The Phantom Crowd supplies the impression of others. A notice reports that a purchase has just been made, or that some number are viewing at this moment, and the visitor, believing themselves among many, is inclined to act as the many are said to be acting.

The persons in the notice need not exist. Their names may be drawn from a list, their number from a generator, the hour of their purchase set always to the present. What is manufactured is not the object but the crowd around it.