Nov. 22, 1999
Retail stores rely on the holiday season for a large chunk of their annual profits.
And this year most stores are leaving little to chance. They're using the latest techniques in retail persuasion to get you to part with a dollar.
News Specialist Nadine Wimmer, has an in depth report.
The display window is the starting point. Great looking displays are what get you in the front door.
But that's just the beginning.
Merchants have all sorts of ways to add to your shopping experience
We went shopping with the experts to show you the Tricks of the Trade.
Walk any mall and you can pick out several stores without looking, just by how they smell.
Pat Jones/Market Research Analyst: "Can you smell it right now? I can smell it already. What is it? Bath and Body Works. That is part of the branding process. That is how they tell you, 'This is my product.'"
Ken Foster/U. of U. Director of Marketing: "When Mrs. Fields is doing their job, they actually blow fans from the ovens into the mall, and so you're sort of drawn into it."
Smell is just one of ways stores are making shopping a sensory experience.
Take ordinary, overhead lighting and compare
it to
fancy spotlights
that make the merchandise glow on the shelf,
and customers want to buy.
"It looks like you're going into an adventure, you're not going into a store."
The experience doesn't end there. Stores also reach into our wallets through specially researched music.
Combined with holiday decorations that help us get lost in the holiday spirit.
"It's very easy. In fact, they'll create music that's designed to put you into a buying and giving spirit. So that you're walking down the aisles thinking this is just a happy time."
Even the way they lay out the clothes makes a big difference.
"This store really has been a success because of the way that it's merchandised. As you walk in, everything is neatly folded and coordinated. Plus another think that I think is very fun to look at is the mannequins. They're all together as friends. You don't see any loners here."
"When it's horizontal, it's easier to just flow along with it. When it's vertical, you have to stop and read each segment as you go along, and it takes more time to do so."
And if you spend more time looking, you usually spend more money.
That's another thing stores know.
Women like to shop in groups, to make it a social experience. That's why malls, and even now, stores, are providing places to eat and drink.
....Another way to get more of your money by enhancing the experience.
"The more pleasant they make it, the more time you'll spend, the more likely you are to increase your transaction size."
