A Narrative in the Topic of Consumer Behavior: How Shopping Malls and Stores Get You to Buy More Eric

D. Becher University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Fall 2013

Introduction: Through my observations walking around the shopping mall Concord Mills, I have come to the assertion that stores are set up specifically to make the customer buy more. I became interested in the topic of consumer behavior because I wondered why the people I was observing in the mall were buying what they were buying. I questioned whether the stores were set up randomly or whether they were set up a certain way to make people spend more money. Then, when I began my research on this topic, I found a lot of information that backed my theory that malls and stores do in fact set themselves up a specific way to make you buy more. In this narrative, I will discuss the various things stores do to make people stay longer and how stores make people more likely to buy goods. My selected audience for this narrative will be anybody who shops in the mall and other places. The following paragraphs will be broken down into the three major sections: Introduction to Consumer Behavior, Product Placement, and Store Setup. Literature Review: Introduction to Consumer Behavior Consumer behavior involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how they are purchased, (Perner 2000). How are products purchased? What influences a person to buy a product? These are questions I had when I first began my research. I wanted to know how retailers got people to spend their money. Retailers do everything in their power to make shoppers spend more. The way they do this is through research to see what works the best when selling products. For example, people are more receptive to food advertisements when they are hungry, so snack advertisements are usually scheduled in the late afternoon (Perner 2000). This

Comment [E1]: More detail in the introduction.

Comment [E2]: More specific details from observation.

Comment [E3]: More about consumer behaviore and add terms section.

Comment [E4]: More from that source and talk about advertising.

shows that the way companies try to get you to spend more money on their products is heavily researched. The way companies do this is through market research. Market research often used to ensure that they produce what customers really want and not what they think they want (Perner 2000). A lot of market research goes into figuring out how to get people to buy more, also. The way things are setup and how the products are placed around stores are all figured out with market research. Literature Review: Product Placement The way stores place their products is not by chance, it is done in a specific way to maximize the likelihood someone will buy them. One example of this is how stores place impulse items at the checkout (Trent 2007). For example, stores often display candy, magazines, DVDs, and drinks next to the checkout so they can increase the chances someone waiting in line buys them. Magazines are there because stores rely on the scenario that someone in line is reading it and wants to read more so they buy it. Also, drinks and snacks are there to tempt hungry and thirsty customers waiting to pay for their items. These impulse items tend to appeal to the senses more and get people to buy them by just looking at them more easily than other items in the store. I noticed this at T.J Maxx when I was making my first observation. The checkout line there is surrounded in chocolates, soft drinks, perfumes, and magazines. Another way stores place their items to get people to spend more is they usually place their most expensive version of an item at eye level (Vasel 2012). This makes it so you have to spot the most expensive items first. The cheaper items are usually located at the bottom of shelves in stores (Vasel 2012). A strategy clothing stores use when placing commodity items such as socks is they place them by non-commodity items such as shirts or jeans (Trent 2007).
Comment [E6]: Expand on Comment [E5]: Add a review of Concord Mills mall.

This makes it so the customer has to look at higher priced items when trying to buy lower priced items to increase the likelihood they spend more money. One way supermarkets get you to see more (and hopefully buy more) is that they put the essential items such as bread and milk in the back of the store so you have to walk past all the other non-essential products (Spacehackers 2012). I believe stores definitely do these types of things on purpose and not just out of random and most people dont even think about it. I mean I never really thought about it until I started my research. Theres a whole psychological basis for why stores place their items the way they do. Literature Review: Store Setup In my observations, I noticed that mall traffic was slow during weekdays (Becher 2013). Well, malls try to change this by offering better deals during the weekdays to bring more people into the mall during these times (Crouch 2013). Also, department stores are usually located at opposite each other at different ends of malls away from the entrance so you have to walk past all the other stores to get to them (Trent 2007). Oh and have you ever noticed where the bathrooms are in stores? They are almost always located strategically in the back of stores strategically to make you walk through the whole store and maybe get you to buy something you see as you walk past the aisles (Trent 2007). Most people dont pay attention to these things as they walk through stores nowadays; they think stores have this setup to be familiar to shoppers and to make shopping more convenient. But its not for the shoppers convenience, it is for the profit of the stores. I believe stores have people fooled into spending more because of this. This is no exception with kiosks either. Mall kiosks have the high price per square foot to rent so chances are you are not getting a deal on the item you are buying from one (Crouch 2013). Even the clearance sections are there to fool shoppers into thinking their getting a deal. It makes the
Comment [E7]: Move sentence or revise.

