tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85521488843035664062012-02-14T09:05:12.826-08:00A daily supply of shopper psychology tactics to get <em>your</em> Retailing In MotionBruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.comBlogger10251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-17345301704261335992012-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-14T09:05:12.840-08:00

Valentine’s Day is an occasion to recall that paraphrase of Plato, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” My paraphrase of that paraphrase for today’s posting is, “What’s really ugly from one perspective might be better looking from another perspective.”      The point is you’ll need to point out that other perspective. To paraphrase from Matthew 5:15, “Don’t hide your light under a bushel

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-38548553974133369682012-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-13T09:57:23.095-08:00

The Economist magazine has shown an abiding interest over the years in synesthesia. That’s the cross-sensory phenomenon in which, for example, certain sounds produce in the person’s brain the perceptions of colors, each sound bringing forth a particular hue. Or how the sounds of music can arouse sensations of taste.      Sophisticated brain mapping technologies now allow for an explanation of

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-54222428659240674442012-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-12T09:00:01.000-08:00

Shoppers don’t like being nagged. By you or by each other. Especially by their own kids. Too much of it, say psychologists at Duke University, and the shoppers get anxious to bolt out the door. And you lose the sale.      This could be a particular problem at the cash/wrap. So how about the recent announcement by Hy-Vee supermarkets that they’re removing candy bars, gum, and other sweet treats

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-4601049395172394292012-02-11T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-11T09:00:05.917-08:00

“Science will unquestionably play a larger role in determining pricing strategies in the future. In the interim, a certain amount of art and psychology remain in play.”      Such is the conclusion of an article in the current NRF Stores magazine. A retail pricing specialist is quoted as saying “Part of pricing is psychological — it’s an art form.” The implication: What’s psychological is not

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-18882553092244615242012-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-10T09:00:02.391-08:00

Delegate decision making to employees, advisors, and vendors so you can spend time working on your business, not just in your business.      But in a set of four experiments, researchers at University of Alberta identified a threat to profitability for the retailer who delegates highly important decisions: After granting the authority, responsibility, and accountability, you become more likely

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-36609686976388523002012-02-09T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-09T09:00:02.102-08:00

Researchers at business consultants Ferrazzi Greenlight assessed the level of organizational candor at each of six banks by interviewing the executives. The researchers then related the level of candor within the organization to the financial performance of the bank. Sure enough, those banks where the executives were willing to criticize each other showed the best financial returns, including

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-25364309164616908062012-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-08T09:00:01.744-08:00

Anticipating trends is a valuable skill for retailers. Also valuable is an awareness that a trend can wiggle around, level out, and move into reverse. Moreover, a trend that holds true for one consumer segment might not hold at all for other consumer segments.      An exemplar of all this is the changing strength of what consumer psychologists call the compromise effect: When a shopper is faced

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-77548268077889032472012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-07T09:00:03.738-08:00

Want to stay in the black—call that “black beauty”—and out of the red—okay, “massacre red”—when graphing your financial status? Then remember how color names you use for retailing make a difference.      Are you better off carrying products labeled “cherry red” rather than just “red” on the package? Is a car salesman or interior designer likely to make better sales saying “passion blue” instead

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-46164493586820234552012-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-06T09:00:03.779-08:00

White American and Black American consumers were asked to view a series of clothing ads featuring a mix of Black models and White models. Some of the ads included a relatively small number of models, while the others had a relatively large number. In each ad, the percentages of White and Black models were the same.      Later, each study participant was asked to estimate the number of White and

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-52257537937830444482012-02-05T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-05T15:08:55.827-08:00

Why is it that somewhere between 65% and 85% of customers who start shopping elsewhere for their items say they were satisfied with the prior retailer?      Researchers from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and University of Valencia in Spain say that a major reason is simply because consumers seek variety, but that there’s also a deeper explanation. It has to do with regret. More

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-42946094193802517872012-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-04T09:01:53.850-08:00

Consumers are more willing than in the past to share opinions with you, but they expect your questioning to be brief and easy.      These are the findings of a global survey of 1,193 consumers by Swedish-based market research firm Cint. The Cint study assessed methodologies used by brand managers. Here are the implications I see for retailers: The increased willingness of your shoppers to share

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-27549386434286585852012-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-03T09:00:01.030-08:00

According to NRF Stores, the best-selling men’s fragrance in the U.S. is named Fierce. It blends the scents of orange, fir, rosewood, and resin. Can you imagine the odor?      Okay, I’ll help. Fierce is the fragrance shoppers encounter whenever they enter, or even approach, a flagship Abercrombie & Fitch store. A&F is making money by selling to consumers the smell the consumers associate with

