In my email exchange with Prof. José-Domingo Mora of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, he said this quote illustrates what his study found about tradeoffs for some people in shopping for merchandise while accompanied by companions.
Another of the tradeoffs was between the pleasure we find in social interaction versus the irritation from needing to interrupt our consumption deliberations to allow for the social interaction. This derives from a common contemporary motivation for shopping with companions: We are short on time, and group shopping might allow us to concurrently derive the utility of consumption and companionship.
However, the study results indicated that people generally experience less value from companionship at times they’re shopping for merchandise in stores than at times they’re consuming an experience, such as eating at a restaurant together.
When a shopper brings along companions, you entertain the potential of more sales. But you’d like the group to enjoy being with each other. It’s usually better to have shoppers come into your physical store than to have them shop only online. You’re more likely to get the sale, you reduce the time spent educating the shopper, and when a shopper is in your store, the probability of additional purchases climbs.
Create retail spaces in which selecting merchandise can be gracefully blended into socializing with companions. The shopping can then itself provide greater utility.
Other research explored this theme when distinguishing between a convenience store and corner store. The notion of a convenience store is that shoppers will be able to pop in, make a purchase, and pop out. The notion of a corner store, such as a small-footprint independent grocer in a residential neighborhood, is different.
People were presented with simulations of corner store interiors in a format resembling a video game. The simulations varied on ambient cues, such as the comfort of lighting and sound levels; design cues, such as the ease of reaching and selecting packages; and socialization cues, such as the presence of salespersons or other customers. The people were asked how likely it is they would want to shop at that corner store.
It turned out that the most important of the three to the participants was ample allowance for socializing.
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