Share

Checkout

Shopping on an empty stomach is the least of your worries. Supermarkets and department stores have optimised the whole customer journey and experience to get more into your cart. From colours and sounds to scents. We look into the psychology of retail sales.

Starting with supermarkets, there is an almost universal formula to store layouts enforced nowadays. Flowers out the front, baked goods at the entrance, dairy at the back and cold drinks by the checkouts. Why?

Flowers and cold drinks have the highest profit margins of most goods sold by supermarkets. They’re placed prominently to ensure all shoppers pass them. The baked goods simply smell good. Freshly baked croissants leave shoppers’ mouths watering. Shopping while hungry, they’re more likely to buy. Moreover, milk is one of the supermarket’s biggest sellers. Directing shoppers down the aisles to reach the fridge increases the chance of impromptu purchases.

Then we look at the obvious example of Ikea. Their one way, snaking floor layout forces shoppers to pass every section of the store. In fact, Alan Penn of University College London mapped out the path of shoppers in Ikea in 2011. He found the disorientation as shoppers are pushed deeper into the shelves of homewares removes shoppers’ autonomy and makes them more likely to purchase. Whether intentional or not, his full article is worth the time to read.

Research out of the University of Southern California looks further into the topic. They found that as soon as a product had two nutritional labels, shoppers struggled to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods. Marketers exploit the confusion caused by chaos. Moreover, characters on cereal boxes look down at 9.6 degrees on average in order to make more direct eye contact with children.


Want more?

You know what to do

Insights, trends and company deep dives delivered straight to your inbox.


Stake logo
Over 7,000 5-star reviews
App Store logoGoogle Play logo

Subscribe to our free newsletters

By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Stakeshop Pty Ltd, trading as Stake, ACN 610 105 505, is an authorised representative (Authorised Representative No. 1241398) of Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd (Australian Financial Services Licence no. 548196). Stake SMSF Pty Ltd ACN 648 283 532 (‘Stake Super’) is not licensed to provide financial product advice under the Corporations Act. This specifically applies to any financial products which are established if you instruct Stake Super to set up a self managed super fund (‘SMSF’). When you sign up to Stake Super, you are contracting with Stake SMSF Pty Ltd who will assist in the establishment of a SMSF under a ‘no advice model’. You will also be referred to Stakeshop Pty Ltd to enable your trading account and bank account to be set up in order to use the Stake Website and/or App. For more information about SMSFs, see our SMSF Risks page. The information on our website or our mobile application is not intended to be an inducement, offer or solicitation to anyone in any jurisdiction in which Stake is not regulated or able to market its services. At Stake and Stake Super, we’re focused on giving you a better investing experience but we don’t take into account your personal objectives, circumstances or financial needs. Any advice given by Stake is of a general nature only. As investments carry risk, before making any investment decision, please consider if it’s right for you and seek appropriate taxation and legal advice. Please view our Financial Services GuideTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy and Disclaimers before deciding to invest on or use Stake or Stake Super. By using our website or service in any way, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. All financial products involve risk and you should ensure you understand the risks involved as certain financial products may not be suitable to everyone. Past performance of any product described on this website is not a reliable indication of future performance. Stake and Stake Super are registered trademarks in Australia.

Copyright © 2024 Stake. All rights reserved.