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-12869660952262128352012-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-02T09:00:07.193-08:00

Ready for lovely profits from your Valentine’s Day shoppers? Results from a survey sponsored by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGinsight say that the dollar value of Valentine’s Day purchases will be up about 8.5% over last year and at the highest level for at least ten years. More than 9,300 consumers were polled for the survey.      It’s the men whose hearts and wallets seem

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-25335548808200168922012-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:11:54.987-08:00

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses a trend among retailers to use the same private label brand name across product categories. The reason is that these house brands have succeeded in establishing not only a price advantage over national supplier brands, but also a reputation for superior quality. For instance, Kroger Co. is renaming their “Naturally Preferred” and “Private Selection”

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-90050797764155499332012-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:00:01.043-08:00

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are bemoaning the profitability opportunities retailers miss when they shortchange staff on income, employee benefits, availability of full-time hours, predictable work schedules, in-service training, and opportunities for promotion. They build their case with examples from large retailers. At Costco, about 98% of store managers are promoted

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-14490604898998978902012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-01T07:04:49.769-08:00

A classic exercise to develop individual creativity is to give someone a few objects—like a paper clip, a facial tissue, and a scrub brush—and ask the person to list all the different ways the objects could be used together. The assumption is that this task—using all the objects together—would be more difficult with, let’s say, six objects than with, let’s say, three. But does this mean that the

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-67597487979319795592012-01-29T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-01T07:11:03.421-08:00

What personality types does your store serve? The answer to that question determines—or at least heavily influences—brands you carry. However, even within a single brand line, there are different personalities.      Some years ago, Adidas aimed to grab market share from Nike by defining eight different personalities to sell to. Among the personalities named by Adidas were “Gearhead,” the adult

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-18594696018516081692012-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-28T20:46:10.601-08:00

The Emmy-winning TV series “Modern Family” features non-traditional household compositions: A gay couple adopting a daughter. An older man married to a much younger woman raised in a different culture.      But a study released last month by advertising agency Leo Burnett Chicago indicates that the TV show is behind the curve compared to actual modern family dynamics. Since maximum retailer

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-26369332850681425182012-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-27T09:00:00.433-08:00

Spring before last, video game retailer GameStation added the following to their website’s terms and conditions for placing an order: “…You agree to grant Us a nontransferable option to claim, for now and forevermore, Your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, You agree to surrender Your immortal soul, and any claim You may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-24797711397910748922012-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-26T09:00:02.396-08:00

Cities are hungry for tax revenues. Big Box stores and industrial parks often produce more tax revenues than do small to midsize retail businesses. As a result, cities these days may be overlooking the value of keeping local retailing corridors robust.      To counteract the trend, crow with pride about how you help your community’s economy.      Have numbers ready: Sales revenue impact: An

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-83982502321347244082012-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:03:05.026-08:00

Just over the hill from my home in Vacaville, California is Soul Food Farm, where the chickens run free and the eggs are found in a pasture. This appeals to a cadre of customers willing to pay higher prices for fowl food which has not been raised or slaughtered in foul ways.      A recent article in The Bay Citizen discusses this niche market, that covers items well beyond the chicken and the egg

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-1714022691004268912012-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-24T09:00:00.740-08:00

Which of these two is more attractive to shoppers? $29.99 for 70 rolls 70 rolls for $29.99      Researchers at Virginia Tech say to put the even quantity before the odd price. The second phrasing of the two above is more likely to draw buyers.      How about these two? $29.99 for 30 rolls 30 rolls for $29.99      Here the consumer appeal of the two is about the same. That’s because the consumer

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-90468218288316352422012-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-23T09:00:03.839-08:00

Is it January 23 already? You know what that means? Aura Cacia, purveyor of rose absolute oil and lavender spike, does: They’ve declared this National Day of Chill.      Aura Cacia isn’t referring to the cold weather, at least not directly. Instead, the chill refers to counteracting the stress potential of this day. According to the Aura Cacia Facebook page, as dawn broke, we all realized we’re

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-67637052161989039852012-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-22T09:00:00.832-08:00

In early 2010, sales per square foot at Lucky Brand stores equaled $380. The goal of a current store revamp, according to The Wall Street Journal, is to raise this to $600 by early 2015. Fueling the profitability drive is simplification for the shopper via store redesign. Whatever fashions are shown in the display window outside the store are stocked close to the front door for easy pickings.

