also because he has donated to charity. That's the best psychological conviction I can think of.

Come to think of it, if '4' were to be the lucky number while '8' the unlucky one, the cost of things might probably be lower. (eg. $144 instead of $188)

Our ancestors should have given a luckier name to the number '1'...