Sketch Item Aesthetics If Appreciated

An item’s shape influences how well it sells. Would you prefer mayonnaise in a slender, angular jar or the same contents in a jar with a smooth bulbous shape? The angular jar usually wins out. Mayonnaise buyers like thinking slender more than bulbous.
     Such preferences often operate at a subconscious level. No explanation is necessary, and any time spent explaining would likely be wasted. But researchers at University of Innsbruck find circumstances in which a retailer would find it worthwhile to spend time explaining an item’s shape. The benefit is higher purchase intentions. The circumstances are those in which the shape has aesthetic appeal, the shopper appreciates aesthetics, and the item is unfamiliar to the shopper. In this case, the salesperson’s words and gestures sketching out the item aesthetics boost acceptance.
     Consumer research highlights three components of aesthetics in the retail setting:

• Symmetry. Shoppers like balance in design, with matching elements on the left and right and on the front and rear. But there also should be a few contrasting asymmetries with ratios which intrigue the shopper. 
• Unifying themes. The different parts of the item appearance should be seen as fitting together into a group. Shoppers find visual pleasure in the repetition of themes. 
• Familiarity. The shape should represent to the consumer a familiar story. The familiarity may come about because of a principle of design common in a culture. 

     The Innsbruck research indicates you’ll increase sales of an item by noticing which of your shoppers appreciate aesthetics. Other studies have discovered that you can increase sales of additional merchandise by building in the shopper aesthetic appreciation. People are more likely to buy from your store when they consider the store layout and the merchandise display, not just the items themselves, to exemplify good design.
     Researchers at University of Houston and Boston College explored situations in which a customer concludes there’s an aesthetic mismatch between a purchase and their belongings surrounding it. Here, the customer might consider returning the product, and this return visit can be turned into making a sale. It’s most likely to happen with designer labels, luxury branded items, and unusually designed consumer goods. We’re all familiar with stories of the woman who starts out buying a new pair of shoes, and then decides she has to get a new dress to fit with the shoes, and a new hairdo to fit with the dress, and on and on.

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

Click below for more: 
Smooth Purchasing for Shoppers
Analyze Your Visual Merchandising Design
Resolve Incongruity via Additional Sales