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-17252868400667663912012-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-21T09:00:03.801-08:00

Changing the brand or item preferences of an expert can be difficult, even when a retailer has evidence that the change would benefit the expert. Consumers who consider themselves to have high expertise often like to show off their knowledge. If you say, “Here’s a product I think you should consider because it’s better than the one you’ve been buying,” the expert’s eyes will open wide and a smile

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-25345629059579756912012-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:00:01.316-08:00

Retailing trade associations can be a fine source of ideas. You’ll learn from other retailers, even from retailers selling product lines quite different from what you sell. Some of the most useful lessons can come from the hits and misses of retailers who sell to the same sorts of markets as you, but sell those people different items. By quickly adapting the lessons to apply to your merchandise

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-91427845774107605992012-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-19T09:00:05.787-08:00

The National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention concluded yesterday in NYC. The confab was brimming with great ideas for small to midsize retailers. As one example, at “Independents’ Day,” Linda Hundt, owner/operator of Sweetie-licious Bakery Café in DeWitt, Michigan, suggested you hug your good customers.      Maybe that strikes you as a crazy idea, but crazy ideas can inspire really good

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-36432604889180405472012-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-18T09:07:23.080-08:00

Some years ago, my wife and I decided to replace the elaborate gold brocade draperies covering the large front window in our home. The problem for me was that the decorator would not sell me the drapes I told him I wanted. He firmly refused.      Was it that he didn’t have a supplier for the fabric? No, he said. He made a remark about having decorated even for museum displays.      I was

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-27002987160219058772012-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-17T09:00:03.825-08:00

Consumers are more likely to do what they understand how to do and agree it is worth doing. This applies whether we want the consumer to redecorate her house or to recycle her trash.      But the appeal to the “how to do it” works differently than the appeal to the “why to do it.” Researchers at University of Calgary and University of British Columbia explored how to increase the rate of

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-945503338381809682012-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-20T16:52:57.049-08:00

The National Retail Federation is predicting supplier costs to retailers will increase because of the recently revised Driver’s Hours-of-Service Final Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Big rig drivers will be limited to 70 hours per week behind the steering wheel instead of the current limit of 82 hours. NRF says that the result will be a need for more trucks and truckers,

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-70187081440725331562012-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-15T11:02:37.056-08:00

Shopping is easier when customers see in your store a relationship between the price of an item and the quality of the item. When comparing a set of alternatives within a product or service category, the consumer is more comfortable when there is a price-quality link.      This link is clearer for the consumer when the retailer injects psychological distance while selling:      Researchers at

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-22950007278609074312012-01-14T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-14T09:00:03.440-08:00

“Temper” is one of those words showing why English is hard to master. Among the meanings as a verb are both to soften and to harden. The meaning I’m aiming for in titling this post is “to dilute by the influence of something else.”      Over the past year, I’ve heard from my consultation clients and workshop participants many questions about negotiating with shoppers and reports of emotional

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-17526836089762359882012-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-13T09:00:03.238-08:00

An article in last Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle took note of how consumer anger caused three retailers to significantly change plans: Bank of America withdraw the idea for a $5 monthly debit card fee when a Facebook campaign convinced BofA customers to themselves do a withdrawal—closing their accounts. No apology from BofA for the bother, though One day after announcing a $2 fee for online

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-90294340191062186602012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-12T09:11:32.140-08:00

Please allow me to risk confusing you. I promise to then tell you why.      Here goes:      Researchers at National Chengchi University in Taiwan found that a happy consumer is more likely than a sad consumer to believe a retailer’s claim a promotional offer is high value. But this difference between happy and sad consumers is less pronounced when statements about the product being promoted are

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-17902385138024546892012-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-11T11:41:16.003-08:00

Newell Rubbermaid has plans to grab notice for a product category considered one of the most mundane in any retail store—ink pens. According to Marketing Daily, the Paper Mate InkJoy is being launched in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, and the U.S. with the tag line “World’s Most Stolen.” The notion is that once a consumer experiences the joy of the pen’s

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-7390837697154642582012-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-10T09:15:09.635-08:00

Consumers make many purchases with scant attention to all the details. Often this is because the shopper acts from habit, so no thorough thought is necessary. In other cases, the shopper is limiting attention to one attribute—such as price—so doesn’t even notice other attributes—such as durability or delivery time—until after the purchase. Busy and stressed consumers are especially likely to take

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-13542574499702394892012-01-09T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-09T09:00:01.358-08:00

Placing a mirror behind the places where you accept complaints reduces the intensity of customers’ dissatisfaction. This finding by researchers at Bayer Healthcare, Columbia University, and Maastricht University deserves an explanation: When a consumer sees an image of herself, her self-awareness increases. This leads to the consumer subconsciously considering what part she played in the

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-10876754083817431092012-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-08T09:00:00.837-08:00

What do you think about this reply to a customer’s complaint about late delivery on a preorder?      “When you preorder, the delivery date can get moved. If you ordered some video game before the final release, delivery might be delayed due to the tweaks and bugs not being worked out in time.      “I’m sure you wouldn’t complain to GameStop if they held your cash in that case. So put on your big

