I am impressed with how Italian shopkeepers entice us with their dazzling displays. It doesn’t take long to see how they try to stop your footsteps to explore what they have to offer.
My MBA should have told me more about the Attention Economy. The focus then was on information and how businesses could be more competitive by leveraging technology. Years later, I began to see the pervasive presence of the Attention Economy. Today, we live in something other than the Information Economy. We are immersed in the Attention Economy and must be aware of its far-reaching influence, especially the Digital Economy. This will be the subject of another post. Today, we will see how the Attention Economy works in a more traditional setting – our shopping experience.
The Attention Economy comprises anything that tries to capture our limited attention and improve our buying experience. Because companies profit from our attention, there is intense competition for it. The fundamental truth is that shopkeepers only make a sale if they get our attention. If a book (among many others on a shelf) does not make us stop to flip the pages, we will not buy it. (Booksellers that cling-wrap their books beware!)
Every shopkeeper, knowingly or unknowingly, practises the art of Visual Merchandising – displaying goods that appeal to our eyes. They show their goods aesthetically with the ultimate intention of converting window shoppers into product buyers. Visual Merchandising enables knowledgeable retailers to breathe new life into their stores. They know they have only a few seconds to capture our attention as we walk by.
Colour attracts our attention – a powerful tool in Visual Merchandising. It pulls customers into the store, turns walkers into stoppers, and converts them into customers. Neat and clean arrangements form the foundation of a successful visual display.
As always, simplicity beats clutter. Yes, retail space is expensive, and there is a considerable temptation to cram aisles, walls, and shelves to the maximum. Giving shoppers room to move freely helps create a favourable retail environment. The more comfortable we feel navigating, the more time (and hopefully money) we will spend in the shop.
The most appealing displays tickle more than their visual impact. For example, I find the smell of baking bread and the sugary scents of candy stores alluring. Smells evoke emotion and memory — two prominent factors behind choosing one product over another. Letting customers taste a product is a winning strategy. Ice cream stores know this. It also provides an opportunity to improve customer experience by having a conversation. The music or sounds that shopkeepers play affect us subtly.
Studies have also shown that many shoppers like to hold items before buying. We may favour how our clothes feel over appearance. One more thing. It isn’t enjoyable if we cannot see the price tag. When we are interested in an item, we want to know how much it costs. It is annoying to search for the missing price tag; looking for help from the shop assistant is off-putting—the odds of making a sale shrink fast.
Knowing the rudiments of Visual Merchandising adds another dimension to the pleasure of shopping. It gives us insight into why some shops are more appealing or why we are happy to spend.
I enjoy the art (and science) of Visual Merchandising!