Paco Underhill’s groundbreaking book Why We Buy explores the science of shopping. The New York Times review remarked that if anthropology had devoted a branch of study to “shoppers out shopping, interacting with retail environments, including but not limited to every rack, shelf, counter and table display of merchandise, every sign, banner, brochure, directional aid and computerized interactive informational fixture, the entrances and exits, the windows and walls, the elevators and escalators and stairs and ramps, the cashier lines and teller lines and counter lines and restroom lines, and every inch of every aisle — in short, every nook and cranny from the farthest reach of the parking lot to the deepest penetration of the store itself — that would be the start of the science of shopping.”

None of us has the resources to hire Underhill’s Envirosell Global to provide us with a scientific study of consumer behavior in our stores, but happily we can glean much of this kind of information on our own.  Make a point of paying close attention to your customers’ behavior as they browse – and take an hour to pretend you are shopping in our own store for the first time.  Do you feel welcome when you first come into what Underhill calls the entry and decompression zone?  Do you then head to the right, like most of the consumers in his studies? As you walk through the store, what displays catch your eye?

Eye level is of course not the same for all of us, but I am at about the American average of 5’ 4” for women. In the illustration with today’s blog, you can see that some merchandise is way above where I can comfortably see/reach.  There are also products down very low, which also might not be easy on some consumers. Experience shows that products on the bottom shelves do not sell as quickly as items that are higher up. 

An added note on sight lines: there’s a current trend towards using tables extensively for displays. In order to view things laid out on a flat surface, shoppers need to look down – and for those who spend a lot of time looking down at a phone, browsing products on a table may feel quite natural.  But adding some height to those displays might be a good way to engage them in everything that’s happening in the store. And surely the space under the tables, and any blank walls, could be put to use in some way.

As shopkeepers, we need to use all the tools – and information – available to use to make the most of our valuable floor space and to make our customers’ experience enjoyable.

Happy retailing, 

Carol “Orange” Schroeder

PS There won’t be a Specialty Shop Retailing blog next week due to the NY NOW gift show