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-86590125502436068622012-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-07T09:00:02.563-08:00

A couple of months ago, an organization called “Women at NBCU” surveyed a sample of 2,000 women selected to be representative of American female consumers ages 18 to 49. The “NBCU” stands for NBCUniversal. Women at NBCU develops advertising campaigns employing the NBCUniversal media channels.      The major conclusion of the survey: When purchasing merchandise, most American women are now

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-30019885833163409762012-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:55:24.577-08:00

Shoes are in the news: A Los Angeles Times article highlighted shoe-of-the-month clubs in which members are offered a selection every time the calendar page turns. The selection is determined by answers to questions the member gave upon enrollment, the member’s past purchases, and the club’s data about all members’ purchasing preferences. The Wall Street Journal described how retailer Foot Locker

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-2154226325033227532012-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-05T09:28:29.883-08:00

Why is that a critical claim about your store which is obviously false won’t be instantly spotted as bogus by everybody who knows anything about your business?      Researchers at Stanford University, Northwestern University, and HEC-Paris say it happens because the degree of certainty associated with the claim is forgotten much more quickly than is the content of the claim. The recommended

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-71207683899082788362012-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-04T09:36:37.785-08:00

A major reason for the success of the convenience store format was the placement of the milk toward the front of the store. The traditional supermarket required the shopper to walk all the way to the back of the store to reach the dairy case. Since purchasing milk is one of the most common reasons for a stop at the store, the supermarket layout meant longer trips through the aisles, producing

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-26029480084353297142012-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-03T09:25:45.519-08:00

Suppose you run a golf pro shop. Callaway Golf Company notifies you that the Big Bertha driver is being replaced by the Great Big Bertha. Suppose you sell razors and you’re thinking of phasing out the Sensor in favor of the Fusion.      What difference does the name change make?      Researchers at Harvard University and London Business School distinguished between the two situations. Here’s my

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-79561330529148142982012-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:00:00.762-08:00

You’d like customers to remain motivated when accumulating points in your frequent shopper program. The challenge is that what motivates the customer starting the program is different from what works as the customer draws closer to the reward. Researchers at University of Texas-Austin distinguish between what I’ll call a “Will I ever buy enough to earn a reward?” mindset at the start and a “How

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-77550110697618890612012-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T07:17:43.753-08:00

The Wall Street Journal recently reported how at approximately 6:30 PM on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, a group of sixteen people descended suddenly onto Oakland, California gift boutique Marion & Rose’s Workshop.      Never fear. This Gang of 16 was not a criminal flash mob, intent on taking money and merchandise from an unsuspecting retailer. No, this was a cash mob, intent on supporting a

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-21182975635647205162011-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:45:46.950-08:00

Reports of the death of daily deal programs are not only exaggerated, but, it appears, incorrect. In a MerchantCircle survey conducted last month, fully 75% of small business owners who had offered a daily deal said they’d offer another one in the future.      Their reasons reflect the merchants’ growing sophistication in overcoming two of the most common complaints about the programs: One is

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-20611327688731000192011-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-30T09:00:02.235-08:00

What makes it more likely that your satisfied customers will use social networking to recommend your store? The strength of relationship a customer feels with others makes a difference. But more powerful than this is the frequency with which the customer communicates online, regardless of the strength of interpersonal ties. The implication: Inspire customers to post repeatedly.      That

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-88729113155253798372011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-29T10:55:11.804-08:00

When consumers are asked why they stopped patronizing a particular store, many times the answer has to do with how returns and refunds were handled. Therefore, it is in your interest to have liberal policies and procedures when it comes to accepting returns and giving refunds.      Along with this, it’s nice to have as few refund requests as possible. One tactic is to carry quality merchandise

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-44126603179677858142011-12-28T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-28T18:31:44.864-08:00

What could be more appropriate for the holiday season than making your shoppers feel creepy? Wait! This is the wrong holiday for that. It’s Christmas now, not Halloween.      Still, Minnesota retailer Mainstream Fashions for Men currently has a store window display that, according to the Duluth News Tribune, is creeping out some passersby. The display consists of a live person standing motionless

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-89210040823773275822011-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-27T09:00:01.932-08:00

E-tailing expert Peter Laudin, whose enterprises include The Pattycake Doll Company, recently told me an important lesson he learned about making it easier for shoppers to use his company’s website: “Cute does not help the customer! I once had a tab that read ‘From Cinnamon to Chocolate,’ meaning I had a range of brown dolls. I quickly learned to just call it ‘Dolls for Black Children’! Clarity

