Why You Buy
Tips for savvy shopping.
Want a few tips for saving money and becoming a savvy shopper?
As a retail anthropologist, Paco Underhill studies shoppers. He's uncovered thousands of reasons shoppers make decisions and advises retailers on the best way to present merchandise to influence buyers in his book "Why We Buy, The Science of Shopping".
See how to turn this to your advantage.
In a hurry? Fast food restaurants place signs as you exit the restroom - which you'll read - but never before you enter.
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| Reasons | The Lure | Keep Yourself in Check |
| Limitless selection |
Search engines make it simple to find anything you can imagine. | Do I "really" need this? |
| Price comparison |
Hundreds of retailers sell the same product and offer discounts, including free shipping to get your business. | Am I buying just because I get free shipping or a discount? |
| Convenience |
Shop when "you" want. Never see a "Closed" sign. | Do I shop more because I can do it online? |
| Speed |
No cashiers, no waiting in line. | Imagine I'm waiting in line for this same product. Would I have second thoughts? Is it worth the wait? |
| Information |
Learn about the product in reviews, blogs, videos and more. | Is this influencing me to spend more or buy bigger than I originally intended? |
| Do you? |
Go to the physical store, find what you want, and shop prices online? | Have I done my homework? Can I buy it locally and support my local merchants for the same price? |
Stop and read. Tray liners in fast food restaurants are meant to entertain and influence single diners and children. Same goes for the back of cereal boxes.
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| Shopping Savvy | Mechanics of Shopping | Why |
| Shop with a purpose. Limit browsing. Spend less time in the store. |
Find ways to keep a shopper in the store as long as possible. |
The amount of time a shopper spends in a store is directly related to how much he or she will buy. |
| Look for the "landing zone". |
Ten feet inside the door is prime real estate as you transition from outside to inside, get comfortable in the surroundings, and look for special offers. |
Fliers and signs offer specials and discounts. |
| Watch out for speed bumps. |
Big banks of counters at the front of the store. |
These barriers slow you down to get you to examine merchandise. |
| Use your hands to hold merchandise instead of a basket, mesh bag or shopping cart. |
Baskets, carts and bags are placed strategically towards the front or middle of the store, especially in pharmacies. |
Basket use increases the size of the average sale for many smaller items (shaving cream, cosmetics, etc.). The larger the shopping cart, the larger the sale. |
| Politely acknowledge an employee and walk away. |
Employee interaction to greet customers, assist and influence purchases. |
The more shopper-employee contacts that take place, the greater the average sale. |
| Interact only with merchandise you intend to buy, especially at Christmas. |
Touch, hear, smell and experience the merchandise. |
Virtually all unplanned purchases are a result of experiencing something pleasurable. |
| Try on only the clothes you need. |
Staff assistance to offer a variety of merchandise. |
A shopper who talks to a salesperson and tries on something is twice as likely to buy as shopper who does neither. |
| Avoid impulse items and samples. Walk quickly, don't linger. |
Free samples placed either on tables, counters or offered by employees slow down the shopper. |
The slower you walk the more likely you are to stop and try. People buy things more than ever based on trial and touch. |
| Be mindful of the entertainment factor. |
Big screen TVs and music often at the back of the store. |
Static signs have given way to colorful video and music to inform, entertain and heighten the shopping experience. |
Hang a right. More people walk or drift toward the right when entering a retail store. Most shoppers reach to the right.
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| Shopping Savvy | Mechanics of Shopping | Why |
| Stick to the list. Less than 25% of men come with lists. Almost all women do. |
Stock items are placed at the back of the store to "pull" you past other merchandise you may not need. |
60%-70% of purchases are unplanned. Grocery shopping is a high impulse place for both sexes. |
| Don't drink and drive. |
Locate coffee shops at the front of stores and place cup holders on shopping carts. |
Pricey coffee and drinks have high profit margins. |
| Leave the kids at home. |
Place cereal, cookies and kid-friendly items where they can see and reach them from the floor or shopping carts. |
Objects placed at a certain level are touched only by kids. They will make flying leaps to reach items they desperately want. |
| Don't let Dad shop with the kids. |
Same as above. |
Men are anxious to say "yes" to almost anything to get out of a store. Add children and it's even worse. |
| Avoid endcaps at the end of aisles. |
Place items such as comfort foods or impulse items at end of aisles. |
Sales increase because consumers see the head-on, plainly and fully. |
| Watch for U turns. |
Place most popular goods halfway down the aisle. |
Most people make U turns and never walk the entire aisle, so popular items are easy to find at mid-point. |
| Look above or below eye level for alternate or economy-size products. |
Place most popular or expensive goods at eye level or dead-center. Brands being introduced appear just to the right. |
One fifth of all shoppers actually see the "average" product on the supermarket shelf. Their eyes are directed straight in front. |
Got your hands full? Shelves at elbow-height are there for a reason: a place to put the stuff in your one hand while you pay - while holding your cell phone, purse or bag in the other hand.
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| Behaviors | Motivation |
| Want to get out fast. | Want places that allow them to find what they need with a minimum amount of looking. |
| Don't wander. | Take less pleasure in the shopping "journey". Will give up in frustration if made to wander and shop. |
| Don't ask. | Spend less time looking and don't like asking where things are. |
| Try it on. Take it home. | 65% of male shoppers who try on something buy it. |
| Move faster. Seek and find. | Men always move faster then women through a store's aisle. |
| Will take the upgrade. | Men are more easily upgraded than women shoppers. |
| Will find a chair or invent one, even if it's a window sill. | Chairs in women's departments are there for a reason. Keep the guys comfortable, contented and cared for. |
Get the movie, but don't forget the candy. New movie releases are placed at the back of stores but the impulse items are at the checkout counter.
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| Behaviors | Motivation |
| Still the #1 shoppers. | Women still remain the primary buyer in the American marketplace. |
| Seek, compare, imagine. | Become absorbed in seeking, comparing, imaging how a product is used, then tally the pros and cons. |
| Price shop. | Take pride in the ability to buy the perfect thing at the right price. 86% of women shoppers look at the price tag compared to 72% of men. |
| Demand more of shopping environments. | Want to spend time and to shop comfortably at her own speed. |
| Leave the guys at home. | When accompanied by a man, a woman will spend "half" the time shopping. |
| Expect quality dressing rooms. | The quality of the dressing room directly influences the sale. |
| Seek out a "dwell" zone. | Look for sectioned-off areas within view of the main flow of traffic to examine and evaluate in semi-private. |
While your waiting… People entering banks, fast-food restaurants and the post-office share one thing in common: standing still and facing the same direction. That's why you'll see signs to communicate with you.
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| Kids will touch everything. Are heavily influenced by items they can see and reach. | Prefer to pre-shop and browse with their friends. |
| Touch things "below" a certain point. Objects placed below a certain point in stores are touched "only" by children. Adults won't even try. | Return with wallet-bearing parents to actually make the purchase after pre-shopping. |
| Will make flying leaps to reach items placed above their reach. | Are heavily influenced by image. |
| Bookstores place popular children's books down low; wordy classics appear at "parent" height above. | Believe in a brand name's power to confer status, cool, charisma, knowledge. |
| Are more prone to "get what they want" when shopping with Dad. | Construct their identities by the shopping choices they make. |
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