Supermarkets – A Scientific Study into Buying Behaviors of Customers

Consumers’ increasing bend towards mass merchandising has led to a dramatic boom of supermarkets and hypermarkets. Where these supermarkets and hypermarkets are becoming goldmine for entrepreneurs, these offer a great ease of shopping to customers. It’s all been due to its distribution model which serves the interests of both, the customers and the companies. Before supermarkets started appearing on business horizons, shops primarily relied on ‘over the counter’ method where customers told the man sitting behind the counter what they needed and upon that, shop keeper/salesman fetched it for them. On the other hand, these modern markets let customers browse along supermarket equipment and see goods from all available brands, allowing them to choose after their hearts.

Science, Psychology and Supermarkets Flowing Together:
 

Increasing number of supermarkets has led to the ruthless competition that was never fiercer than it’s now. Companies and chains use different kind of marketing strategies, making sales process a complete science. At certain level, customers share same buying behaviors and follow same buying patterns. Based on the study of these behaviors and patterns, new theories are being developed and implemented across super and hypermarkets. Point of Sale (POS) merchandising is marketing strategy of selling goods through different forms of displays and visuals. According to a research, 70% of buying decisions are never made until shopping. And on this process of buying goods visual communication forms 80% of human perception, hearing forms 10% and other senses such as touch and smell form rest of 10%. It means visual effect of goods being presented for sale in commercial shelveings is crucial to sales process.
To fully maximize customers’ buying intentions, marketers are building scientific approach for influencing customers’ buying behaviors and moods through retail environment. Built on studies from human psychology, this scientific approach is called Retail Design.

Retail Design –Science of Influencing Customers’ Behaviors in Commercial Spaces:
 

There is a long history of interrelations between design and marketing. At its basic, design is used to outgun competitors by employing different tools relating to atmospherics. Selection of high quality supermarket equipments is critical for this purpose. And at advanced levels, it’s about creating a user experience through creating a unique environment. It’s the effort of creating sales driven buying environment to produce certain emotional feelings in a buyer that increase his purchase probability. Since, marketers have finally agreed that buyer isn’t just a buyer; he is a customer with a mood, personality and feelings. Retail design helps building their trust by appealing their subconscious.

Shelves Strategy and Customers’ Buying Behaviors:
 

Organizing products on commercial shelves is one of most important things while presenting goods for sale. There are three different levels where goods, according to their functions, are presented. These levels are eye, hands and feet. Eye level is mostly dedicated to the goods relating to well known brands and goods placed at this level are often expensive. Goods at hands level are also easily accessible. They are also generally dedicated for well known brands. At third level, feet level customer has to put some effort while watching and choosing goods, so here goods of private brands are kept. With retail design theory, shelves play important role in influencing customer’s moods. So it’s always worth spending time while choosing good supermarket equipment manufacturer. This will allow finding versatile yet durable commercial shelves or industrial shelves.