Here is a task to get you thinking of this idea:
The Science of Shopping.
Task: Please read the following. Blog post is due Wednesday.
Every day spaces manipulate our behaviors to gain a certain, desired effect. Shopping is no different; in fact, this is where major department and specialty stores can entice you to buy without even advertising their merchandise. Read SECTION 1 of the following article from The New Yorker, "The Science of Shopping," and respond to the ideas presented. How much of this do you believe to be true? How does it make you feel to know that you are manipulated in this way or that there is the intent to do so? Respond in a thoughtful blog post and discuss a store you've been to that either supports or refutes the article's content. p.s. Think about cause and effect!
I feel that this article is part true. I say this because yes, most businesses do use techniques to lure in customers, but its up to a customer to say yes or no to a product. I think that it is about outer apperence of a store to get a customer in but, a customer isn't going to buy something based on lighting in the store. I also think that no matter where a store is located it will get customers. If you truly love a store no matter its location you will go. Certain things in a store such as clothes on a mannequin or the goodies near the counters make people want them more, but it is a persons preference not the stores lighting/apperence which make the sales.
ReplyDeleteThe article on the science of shopping presents many valid points throughout. I myself like to stay on the right side when walking whether it be on the sidewalk or in the hallways of Smithtown East. Thinking back on it now, I feel I also go to the right when entering a store. It feels like a habit to walk to my right. Whenever I go to Target, I always enter on the right side of the store and veer right once I am inside to go to the electronics section. However, I do not totally agree with the claim that having a bank next to the store takes away from its shoppers. In fact, in some cases, it may be an enticing factor because it forces the customer who may be out of money or low on cash to take out money in order to shop in that particular store close to the bank. As a shopper looking at the different strategies retailers employ, I think it is brilliant on their part that they look into every different marketing strategy possible when attempting to generate revenue. One thing I am also not so sure about is the decompression zone. I always make my way straight into the store and wander until I find something interesting or something I need. The science behind shopping is very interesting and is definitely something I will think about the next time I go to a store.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Science of Shopping” it is clear that thorough research was done on behalf of Paco Underhill. I was unaware that there was a science so to speak behind a business’ store layout. I wonder, however, how varied his research is and in how many different parts of the country he’s looked in to. At the same time, though, I think most of what Paco supported is true. I believe businesses set up their stores and advertising to help them sell their product to the best of their ability. I personally don’t feel taken advantage of because a business’ purpose is to make money and by analyzing their customer’s habits, it better helps them make a profit. What’s the difference between analyzing our walking habits and analyzing our tastes in clothing or merchandise? Not much. Overall, I agree with what Paco is saying in that there is a “science.” There’s a way businesses can predict and record actions to help them make a profit and this is being utilized to its fullest extent. It’s not necessarily wrong because ultimately it is the consumer’s interests that dictate a store’s actions since there is so much dependence on the consumer in order for the store to make money.
ReplyDeleteI believe most of the ideas presented by Paco Underhill in “The Science of Shopping” to be true. Looking at my own experiences in clothing stores such as Forever 21, I now realize that I rarely ever notice what is on display at the very front of the store. I think it does take the customer a few moments to adjust to the pace of the store, so customers like me often miss out on the first things they see. In addition, we have all been conditioned within society to stick to the right side of a street, path, or isle due to the rules of driving or walking in school hallways. Using Forever 21 as an example once more, I do often veer to the right upon entrance and then work my way around the store. If time is an issue, I may only get to shop on that side of the store, so it would be smart for the store to cater to the right side. The only one part of the article that I disagreed with was the fact that it is a bad idea to open a store next to a bank. I believe a bank next-door to a popular retail store would actually add a factor of convenience to one’s shopping trip, and could increase business for both the bank and the store. I am a bit shocked to realize how much I am manipulated by the stores I visit; however, I do find the various techniques pretty interesting and brilliant on behalf of the businesses. Overall, I am not extremely appalled because I believe that in the end I will be able to make my own decisions about my purchases.
ReplyDeleteOne of the keys to a successful retail business is to also have a successful marketing and advertising plan. Paco has researched what works and doesn’t in stores when they try to advertise products. I agree with his findings because it is true that upon entering the store, customers are still adjusting to the new atmosphere and thinking only of what they previously planned to buy but are not looking at all of the items surrounding them at this point. Based on this, the least advertising should be done near the entrance to the store because the effort would be wasted; instead, large, eye-catching displays should be placed more inside of the store and preferably to the right. Through his research, Paco has also realized that customers typically stray to their right in stores while shopping and are more likely to make a quick turn in that direction when seeing something that interests them rather than walking across the aisle and other shoppers to go left. I believe that, to a degree, nearly every store implements these ideas in their setup and advertising strategies. These are common rules of advertising, and although we may not realize it, nearly every store we enter is situated to reflect them. I cannot think of a single store that hasn’t placed magazines, small toys, candy, or other impulse buys near the registers as shoppers are waiting to check out. Stores do this simply because it works and helps to maximize profits.