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Promotional pricing—in which your store periodically discounts a specific set of items—usually holds more promise than an everyday low price (EDLP) strategy. One reason is that EDLP is the province of Big Box retailers, and in prolonged price wars on all the merchandise you carry, Big Boxes probably can outlast you.      More reasons for the superiority of promotional pricing come from an

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-82222036309371705652011-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-25T09:00:01.050-08:00

A recent USA Today article reports medical offices, churches, and schools moving into shopping mall spaces. These less-traditional tenants are still retailers, in that they’re offering products or services to end consumers and therefore must show the consumer a return on investment.      The way a small to midsize retail store does business is influenced by how the surrounding retailers are doing

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-31952698087908429182011-12-24T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:00:01.116-08:00

Maximize your profitability by asking your target consumers the Van Westendorp questions, each beginning with “At what price would shoppers consider this product or service to be….” Here is my version of the ends of the four questions:      …inexpensive enough that they’d think hard before deciding not to purchase it?      …expensive enough that they’d think hard before deciding whether to

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-12859323454272458722011-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-23T09:00:01.313-08:00

Consumers respect retailers who know it all. But they avoid retailers who act like know-it-alls. Expertise is best seasoned with a dash of humility. This thought came to my mind as a ricochet off of the announcement of the December 13 death of Edie Stevenson.      Ms. Stevenson wrote one of history’s most successful ads: “Let’s get Mikey. He won’t eat it. He hates everything.” And then, “He likes

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-75619408711697068612011-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-22T10:28:45.517-08:00

My guess is that it’s because of the well-publicized death of Suzanne Hart in an NYC elevator accident last week that The New Yorker website is currently featuring an April 2008 essay about elevators.      Ms. Hart’s death was tragic. I have no desire to trivialize her death as I use elevator industry trivia from the New Yorker essay to derive these reminders about profitability: What pushes

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-31725861644676637922011-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-21T09:00:00.661-08:00

The same bank is held up by the same robber five days in a row. The same police officer interviews the bank staff after the robbery each of the days. Arriving this fifth day, the officer says to the staff, “Look, at this point, I’ve gotten a really thorough description of the guy who’s doing this. I’ve talked to you four times already. But on the off chance you’ve something to add, I’ll ask if

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-55398577917326266082011-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-20T10:27:03.917-08:00

Burnout corrodes the quality of service to shoppers, and quality of service is essential to your profitability. Both the owner/operator and the retailing staff are at risk for burnout. Not surprisingly, researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and University of Hong Kong conclude that a significant cause of retailing staff burnout is the owner/operator herself or himself being burned out.

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-72437065924429012522011-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-19T09:00:01.914-08:00

Of all the words written and spoken in American English, which are the three most common? (Hint: I’ve used all three in the preceding sentence.)      The answer, based on an analysis of a million-word representative compilation by researchers at Brown University: the, of, and.      Social psychologists have called these three “function words.” Pronouns, such as I, you, and they, are also function

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-58962220029281704032011-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-20T10:36:00.506-08:00

Database management techniques these days allow retailers to personalize discount coupons. By keeping track of what the customer has bought—and perhaps even what the shopper has considered, but not bought—you develop a profile and then offer that individual what the profile suggests would carry special appeal.      Researchers at University of Virginia find that the draw of such customized

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-52214792165240630402011-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-17T09:00:01.222-08:00

Online mortgage lending service LendGo tells you your inquiry will be encrypted for privacy protection. On the home page, LendGo highlights that the service is free, and they show Better Business Bureau, VeriSign Trusted, and TrustE logos. When it comes time to finalize the details, they arrange to telephone you.      So far, so good. When a shopper isn’t familiar with your business, online

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-2451802736354356262011-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-16T09:00:00.211-08:00

In the 1980’s, the Social Security Administration got concerned about the amount of eye contact the claims representatives were making with their clients, the benefits applicants. SSA was installing computers in all the field offices and wanted to be sure that taking claims with an on-screen form didn’t keep the claims rep from delivering the personal touch of looking at the consumer. Eye contact

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-62926570840493641492011-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-15T09:00:01.256-08:00

The walls of Every Baking Moment in Dixon, California are filled with cake pans. One in the fanciful shape of a set of lips. Another in the fancy shape of the breast cancer awareness ribbon. And one in the shape of—fancy this—a lopsided triple-decker cake.      The store will sell you any of those pans, but most people rent one and save their buying for the cake decoration supplies. The customers

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-78752030721460060012011-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-14T18:05:02.396-08:00

Most RIMtailing postings are about how to best sell the merchandise and services you have. But you and I and all the others with an interest in your profitability as a retailer need to keep in mind that, regardless of your sales skills, your success really depends on you choosing the right items to sell. Shopper psychology tactics top off skilled product selection.      How fitting, then, that it

