Synopsis
'This book will make you better at your job' – Jonah Berger, bestselling author of Contagious
Discover the psychological biases that shape every buying decision – and how to use them in business.
Every day we make hundreds of choices, many of them commercial.
What shampoo to pick? How much to spend on a bottle of wine? Whether to renew a subscription?
These choices might appear to be freely made, but psychologists have shown that subtle changes in the way products are positioned, promoted and marketed can radically alter how customers behave.
In The Illusion of Choice, Richard Shotton, author of the acclaimed The Choice Factory, identifies the 16 and a half most important psychological biases that everyone in business needs to be aware of. Drawing on academic research, advertising campaigns and his own original field studies, he shows how any business can utilise these biases to win and retain customers, sell more products and make money.
In this fascinating and highly practical guide, you'll learn to take advantage of the peak end rule, the power of precision, the wisdom of wit – and much, much more.
Full of marketing insights, The Illusion of Choice is essential for anyone seeking to understand consumer behaviour.
Details
About the author
Richard Shotton began his career in marketing twenty-one years ago before setting up his own company, Astroten. Astroten help clients such as Google, Facebook, Sky, BrewDog and Mondelez apply findings from behavioural science to their marketing.
Richard is the author of The Choice Factory which explains how behavioural science can solve business challenges. The Choice Factory was voted best sales and marketing book of the year at the Business Book Awards. It was a #1 bestseller on Amazon and is now available in 15 languages. He built upon this book in The Illusion of Choice (2023) and is the co-author of Hacking the Human Mind (2025).
In 2021 Richard was made an honorary lifetime fellow of the IPA and an associate of the Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University.
Reviews
“A short guide to applying behavioural economics to marketing, this book is both fun and useful. A great little bag of tricks!”Les Binet, group head of effectiveness, Adam&eveDDB
“No one should be allowed near a layout pad or a keyboard until they have read this book. It is an antidote to the tediously direct and transactional nature of much of modern marketing.”Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy and vice-chairman of Ogilvy
“This book will make you better at your job. If you’re trying to get your head around behavioural science, or how to apply it, look no further – Shotton has done all the hard work for you. Keep a copy within arm’s reach – you’ll be coming back to it time and again.”Jonah Berger, marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and internationally bestselling author of Contagious
“People behave in surprising ways, often driven by cognitive biases. The Illusion of Choice is a straightforward and practical guide to these biases and how to apply them. An essential read for every marketing professional.”Matthew Syed, Olympian and author of Black Box Thinking
Media enquiries
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