ReplyDeleteIn the Science of Shopping, Paco describes and explains the way things will work in a retail business and some other things that do not always workout. They try to use different ideas for advertisement in order to get items selling and out in the open for the public to purchase. People usually only focus on what they are previously thinking about to buy and getting right out of the store, but sometimes with new items on display, or the way they are displayed, will spark an interest in the customer. This will make them second guess on buying it, and will have them leave with more than just a bag of items, but a whole cart full. Signs such as buy one get one free, or buy one get half off, are ideas that will catch a customers eye into purchasing. I agree with Pacos idea of Science of Shopping because there are many things that go into purchasing items and its more than just a store or idea of shopping it truly is a science.
ReplyDeleteI believe that most of the information in this passage is true. I think that it is very easy to make the human brain think certain things and cause us to do certain actions. Businesses spend months and months and a lot of money working on marketing strategies and the most efficient ways of getting people into their stores. There are countless behavioral studies on how humans react in certain situations, how to make a person want a certain object, and how to make prices seem more reasonable. Everything in the passage seems to hold to be true, and it all makes sense. It makes me feel a bit odd to know that my brain is manipulated to do certain things and to want certain items, and the fact that it's the intent of these companies makes it so much more odd. We might out of nowhere want certain items without even knowing that there was some sort of plan to get us to want that item for the personal gain of a company.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the article, “The Science of Shopping”, is very accurate. I think there is definitely a science to how people shop and are attracted to stores. I was surprised to read that at airports, gift shops are on the right and food is on the left. This helps bring more people into the gift shops since they don't have to cross to the other side. From my experience working in retail, I think that the windows outside of a store are very important to attract customers to come inside the store to shop. I didn’t know that it takes 5-15 paces to adjust to light once you enter a store, so nothing important in the store should be in that area. In this case, the store that I work at should not have their most popular clothes when you first enter the store. This probably causes less sales since people walk right past the main table when they walk in.
ReplyDeleteIn the article "The Science of Shopping", it explains how to attract customers to stores and the different techniques you can use. I believe this article is very accurate because I can definitely see there being science to how businesses set up there stores a certain away to attract more customers. I also believe that a store's location has a lot to do with drawing in customers because if it's on a street that there are a lot of people walking on throughout the day, something in the windows might catch their eye and they might want to take a better look inside. I now realize that I do walk on the right side when entering a store like my favorite store Charlotte Ruse, and sometimes only stay on that side. It is very important for businesses to take the time to figure out what catches customers attention when walking on the street or in the mall and understanding things like that can make a business very successful. Paco Underhill made a lot of valid points throughout this article and I never realized how much science was really put into the appearance of businesses.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the article, “The Science of Shopping”, is accurate. It explains how to attract customers to stores and use the different techniques to attract them. I think that it is very easy to make the brain think certain things and cause us to do certain actions. People usually only focus on what they are thinking about to buy and getting right out of the store, but sometimes with new items being shown, and the way they are being looked at, will spark an interest in customers. The science behind shopping is very interesting and is definitely something I will think about the next time I go to a store.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the article, "The Science of Shopping", had several valid points. I think that there are many different ways that businesses are able to attract customers to buy their products such as putting important items on the right side. Paco Underhill has studied and found that many people walk on the right side whether it be on the sidewalk or walking into a store. I believe that things such as that should be taken into consideration because they are smart strategies. Although there were many strong views, I don't think that the lighting of the store makes a difference, nor does the location because if a person really loves the products sold at your store, they will get to it no matter where it is. Overall, this article taught me that there is a lot of science behind the process of building a successful store.
ReplyDeleteThese people are superheroes to me, because they know how to do something that many can’t. Being able to manipulate someone's behavior without them even knowing, is absolutely wonderful. Many of these stores go through so much trying to grab a customers attention, but I didn't realize that their was so much more detail and depth that goes into this manipulation. I've never heard of the human downshift period, but the more I learn about it the more it makes sense. If a store doesn't catch my interest immediately, I will only be interested in the next time I find something interesting. For example, the Apple store in the mall will catch my interest, but after that there is a good period of time that I won’t be fascinated by anything else.
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