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-5914185238804261062011-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-13T09:12:26.292-08:00

Retailers attempting to persuade a consumer might choose to present all the best arguments as soon as possible. Research findings from University of Northern British Columbia and University of Alberta acknowledge that if you wait too long to make your case, you may lose the sale. Still, they suggest it is usually better to stagger the presentation of your good arguments. At early stages in the

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-37288545173425047162011-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-12T09:00:03.972-08:00

So this consumer psychologist says to his wife, “I got the strangest message from Dean. He wants me to get together with him to go shopping for a good corn dog.”      “Are you sure you heard that right?,” asks the wife, with understandable skepticism.      “Yep. I listened to it twice. Maybe it’s Dean’s way of saying he’s getting together a group for the state fair. I called him back, but nobody

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-3026042324333664362011-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-11T09:00:00.934-08:00

A recent Washington Post “On Small Business” article proposed double-duty tactics retailers can use to head off losses from shoplifting. The double duty comes because each tactic is also a way to increase store sales.      Here is my adaptation of that list, including research-based augmentations to make the tactics work even better for you: Remind yourself and your employees of the consequences

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-6873864047658996292011-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-10T09:00:00.303-08:00

American voters think of successful Republicans in Congress as being reliable and practical. The same voters think of successful Democratic members of Congress as intelligent and empathic.      So say researchers at Emory University and University of British Columbia.      Even if they are correct, what does it have to do with running a retail business? As I think you’ll see, the link has to do

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-2322306113289288692011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:02:37.720-08:00

Starting in year 2007, gift card sales by retailers dropped sharply. This was disappointing, since gift cards are good moneymakers. The shopper with a gift card is more likely to browse your aisles than is the shopper without a gift card. At the least, they become better acquainted with the scope of your merchandise selection. At best, they’ll see a great many items they want, so they’ll spend

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-64206356042474749772011-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-18T10:05:28.564-08:00

If your store space includes display windows, take heed of their influence on the shopper. The Christmas season brings out innovative store windows. It’s a nice prompt to consider what makes windows work. A recent feature article in USA Today describes an EyeTrackShop study which concluded that motion and surprise in store window displays draw the sort of attention that translates into higher

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-76302019804897649002011-12-07T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-07T13:13:26.557-08:00

Small trumps all, it might seem. Smaller store footprints, more concentrated packaged goods formulations, tinier electronics on shelves.      Were the signals there decades ago with Steve Martin’s 1978 Grammy-award-winning album “Let’s Get Small”? Mr. Martin did allude to the portability advantages of miniaturization when he riffed on getting arrested for being too small while driving: “And they

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-75042958011122413202011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T09:00:03.687-08:00

Last Saturday night, awaiting the arrival of my scrumptious parmesan-caked sole at a busy Kentfield, California restaurant, I passed the time scanning the place. What stopped my head in mid-rotation was the sight of a server coughing into her hands, then immediately picking up the orders from the kitchen to deliver them to the table.      No washing of the hands, not even a pause to think about

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-60715773761236372722011-12-05T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-05T09:00:05.717-08:00

The Christmas 2011 TV ad from Great Britain’s John Lewis department store ends on an unexpected twist—a twist which should rightfully come with a money-back guarantee it will arouse strong emotion. If you’d like to check me out on that claim, view the ad for yourself. For maximum effect, do it right now, though, because I’ll reveal the surprise ending in the next paragraph of this posting.      

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-75508219542504645942011-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-04T10:14:04.109-08:00

Online shopping’s rate of growth is slowing.      Transactis tracked the purchases of 39 million consumers across 205 brands of fashion items, household goods, children’s merchandise, home furnishings, and more. During the first half of 2011, growth in online shopping was about 14%—well below a 58% takeoff in 2007 and 35% increase in 2008. Between 2006 and 2010, online spending grew more than

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-8167972849736149242011-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-03T09:12:15.919-08:00

In this Great Recession, the profitability of auto repair services has accelerated while the profitability of American dental practices has decayed. Still, in other ways, these two retailing endeavors have similarities.      According to a Sageworks, Inc. analysis of 7,852 U.S. dental practices, both revenue and net income dropped roughly 3% during the first nine months of 2011. This 3% figure is

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-25974840003221481962011-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-02T09:00:02.523-08:00

Decide what want type of product or service your customer will want before he himself knows. This way, after he completes the purchase of one item, you can guide him toward the best selection in the next category. Researchers at Babson College, Citibank, and Deloitte Consulting LLP refer to this as the salesperson’s skill at identifying the NBO—Next Best Offer.      They find the timing of the

