Consumer Behavior

Retail is a crazy environment to work in. Here I am, in college and working my first retail job at Verizon. I can apply so much of what we have learned about how consumers buy to my work, I see it every day. The amount of research that goes into store design is mind blowing! Who knew that the layout and atmosphere of a store impacts how much money you will spend there? It does!

So here is my little sliver of insight into the store I work in. We recently relocated into a beautiful, new location next to Kohl's. We are now a Smart Store and the largest in Montana. This is very similar to what our store looks like.

A reaction we get a lot is that customers feel like our store is similar to an Apple store. Well, Apple seems to get everything right. But, as you look around you will find everything is strategically placed to lure customers. The front half of the store is seen as very welcoming and warm. The finishes are nice and highly similar to something you might find in your own home. This is where all the accessories are. The back of the store consists of white cabinets with bright lighting over the phone displays. Much more hospital like. Coincidence? No! It's all strategy to get the consumers to walk through all the accessories before they reach the phone displays, the main reason they came into the store. 

I am constantly amazed by the amount of research that goes into designing a store around consumer behavior. For example, did you know the most often chosen path of direction when a customer walks into a store is to the left? So where do you think all the high ticket accessories are placed in retail stores? ;)

Knowing what I know from working in retail I can't go into a store without noticing a display's placement or what items I might have to dig through to get to the one I want. Especially in large, corporately owned stores.