shopper feel like they are on a treasure hunt when they are going through racks and racks of clothes. The shopper will find an item they think is treasure even if its not (Crouch 2013). Even when shopping malls provide entertainment such as concerts or celebrity appearances they do so to trick people into buying things. Many people who attend these events stick around and also do a little shopping, as well (Marte 2011). What malls hope for when they host events that bring in a lot of people is that those people who attend will stay longer and spend their money in the stores or at the food court. Everything is done for a reason. Entering the Conversation: The articles I have read have really made me realize how well retailers trick people into spending more money. I am very interested in why people do what they do. Psychology has always been a field I have had a real understanding of and a thirst for knowledge of. When I did my observations it never really crossed my mind though. It just looked like a normal mall and now that I look back on those observations I see how it is almost like an illusion to make you spend. Malls provide a place for people to spend time with their friends, get entertained, see a movie, get some cool stuff and satisfy their hunger. But these are all ways they get you to stay longer and spend more money and keep you coming back for more. What is so interesting to me is that most people at the mall dont notice these things; they just think it is normal. I dont think its a bad thing either that malls do this. Its human nature for people to want to earn as much money as possible. Manipulation just comes with that goal of making money. The articles I discussed in this narrative all fueled my knowledge to understand more about what makes people spend more. I can maybe use this knowledge for my benefit in the future if I fulfill my goal of owning my own business. The clever tricks that retailers do to
Comment [E8]: Discuss the effectiveness of advertising to different age groups.

encourage spending are very well thought out and it is almost like a psychologist created them, and probably did. All the different selling strategies in these places distract you so well you dont even notice that you are being pushed to buy more. Looking back at my observations, there was a lot of things I didnt notice. I didnt really notice the way things were placed in the stores. I didnt notice how the kiosks and stores were getting me to spend money. It was only after pondering on the idea of why people buy things that I decided to do some research. The articles I found revealed almost everything about the way stores are setup to make people buy more. Conclusion: So What? I believe everyone would benefit from knowing the things that stores do to make you spend more so that they can save more money when out and about shopping in places like these. It is also a really cool thing to think about too when in these places. Something I would like to see researched further would be seeing what types of people are usually fooled by these mall tricks.
Comment [E9]: Summarize the article points Comment [E10]: What conversations are most useful? Talk about what I learned.

References: Marte, J. (June 28, 2011) 10 Things Shopping Malls Won't Tell You http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-shopping-malls-wont-tell-you-1308954251095 Trent (April 5, 2007) 15 Ways Department Stores Try To Trick You Into Spending More Than You Need To And 10 Ways To Fight Back http://www.thesimpledollar.com/15-waysdepartment-stores-try-to-trick-you-into-spending-more-than-you-need-to-and-10-ways-to-fight

Crouch, M. (2013) 13 Things Your Mall Salesperson Wont Tell You http://www.rd.com/slideshows/13-things-your-mall-salesperson-wont-tell-you/ Anand, N. (Jan 7, 2013) http://www.dnaindia.com/money/1786289/report-and-thats-howmalls-trick-our-senses-to-make-us-buy-more-and-more Becher, E. (2013) Observation Notes https://moodle2.uncc.edu/course/view.php?id=17621 Mainstreet (January 18, 2012) 6 ways stores keep you there longer http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/6-ways-stores-keep-you-there-longer-mainstreet.aspx Vasel, K.B. (December 21, 2012) How Retailers Get You to Spend More http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/12/21/how-retailers-get-to-spend-more Spacehackers (2002) A-Z Retail Tricks To Make You Shop http://www.spacehijackers.org/html/ideas/archipsy/tricks.html Allen, D. (2001) Retail Business Miracles: Science and Psychology http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/miracles.htm Perner, L. (2000) Consumer Behavior: The Psychology of Marketing http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/