Nabco Retail Shelving Systems


How Stores Exploit Shopper Psychology

Ryan Willis

The world of shopping is an extremely individual and personal experience. We all have our own methods and habits that we employ whilst we are shopping, but we see these as commonplace and don’t consider how stores use psychology when we shop. How are stores taking advantage of design to persuade people to buy more? What do our trolleys say about us? These questions and more are answered below.

Store Layouts

Ever wondered why stores are designed the way that they are? Wonder no more!

Many shoppers comment on how far apart important, staple parts of the typical shopping basket are placed considerably far apart. The truth is, this is a very deliberate ploy on the part of the supermarkets to get shoppers to wander around more of the shop, thus sharing more products with them along the way. The science behind store layouts goes even further even suggesting that people spend more when shopping in an anti-clockwise direction. The below video delves into store layouts even further.

What Does Your Trolley Say About You?

This may seem somewhat overkill and perhaps farfetched, but stores and supermarkets spend considerable amounts of time analysing the contents of peoples shopping, and how certain products correspond with others. Based on the products that shoppers commonly buy alongside each other, supermarkets are able to group popular products based on shopper archetypes. Using this method, supermarkets can delve further into their shop layouts. The truth is, the more supermarkets know about who we are, the more they know about how we might shop, and the more they can sell.

So you see, your trolley really does say something about you.

Sights and Smells

It’s not exactly a new theory that people are more enticed by bright colours, when purchasing products, or the fact that buyers often associate products by colour first, but something shoppers may not be so familiar with is the distribution of smells throughout stores. Distributing a smell can be done easily, simply by using a fan, so many supermarkets will spread the smells of fresh baked bread or chocolate, or other enticing things throughout the store to get our mouths watering.

So you see, if in doubt, follow your nose.

To discuss how Nabco can help with your shelving strategy, get in contact today.

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