Clock Customer Actions to Fit Time Metaphors

People who enjoy the activity of shopping will spend more time in your store when they’re happy than when they’re sad. But those seeking a specific item spend less time in your store when they’re happy than when sad. That’s the implication of University of Illinois research findings about how shoppers perceive time.
     On the other hand, if a shopper’s aiming for “retail therapy,” the outcome of a bad mood changes. Retail therapy refers to the intentional use of shopping by sad people to improve their mood. People who benefit from retail therapy are likely to spend more time in your store when downhearted than when happy.
     This is one of the many examples of how different shoppers experience time. Researchers at University of Western Ontario, University of Missouri-Columbia, and University of Virginia use a set of metaphors to describe five common patterns, each with hints for the best ways to make a sale:

• Time is a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker shopper may be accompanied by children or a spouse and talks about spending time with others. They respond best to methodically considering one purchase choice at a time.
• Time is a map. These consumers appreciate a salesperson who relates the individual consumer’s past needs to current purchase alternatives to future consequences. Their shopping pace is relatively leisurely. Because they can multitask, they often engage in comparison shopping.
• Time is a mirror. These shoppers are like the “time as map” consumers, but want more emphasis on learning from the past and less on anticipating future consequences. If they’re your regular customer, they’ll resist changing to another store. If they’re not your regular customer, they’ll need extra incentives to switch loyalty to you.
• Time is a river. Compared to consumers fitting one of the other orientations to time, these shoppers are more spontaneous and open to making unanticipated purchases. Women seeking retail therapy are likely to have a “time is a river” style.
• Time is a feast. “Eat the dessert first. There’s always time for the entrée later.” That’s the motto of the extreme “time is a feast” shopper. Those who are less extreme still aim for sensory pleasure and novel alternatives when at your store. Not surprising, their focus is much more on the present than on the past or future. Perhaps surprising is that they tend to be less spontaneous than the “time is a river” group.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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