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-57553038277991481992011-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-01T09:00:05.281-08:00

“I don't care what they say, as long as they spell my name right.”      Researchers at University of Delaware and University of Hartford published their findings with this as the title. The studies tested the claim that any publicity, even if negative, improves profitability.      The researchers say it doesn’t. However, research also identifies an exception: If you can take refuge in principles

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-2876904076499353702011-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-30T09:00:01.453-08:00

In comparative selling, the phrasing we choose could be saying to the prospective customer, “The item I’m suggesting to you is better than the alternative you’ve been considering.” Or our phrasing might be communicating, instead, “The alternative you’ve been considering is not as good as the item I’m suggesting to you.” It’s a positive framing versus a negative framing.      Does it make a

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-4667307251635552872011-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-29T09:02:22.981-08:00

In a research article published a few years ago, Professors Narayan Janakiraman at University of Arizona, Andrea C. Morales at Arizona State University, and Robert J. Meyer at University of Pennsylvania asked readers two questions:      “Consider a consumer who makes an urgent late-night visit to a local supermarket to purchase a pain reliever. Upon arriving she notices that the store is offering

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With a name like Unilever, you might expect them to announce one, not five, levers for changing consumers’ behavior in buying and using products.      Unilever’s broad portfolio of brands includes Dove, Vaseline, Lipton, Hellman’s, and dozens more. Chances are their products are on your shelves or the shelves of a retailer in your area. They’re sold in 180 countries.      The “Five Levers for

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-33462348060441317282011-11-27T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:07:40.888-08:00

Researchers at National University of Singapore have been studying the effects of a shopper’s physical tension on purchase behavior. In collaboration with University of Chicago researchers, they found that clenching one’s fists at the moment of temptation strengthens resistance to making a buy.      Timing counts here. If the shopper bunches up his fists, extends his fingers, contracts his calf

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-77721008164420237232011-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-26T09:00:01.088-08:00

Last year, NYC’s Brooklyn Kitchen drew notice for their Mexican feast special which included smoked corn custard sprinkled with pale yellow, squirming wax moth larvae along with chapulines, those little fried grasshoppers described as tasting like the exoskeleton of a potato chip. Now Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting on the opportunities for retailing all sorts of bugs as food ingredients and

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-53841318300718538592011-11-25T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-25T09:00:06.450-08:00

For many years, consumer behavior researchers have known that a large variety of offerings attracts shoppers, but as shoppers get closer to wanting to make a purchase decision, they welcome a pruning down of variety. They prefer a smaller assortment to assess.      Now researchers at University of Maryland find a parallel phenomenon with consumers who are working toward a goal over time, such as

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-18962669977307818732011-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-24T09:00:05.258-08:00

Millennial Media reports substantial growth in mobile device ad campaigns using maps. Since Millennial Media is the largest independent mobile ad company in America and reaches users in more than 250 territories, that fact about maps has significance for retailers who use mobile technology marketing.      From the second quarter to the third quarter of 2011, there was a 27% increase in mobile

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-32800103849515846802011-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-23T17:55:03.778-08:00

USA Today reports that some big retailers are augmenting Black Friday sales with free gifts to shoppers. J.C. Penny has almost two million Disney snow globes ready for distribution. A customer who is among the first 1,100 to spend at least $40 at an Old Navy store gets a Kodak EasyShare Sport digital camera—said to retail for about $100—tossed into the bag at no extra cost. Sears is handing out a

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When surveying consumers about their likes and dislikes, use images of happy and sad faces on the degree-of-agreement scales. That’s the advice from researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. Their advice is directed to situations where the consumers’ primary language is not English, but the questionnaire is being administered in English.      The researchers’ reasoning is not what you

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-37078858303712915342011-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-21T09:00:10.268-08:00

When preparing to consult with a retailing community, I visit the stores. I make it clear I’m there to discover, not to give advice. The advice comes later, after I’ve mastered enough to deserve credibility. Often, that credibility comes from exploring what the consumer psychology literature has to say.      During a visit last week, I was asked about out-of-stocks. This store features jewelry,

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-16457901010672319292011-11-20T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-20T14:01:42.476-08:00

Researchers at Georgetown University and Ben-Gurion University were intrigued by the success of the Nike slogan, “Just Do It.” Classic consumer behavior research says that if you tell a shopper what to do, they’ll move away. If you put a whole bunch of sales pressure on a customer, they tend to rebel, becoming determined not to do what you’re trying to convince them to do. They start debating

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-88207372816723833422011-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-19T09:00:01.256-08:00

