- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (May 13 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0684849135
- ISBN-13: 978-0684849133
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.3 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #386,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In an effort to determine why people buy, Paco Underhill and his detailed-oriented band of retail researchers have camped out in stores over the course of 20 years, dedicating their lives to the "science of shopping." Armed with an array of video equipment, store maps, and customer-profile sheets, Underhill and his consulting firm, Envirosell, have observed over 900 aspects of interaction between shopper and store. They've discovered that men who take jeans into fitting rooms are more likely to buy than females (65 percent vs. 25 percent). They've learned how the "butt-brush factor" (bumped from behind, shoppers become irritated and move elsewhere) makes women avoid narrow aisles. They've quantified the importance of shopping baskets; contact between employees and shoppers; the "transition zone" (the area just inside the store's entrance); and "circulation patterns" (how shoppers move throughout a store). And they've explored the relationship between a customer's amenability and profitability, learning how good stores capitalize on a shopper's unspoken inclinations and desires.
Underhill, whose clients include McDonald's, Starbucks, Estée Lauder, and Blockbuster, stocks Why We Buy with a wealth of retail insights, showing how men are beginning to shop like women, and how women have changed the way supermarkets are laid out. He also looks to the future, projecting massive retail opportunities with an aging baby-boom population and predicting how online retailing will affect shopping malls. This lighthearted look at shopping is highly recommended to anyone who buys or sells. --Rob McDonald
From Publishers Weekly
Underhill, once a budding academic who worked on a William H. Whyte project analyzing how people use public spaces, adapted anthropological techniques to the world of retail and forged an innovative career with the consulting firm Envirosell. Since brand names and traditional advertising don't necessarily translate into sales, Underhill argues that retail design based on his company's closeAvery closeAobservation of shoppers and stores holds the key. His anecdotes contain illuminating detail. For example, since bookstore shoppers like to browse, baskets should be scattered throughout the store to make it easier for customers to carry their purchases. In clothing stores, fitting rooms are best placed closer to the men's department, because men choose based on fit, while women consider more variables. And he sprinkles in other smart suggestions: drugstores could boast a consolidated "men's health" department; computer stores, to attract women, should emphasize convenience and versatility, not size and speed; and clerks at luxury hotels should use hand-held computers to check in travelers from lobby chairs. Underhill remains skeptical about cyberspace retail, believing that Web sites can't offer the sensory stimuli, immediate gratification or social interaction available in brick-and-mortar stores. While the book does little to analyze the international, regional or ethnic dimensions of the subject, it should aid those in business while intriguing urban anthropologists, amateur and professional.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Comfortable shoes, the American commercial camouflage uniform-khaki pants, olive polo shirt, no aftershave and good, thick, dun-colored socks. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Comfortable shoes, the American commercial camouflage uniform-khaki pants, olive polo shirt, no aftershave and good, thick, dun-colored socks. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flash of the obvious,
By
This review is from: Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping (Paperback)
An awesome new business book I read was Why we Buy - The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill. This one is a business book primarily of interest to retailers (although I see similarities in retail and online habits). Paco (and his researchers) followed and recorded the behavior of tens of thousands of shoppers. From this he is able to run a consulting business that makes recommendations to retailers on minor changes they can make to increase their sales.Examples include - Provide a spot for people to sit, especially the person who brought the shopper. Leave parking spots for people at fast food places since 10% of the customers buy then go eat in their car. Children and old ladies are the primary buyers of doggie treats - put them where they can seen and reached. He gives many examples of simple changes that can be made to increase sales. As with all brilliance, many of his observations are obvious. This book is a must read for any retailer.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
255 page advertisement for the author,
By A Customer
This review is from: Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping (Hardcover)
While Underhill has some good insights, these nuggets are buried beneath the author's self-promotional advertising--repeatedly telling us how his is the "only company doing this kind of research" and congratulating himself on his well-done job. Why would I pay for HIS advertising?
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but last min delivery,
By
This review is from: Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping (Hardcover)
I find the book to be very amazing. Its definitely a recommended book for any product marketers and sellers. The book arrived in good condition besides the fact that it arrived at the very last day of the delivery date. Its kind of makes one anxious wondering when will they get a chance to finally read the book and even start thinking of messaging the publisher. I hope they can quicken future deliveries...
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