Book excerpt: Conversions begin in the brain. Every purchase starts with a decision, and every decision is shaped by consumer psychology. This book explains how mental shortcuts (cognitive biases) affect your customers' decision making and shows you how to be more persuasive online. Philippe Aimé and Jochen Grünbeck are optimisation addicts and have been at the forefront of digital marketing since the beginning. Inspired by behavioural economists like Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely and Richard Thaler, the techniques described in Smart Persuasion leverage powerful decision-making biases to make marketing more effective. Alongside these behavioural insights, Smart Persuasion incorporates research from marketing experts such as Jonah Berger, Robert Cialdini and Roger Dooley. Principles relating to attention and perception, as well as the cognitive effects that make consumers predictably irrational, are distilled into concrete website optimisation strategies. Drawing from hundreds of unique studies, Smart Persuasion lists proven effects such as Anchoring and Framing. Each one is illustrated with case-studies, examples and ideas that you can apply immediately. Using the persuasive strategies outlined in this book will allow you to influence consumers more effectively, unlocking your website's potential. All profits from the sale of this book help provide educational resources for children in Africa.