What Your Supermarket Knows About You
In the article “What Your Supermarket Knows About You” Martin Lindstrom details his experience after visiting a laboratory in Chicago of one of the largest consumer goods manufacturers. He describes the different marketing techniques retailers use to get customers to stay longer and buy more. Lindstrom explains how they monitor their shoppers to see how they respond to different tactics used; such as employing speed-bumps in certain sections of the store so they stay in one section longer and increase the average amount they would spend. Simple psychological tactics such as removing the dollar sign in front of a price also offered major increase. These types of strategies are nothing unique and are employed by all big manufacturers. The clothing
store Forever 21 is a good example of effective marketing techniques.
The first thing that draws consumers to this store is its usual big and bright exterior with wide windows that see inward to a store that seems to have an endless supply of trendy clothing. The sleek design and classy color scheme give off the impression of a place that sells products of high quality, making the low prices of the items especially satisfying to the customer.
The strategy to get customers to stay in the store; however, is in the configuration; clothing is scattered throughout in different racks mixing different types of clothing; instead of everything being in its own section the customer has to search throughout the entire store to find a particular article of clothing. The customer is constantly stopped by strategically placed shoes, accessories, and sale racks, this makes it so they are more likely to pick up something they didn’t intend to buy when they entered.
They also maximize their profit by trying to appeal to the largest audience possible. While primarily seen as targeting to teen and young adult girls, the mass amounts of different clothing that adhere to no particular style for both genders makes it so anyone can find something. Although the items are of low to medium quality, the constant rotation of new styles with cheap prices make it so their large audience keeps coming back for more.
These manufacturers extensively study their customers to get the most effective result. Once you learn about these marketing tactics it is interesting to see how these simple, seemingly ineffective techniques work and how easy it is to fall into these retailers’ schemes to squeeze more money out of consumers.
store Forever 21 is a good example of effective marketing techniques.
The first thing that draws consumers to this store is its usual big and bright exterior with wide windows that see inward to a store that seems to have an endless supply of trendy clothing. The sleek design and classy color scheme give off the impression of a place that sells products of high quality, making the low prices of the items especially satisfying to the customer.
The strategy to get customers to stay in the store; however, is in the configuration; clothing is scattered throughout in different racks mixing different types of clothing; instead of everything being in its own section the customer has to search throughout the entire store to find a particular article of clothing. The customer is constantly stopped by strategically placed shoes, accessories, and sale racks, this makes it so they are more likely to pick up something they didn’t intend to buy when they entered.
They also maximize their profit by trying to appeal to the largest audience possible. While primarily seen as targeting to teen and young adult girls, the mass amounts of different clothing that adhere to no particular style for both genders makes it so anyone can find something. Although the items are of low to medium quality, the constant rotation of new styles with cheap prices make it so their large audience keeps coming back for more.
These manufacturers extensively study their customers to get the most effective result. Once you learn about these marketing tactics it is interesting to see how these simple, seemingly ineffective techniques work and how easy it is to fall into these retailers’ schemes to squeeze more money out of consumers.