In Malcom Gladwell’s “The Science of Shopping,” he claims
that businesses and stores don’t just want to know behave in their store, they
have to know. Malcom Gladwell writes based off of the work of Paco Underhill, an
urban geographer who studies the habits of shoppers. Paco Underhill states that
people walk how they drive, on the right side. Therefore, when shoppers enter a
store, they tend to walk towards the right side of the store after they enter
in. Paco goes on to say that shoppers now spend less time in stores and want
more room to shop so they aren’t cramped in the aisles.
This was a strange article to me at first. All Paco Underhill
does is record shoppers, yet learns so much from videos with no audio. What I can
take from this is that when people shop, they glance quickly, and if they
intended on buying something then they will buy it. However, if they are just
browsing, they will glance for a couple minutes and leave the store. This tells
me that people want things now if they don’t see what they want, they won’t
bother wasting time. I can tie this in with my expansion essay saying that advertisers
are getting better at targeting consumers that even the quick shoppers pause to
examine ads, thus saying that ads are doing their job.
i can relate to what Paco Underhill said. when i go to the mall and have something in mind, i buy it right away and leave the store as soon as possible. But when i am looking around, i go in the stores and look around for a couple minutes. I think the time pass when we are trying to make a decision regarding on what we are think of buying or not buying. This is why it take us more time when we are in the store. In the other hand when we have our decision made and we have a plan on what we are getting, we just buy it and leave because our mind was already made and the plan. The plan was not to buy and look around.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty interesting how much attention and study goes in their behavior. It shows how important it is for the business to understand their shoppers, even if shoppers don't realize it. It's also strange to me that there's a lot less customers just browsing the store. It reflects on how the population stands, since studying just everyday shoppers is probably one of the best ways to sample for general information about the average person. So much goes on behind the scenes, it makes me wonder what other things we aren't aware of.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your response to this article. When I first read what the article was about I had no idea what the point was, but after reading your response I understand his whole point. People in general know what they want. It takes something very amazing in their eyes to sway them to buy it. Like the article stated that most people tend to stay to the right. This research helps businesses understand where to place their most popular items. I think it is insane that this type of research is even taking place. Money is so important to Americans and this article just proves that idea. Researchers could be focusing their time towards more important things, but instead businesses want to do everything in their power to make more money. I do believe that this article will help you in your essay, but I still find it sad that this type of research is happening.
ReplyDeleteIts crazy how people really notice those simple things people do without realizing it like walking on the right sides of aisles. Many people I believe shop with a purpose like with a grocery list or a game plan. shopping that way is more efficient to get more done in the same day.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that stores target the "quick shopper". I usually know what I am going to buy and go to the store and try to get out as soon as possible (especially during the holidays). Businesses spend a lot of money on advertising and marketing that consumers aren't even aware of most of the time.
ReplyDeleteVery nice response James. It amazes me how millions of dollars are spent on knowing best business strategies in Retail management.. from the specific order of product placement, to knowing which smells and colors they can use to trigger your emotions to have you walking out with their product. When you walk into almost any store, you're immediately overloaded with sights, sounds, aromas and various things to touch. For example, people often go to a grocery store just to pick up a single item like milk, but milk is in the back of the store. You're forced to walk through and see everything before grabbing your one item. Chances are, unless you put the blinders on when you're walking through that you'll grab another item or two.
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