The Science of Shopping

1. What points from this article do you feel are most important?

Drawing the connection between the human psyche and human shopping decisions is the focal goal of this article. For example, the first major point in the article deals with our tendency to turn right when entering a store and retailers' attempt to exploit that tendency. We humans are creatures of habit, easily predicted, and Paco Underhill - and the article's author - recognize that beautifully.

2. How much do you personally feel you are influenced by a store's design?

I have never thought of myself as being influenced by a store's design, however I must now consider how I am subliminally affected by retailers' tactics. Do I always turn right? Perhaps. In what stores am I likely to penetrate beyond "Zone 3" or "4?" Certain stores do affect how I approach a shopping trip. When I enter Best Buy, many of the things I am most interested in - interestingly enough many items that are relatively expensive - are placed conveniently along the right-hand path.

3. Make a check-list you could use to analyze a retail store like Paco Underhill does.

1. Layout - The store needs to plan its' zones carefully. A "decompression" zone to begin, low-impact items next, zones of impulse items in the middle of the store, and behind all these "demand" items.
2. Use of space - As mentioned in the article, space is essential to create a particular shopping environment. Space must facilitate how customer's move through a store and how they view items.
3. Sales Associate Training - Although obvious, this is perhaps often neglected or done poorly. I am a thousand times more likely to purchase a product if I am well-attended by a sales attendant.
4. Attitude - Your store must reflect an attitude and mannerism that caters to a given clientele. Certain stores (Hollister, Calvin Klein) excel at selling an attitude to their customers. The space in which they sell reflects that attitude, and it is a winning strategy.