This morning I started reading Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill. Underhill and his research company have spent two decades compiling and analyzing data, trying to determine if there is "a method to our madness when it comes to shopping".
They have been gathering data around the globe in malls, grocery stores, banks, fast-food peddlers, and anywhere else you make purchases. The data is collected methodically via cameras, interviewers, and "trackers". Trackers are the people that follow you around the store marking your every move without you even knowing it.
Here's an example...
[A] tracker can record... that a bald man, in a red sweater and blue jeans entered a department store on a Saturday at 11:07 a.m., walked directly to a first floor display of wallets, picked up or otherwise touched a total of twelve of them, checked the price tag on four, then chose one, moved at 11:16 to a nearby tie rack, stroked seven ties, read the contents tags on all seven, read the price on two, then bought none and went directly to the cashier to pay. He paused for a moment at a mannequin and examined the price tag on the jacket it wore. He entered the cashier line at 11:23 as the third person in line, waited two minutes and fifty-one seconds to get to the register, paid with a credit card and exited the store at 11:30.It's kind of weird to think that someone could follow you and keep that sort of detail without you even knowing it. It might make you think more about how you act in a store.
I'm reading the book because it relates to a project that I have been assigned to at work, but beyond that, I am a dork and this sort of stuff interests me.
posted by Shannon Smith @ 3/24/2008
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4 Comments:
That example really interesting. A tracker sounds like the perfect job for somebody who always wanted to be a spy but didn't like the idea of prison or torture.
You may be happy to hear that I also started reading the book you gave me last night.
love that type of stuff. really interesting to see how our purchasing habits, not what but how we buy is a good reflection of who/how we are.
guess i'm a dork too
Stephanie and I like to window shop for fun. We've probably been the mall 4 or 5 times since the last time we bought something.
But every now and then something will catch my eye, and it's suddenly like I have to have it. A couple of weeks ago I spotted some sneakers, and I seriously couldn't think about anything else until we walked out of the mall. And then it was like the kool-aid wore off and I was really glad I hadn't wasted my money on something I don't need...
I wonder, based on the 'science of shopping', what would be the effect of having a little compassion international child sponsorship display at every checkout counter...
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