Posted on March 7, 2009 - by Nate

“Why We Buy” Part II

I’ve been meaning to get back to this: Paco Underhill’s quotes from “Why We Buy,” Part II. 

“In other words, stores, banks, restaurants and other such spaces must be friendly to the specificaitons of the human animal.” pg. 43

“Yet a huge part of what we do is uncover ways in which retail environments fail to recognize and accommodate how human machines are built and how our anatomical and physiological aspects determine what we do.” pg. 43

“We would rather look at people than objects.” pg. 44. This could apply succinctly to digital signage content creation. 

“Amenability and profitability are totally an inextricably linked. Take care of the former, in all its guises, and the latter is assured.” pg. 44

“If there is a display of merchandise, they’re not going to take it in. If there’s a sign, they’ll probably be moving too fast to absorb what it says.” [he was speaking of the instance when people immediately walk into any venue–which is why WalMart gave us “greeters”–he refers to it as “the transition zone”] pg. 45

In either case, store merchandisers can do two sensible things where the transition zone is concerned: They can keep from trying to accomplish anything important there, and they can take steps to keep that zone as small as possible.” pg. 47

 ”We discovered another misuse of the zone a few years ago, when we tested an interactive computerized information fixture that had been designed for Kmart by a division of IBM. It had a touch screen and a keyboard , and you’d ask it where men’s underwear was, for example, and it would give you a map of the store and maybe a coupon for T-shirts or socks. A terrific idea, executed well. It helped customers and spared the store from haivng to pay someone to stand behind a desk and tell people where boys’ sweaters were–seventy-two times a day.” pg. 48

“Placing the computers too close to the door had turned them into very expensive pieces of electronic sculpture.” pg. 48

“That teaches us something about rules–you have to either follow them or break them with gusto. Just ignoring a rule or bending it a little is usually the worst thing you can do.” pg. 49

“Allowing some space between the entrance of a store and a product gives it more time in the shopper’s eye as he or she approaches it.” pg. 50

“At trade shows, the booths just inside the door may seem most desirable, but they’re pretty bad locations” pg. 50

More to come…hopefully not in another 3 weeks like last time :)