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Nov. 23, 1999
Stores have got it down to a science how to enhance our shopping experience so we'll spend more money.
Their strategies aren't just geared to women, but men too.
Nadine Wimmer reports from where most of us will be in the coming weeks... at the check-out stand.
What's bought here, sometimes depends on whether a man or woman is doing the shopping.
Who do you think it more willing to buy these impulse items-- candy, batteries, Chap Stick?
It's men.
It's just one of the Tricks of the Trade stores know all about.
Men shop alone.
Women shop in groups.
That's where our shopping differences start.
We consulted a market research analyst, and a
professor of advertising who have conducted hours of research, focus groups and interviews.
These shopping experts
know how men and women shop differently, and how stores capitalize on the difference.
For women, savvy stores offer a sensory experience,
Tera Dillman/Shopper: "You can sample everything in there. They have a sink, you can sample, so it's people friendly."
The same stores offer what men consider a low-risk place to buy a sure-hit gift.
Pat Jones/Market Research Analyst: "What I find is that men, when they go into a Victoria's Secret, they know that no matter what they buy in there, their significant other will love. So they could sell bathroom tissue in here, and people would love it."
Here's another hook: sale...especially if it's 25-percent or more.
But sometimes sale is just another appeal to get us in the door.
Ken Foster/Marketing Dir./ U of U: "There will be some men's shirts right next to the aisle in the entrance, and it will say on sale, and it will be a much lower price than everything else that's down the aisle, even five feet from the sale table."
Tags like these are deceiving, because they don't really show if the "sale" is a deal.
One of the most common purchases this season will likely be gift certificates, but men and women even see this gift differently.
The best way to avoid buying the wrong gift or falling prey to tricks of the trade is to plan before you shop.
Ken Foster/Dir. of Marketing/U of U: "IF you create a list, you're going to be much more likely to stick to a budget, to avoid some of the credit card charges that are common during the holidays."
So what shopping combination do stores hate to see most?
Research shows if a woman takes her husband, she's likely to spend less time, less money, and more likely to return it.