Stay aware of partying.      A case in point: As a YouGov posting points out, Herman Cain’s leadership of Godfather Pizza ended fifteen long years ago. Yet his repeated association with the restaurant retailer’s name in political reporting is influencing consumer perceptions.      The YouGov BrandIndex measurement, which goes from -100 to +100, is compiled by subtracting negative feedback from

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-81526411359435935942011-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-18T10:15:45.181-08:00

San Francisco has a sense of style. Up through the early 1960’s, most women wouldn’t think of shopping in downtown San Francisco department stores in casual clothing. It also was around this time that Malvina Reynolds wrote “Little Boxes” to protest the “ticky tacky” exterior design of buildings in Daly City, south of The City by the Bay.      Many downtown San Francisco storefronts no longer

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-57862970438350009512011-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-17T09:00:02.465-08:00

When you enter Book Shop Benicia, your eyes are drawn to the neatly chevroned shelves. Unless you’re a three-year old boy, that is. The eyes of those consumers are often drawn to what sits on top of the tall shelving along the outside walls. Robots. All kinds of toy robots. Dozens of toy robots.      As shoppers enter your store, where do their eyes go? That’s where to consider placing a store

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-61936633886891800392011-11-16T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-16T09:15:16.081-08:00

A recent Bloomberg Businessweek posting describes how the growth of ecommerce has turned Possibilities Shoppers into Mission Shoppers. The Mission Shoppers go right for a particular item and, if the value is acceptable, they want to buy the item as soon as possible. The other category loves to look through the possibilities. Even if they've specific items in mind, they enjoy digesting the

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It was in a 1911 story, Gertrude the Governess, that Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock, wrote, “Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse, and rode madly off in all directions.” It is a line that has been quoted, misquoted, and misattributed since then.      Riding madly off in all directions at once is a risk for retailers this holiday season. Many

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-25847671569053057192011-11-14T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-14T09:00:04.815-08:00

Retailers such as Burger King, JCPenny, and US Bank. Retailer groups like the National Restaurant Association and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Altogether, 40 businesses and 47 associations are fighting a proposal to dramatically expand the nature of internet Top Level Domain names. TLDs are what appear to the right of the dot, such as .com, .net, .biz, and .org.      The proposal, from the Internet

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In a survey conducted last month by loyalty program consultants LoyaltyOne, the majority of the 2,000 U.S. and Canadian respondents said they feel businesses are using personal information collected about them in order to better serve customers. However, that majority was only 52%, and 88% said they feel businesses are using the personal information primarily for the businesses’ own benefit.

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-8037366698346042082011-11-12T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-12T14:39:38.351-08:00

How about this for a silly waste of research money? Three professors and a doctoral researcher found that work teams have a 20% advantage in performance outcomes when led by someone whose earlobes don’t match perfectly.      The researchers—from Aston University, University of Lancaster, and University of Birmingham, all in the UK—even spent time developing an explanation for their finding. The

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-76345826232332484272011-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-11T15:31:11.768-08:00

The retailer’s edge comes from knowing when to make exceptions to the more general rules of shopper psychology. One example has to do with the degree of complication of decisions for the consumer.      In general, we want to simplify choices. Consumers like to take mental shortcuts. We attract shoppers by advertising a good abundance of alternatives, but move the prospect toward purchase by

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-5226305396257360072011-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-10T10:29:34.360-08:00

In this month’s Harvard Business Review, Kevin Peters, Office Depot president for North America, describes how much he learned after deciding to walk outside and through 70 Office Depot stores in about 15 states. The way in which he meandered could be coined “management by wandering around,” a phrase credited to another Mr. Peters, that one being Tom Peters, author of the classic In Search of

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What’s been called the Arab Spring exemplifies revolutionary changes in entire cultures. Retailers doing business in these cultures benefit from insights about how the people—especially the adolescents and the family caretakers—transition into new consumer preferences. The adolescents are important because they are ready to push for the new and progressive. The family caretakers are important

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-82744049184669954692011-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-08T09:00:04.765-08:00

When a research study assesses the behavior of one million consumers, you’d better pay attention to the conclusions.      Researchers at Tel Aviv University and at Arison School of Business note the power of neighbors in influencing people to shop at a particular store or buy a particular product at the store. A network of positive reviews increases the likelihood of adoption by about 80%.      

Bruce D. Sanders, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09447722458651407114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552148884303566406.post-36596841613397951942011-11-07T09:00:00.001-08:002011-11-07T09:00:06.526-08:00

According to fable, when Robert Fulton first demonstrated his steamboat, a man standing on the banks kept yelling loudly, “He won’t be able to start ’er.” Then as the steamboat did move with increasing certainty, the heckler stood silent, a shocked look on his face. Moments later, though, he yelled again. “He won’t be able to stop ’er.”      This anecdote came to my mind as I was going over notes

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