Why Do You Need a New iPhone?

Do you really need an iPhone just because its bezels around the display became thinner and it became lighter by a gram? One gram is about as much as you can't feel in your palm, let alone in your pocket. However, lighter and thinner sounds like "better," which means I want it! People's desires to get a new product are driven only by the syndrome of delayed gratification and the calculations of corporate marketers.

The war launched by Russia on the territory of Ukraine, a country with a population of millions, has reinforced the pan-European trend away from hyperconsumption that has been in place since the Covid period. Do you remember when it turned out that decorative cosmetics, evening gowns, and business suits were no longer so necessary?

To be fair, the iPhone 15 differs from the iPhone 14 not only in weight and width, but also in internal updates, an innovative camera, an additional button, and a unified type-C connector. But let's face it: most owners of the latest model will actually feel the latter difference only when they can charge it via a non-native cable.

Let's also make a warning right away: don't take marketers and marketing as a reason for consumerism. After all, the same tools can be used to promote the ideas of sustainable development, conscious consumption, reuse or sharing of things, or simply make consumers think about health. For example, as it was with gadgets for counting steps or monitoring sleep quality.

A guide to manipulation

The basic techniques of salespeople have not essentially changed since the second half of the 20th century. They have transformed and moved first from salespeople in the salesroom to television screens, and now they have penetrated websites and social networks. As a rule, consumers "latch on" to a few basic sales techniques.

Price comparison: Consumers rarely know the real cost of a product, so they will choose the cheaper one among similar ones, even if it is overpriced.

Search for social similarities: "I also like fishing" or "I also have a dog" from the seller will persuade the buyer to buy from him.

A phantom shortage or the illusion of extreme demand always works, as it seems to "confirm" the correctness of your choice, and on the other hand, it stimulates you to join the club of owners of a "unique" thing. The same manipulation also includes messages on websites that say "6 pieces left" or "10 more buyers are viewing this item."

Selling in sets and offering to complement the purchase are components of the method of combining preferences. Buy a food processor instead of a meat grinder, or a cell phone case. If someone is already willing to pay a significant amount of money for the product they need, they are likely to be willing to pay extra for a product they don't initially need.

More time to choose – less time to pay. The more time a customer spends in the sales area or on the website, the more likely they are to fill their shopping cart with goods they didn't plan to buy. Therefore, in classic supermarkets, the most popular products are placed in remote corners, narrowing the aisles between shelves and creating queues at checkouts. Meanwhile, websites add a visible product feed and pop-up offers. However, the time for payment is often limited to prevent customers from postponing their purchases.

Free offer. Perhaps the most unobvious technique that works. Candy at the reception or coffee - and you already feel obliged to return the favor by making a purchase.

The image of a successful person

Influential brands created by large corporations invite famous people to advertise their products to reinforce the impression that it is in the clothes, shoes, goods or perfumes of this brand that you can start your way to success, to a luxurious life. The consumer is asked to imagine how he or she will achieve success in sports if he or she trains in the clothes of the brand advertised by the celebrity.

As a counter-argument, of course, we can cite Steve Jobs, who appeared in public in black turtlenecks, jeans, and sneakers. But his strategy (intentionally or accidentally) played out differently. The iPhone got the image of a phone for the mass consumer by using an alternative idea: you don't have to have branded clothes and the most expensive car to use Apple products.

"Enough" is an unattainable balance of consumption in the world of mass market 

Resisting unsustainable consumption is vital for humanity. And it's not just because natural resources are limited or because we need to take care of the environment. Overconsumption does not lead to happiness. It only creates the illusion that you will be happy when you buy a certain thing. But happiness is a state of mind, not a bank account or material wealth.

Jef Teugels explains that the pursuit of the best and the newest goods creates an unstable consumer culture, where nobody knows how much is enough. Deprivation of material wealth, the loss of a thing, often causes a serious crisis. Failure to understand the reasons for the emergence of consumer culture in the historical context leads to a lack of awareness of the destructive consequences of blindly following it.

And this applies not only to preferring "working" to "new" or "local" to "brought from another part of the world," but also to supporting conscious business. Charity Ryerson calls for buying at a higher price from businesses that use fair labor and pay decent wages, arguing that consumers can become advocates for workers' rights.

We experienced something similar in 2022, when Ukrainians and the world began to refuse goods produced in the aggressor country or by companies that continue to work for the economy of the country that unleashed the largest war of the 21st century. This is just the beginning of publicly labeling corporations that play unfair games or put financial interests above moral human values, but it can be an impetus for global change.

The impact of war on consumer culture

The Russian war in Ukraine has led to significant changes in the consumption culture of Ukrainians. The impact of the war on consumption was studied by the international firm Deloitte. The share of entertainment consumption, such as going to cinemas and eating out, has dropped significantly. Purchases of new electrical goods, valuables, building materials, clothing - everything - have also decreased.

Only the demand for food remained unchanged. However, a significant increase in demand was noticed in terms of construction materials, repair products, etc. in the category of internally displaced persons, who also led in the categories of clothing and household goods. This is because they are literally setting up their homes and lives from scratch.

However, it is possible to resist irrational desires not only under the influence of such stressful factors. The experience of one Ukrainian woman who spent a year without unplanned purchases proves that with reasonable consumption, you can put your finances in order, get used to eating healthy, understand your own desires, and set yourself worthy goals, rather than just having a new product at your disposal.

After all, you can be happy with what you have. Don't lose your happiness to the future.