Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Plant Advantages with Foliage

Incorporating live plants into your store interior offers advantages:
  • Open up denseness. Researchers at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and University of Leuven explored the effects on shoppers of adding in-store vegetation. The strongest difference was in areas that were somewhat crowded with merchandise, had high traffic, or was visually busy. Here, the plants reduced stress for the shoppers. The sense of pleasure reported by the shoppers was more calmness than excitement. 
  • Introduce fragrances. Rather than candles or aerosol sprays, employ flowers and other plants to generate scents. Keep the smells faint and familiar, though. A classic finding in consumer behavior research is that odors influence buying behavior. When a smell hits our brain, it starts out its processing in the limbic system, which is one of the most primitive parts of the brain. We—and the people who shop with us—make decisions instantly and subconsciously based on smells. But that classic finding from laboratory studies has, over the years, not worked out as well as we’d hope when applied in operating retail stores. Why? Researchers at Washington State University and Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen found an answer in the degree of complexity of the fragrance: A simple scent increased shopper spending in a retail store, while a hard-to-decode scent did not. 
  • Portray genuineness. “Natural is much better than artificial.” Perhaps that preference resides within our DNA, so basic is it in the choices our shoppers make. It’s why green product packaging and store décor have a special appeal to our shoppers. Show consumers from throughout the world green product packaging and you'll probably hear descriptions like new, organic, healthy, and refreshing. 
     The attraction of nature is multifaceted. Some of the psychology involves simplicity and some involves adventuresomeness. The natural alternative feels simpler than the artificial one. That’s one conclusion from a study conducted by international advertising agency Euro RSCG Worldwide. Study conclusions were based on responses from 5,700 adults residing in France, the Netherlands, England, the U.S., Brazil, Japan, or China. In that study, about 60% of the respondents felt consumers should be more connected to nature.
     As to adventuresomeness, the Center for Culinary Development has noted how chefs at white-tablecloth restaurants are incorporating new flavors into their preparations by foraging in forests and along seashores. Why not have foliage positioned strategically in your store so your shoppers can also forage with their senses of sight and smell?

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

Click below for more: 
Smell Familiar for Purchasing Enhancement 
Excite Consumers with Nature

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