The Science Of Shopping Essay

Here I go again preparing to go to the store Stater Bros and checking my shopping list to see what to buy. As I walk through the store to my left, I can see the organic food and wind up at Services Deli while when going to my right. Buying prepared food saves me time cooking at home and the store has exclusive recipes for everyone. “Human begins walk the way they drive, which is to say that Americans tend to keep to the right when they stroll down shopping mall concourses or city sidewalks,” according to Malcolm Gladwell in his article “The Science of Shopping” (1). He explains how consumers’ shopping behaviors are affected by walking from scanning from left to the right and how it is easier for shoppers to do. Charles Duhigg, writer of The Power of Habit, says that “Realization came from a growing awareness of how powerfully habits influence almost every shopping decision. A series of experiments convinced marketers that if they managed to understand a particular shopper’s habits, they could get

them to buy almost anything” (186). He emphasizes on this point to show that we are vulnerable as consumers the moment we saw a product on the shelf, repeating same cycle behavior and marketers take advantage of that by conducting experiment to understand people’s behavioral habits. Like Gladwell, Duhigg focuses on the idea of shopping and elaborates on strategies marketers use to attract shoppers’ attention. As stated by Gladwell and to

Stater Bros. motivates their customers to buy even more by using Gladwell and Duhigg’s theories on marketing strategies destination item, petting, and guest id which creates profit and returning customers.

Stater bros, a successful supermarket store, more importantly uses the destination item strategy in their stores. This proves that Stater bros puts product in front of customer visual eye in wide open place where is reachable and in the back of the section store they place things like dairy, meat and juice, knowing customer s’ routine in store this twist put into action to give shoppers a choice to buy what they want that mentioned in the science of shopping. According to Gladwell, “basic staples that people know you have and have to buy a lot- at the back of the store”(10). For instance, Gladwell uses example for the Gap store differs from other store by catching customers’ eye using destination item with their sense of fashion by dividing the store into section for men and women. The store has fitting room which is good it gives choice of trying clothes whether if fit or not and if it is the right one to purchase. This way shoppers enjoy exploring the store while going through into store they find themselves forced to go back which gives them opportunity to stay longer.
Stater Bros has become successful for giving a chance to shoppers to stroll through the store and figuring out their behavior. Destination item serve purposes and if the store put items in front the shopping trip will be over quickly, so what store do they put them in difficult to find area at very back so that to pass item you don’t need weren’t on the list. The destination item strategy works magically because this helps shoppers walk into each section in store and come back again.

A people as walking in the various sections of store, they may also want to touch the item for sale. when I went to grocery stores I realize that all of them have something in common which is using the same marketing strategies, but the one that stood out to me was petting. As Gladwell said that petting “as Paco calls it, clothes in the course of making decision to buy them” (4). He relates it this strategy in Gap store and Banana Republic by promoting clothes on tables and people get to observe, touch and make decisions about it. For example, Gladwell explains, “ The reason the Gap and Banana Republic have tables is not merely that sweaters and shirts look better there, or that tables fit into the warm and relaxing residential feeling that Gap and Banana Republic are trying to create in their stores, but that tables invite- indeed, symbolize- touching”(2). The petting strategy used for all gender and each section is labeled by name and consumers get to pick up and feel the clothes.

Stater bros has done a good job with petting because all the produce vegetables and fruit were set out there in very bountiful attractive way, there not covered up and there is a lot of them are not one sad tomato. The worker put them in basket and they make them look like there were just harvests in parking lot. Besides Stater bros promotes sales over the weekends and price goes down and I’m able to buy a different kind of shopping in their store. Petting apparently leads customers to feel items and be comfortable with it before settling in, but even all the time invested on purchasing something which means their awareness is caught.

Moreover Stater bros uses another marketing strategy effectively that is Guest ID. The Guset ID is point to every shopper’s when purchasing something. The major store set up a profile for shopper’s habit on how many times purchase is done. Duhigg expresses that the Guest ID is “That kept tabs on how each person shopped. When a customer used a Target- issued credit card, handed over a frequent-buyer tag at the register, redeemed a coupon that was mailed to their house, filled out survey, mailed in a refund, phoned the customer help line, opened an email from Target, visited Target.com, or purchased anything online, the company computer took note. A record of each was linked to that shopper’s Guest ID number along with information on everything else. They’d ever bought” (187) . He attaches this strategy to a pregnant woman. Once Target knew parents pattern of shopping habit they play role following around a child birth and the moment baby arrived there are showered with advertisements with all kind of coupons from companies.

Stater bros establish a tactic such as gathering information from shopper’s and operate the Guest ID in their store. It depend on retailers get to know customers shopping behavior while going through shopping online or the store it collects data. I realized that whenever I went to online shopping their requirement is to set an account. It feels like “Big Brother” constantly hovers around watching and giving them permission to target consumers. This Guest ID encourages the store to send more coupon knowing specific location after purchase is made.

Finally, guest id and destination item are the main marketing strategy major stores employ them to become successful.

Companies foster these strategies to achieve goals in marketing and to profit from shoppers drive. I think that people shop more and more with retailers expanding their business everywhere. As Gladwell article “The Science of Shopping” comment on shoppers behaviors the moment they enter the store they start browsing, also comment on shoppers being right handed simply because they go to right after walking in. shoppers spend abundance of time in store focusing on detail what to buy and to get out of best shopping journey they could have. During the time I spend reading and targeting on The Power of Habit why we do what we do in life and business, a realization come to light that we are control by habits and we as a shoppers get to try a new things and to have the finest shopping experience businesses encouraging shoppers what to do as leaving Stater

bros.