sabato paying attention
TRANSCRIPT
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
Insights and Hidden Opportunities That I
Found While I was Paying Attention:
General Aha Moments:
Watch the course videos first.
I am a sucker for a bargain. Time spent on assignment =
4 hours, money spent on assignment = $50
Things I saw that I had missed before:
The facility and display maintenance varied widely from
store to store. The discount department stores were
not well maintained, for example dirty floors, broken
fixtures, sloppy displays, broken hangers. The specialty
retailers and boutique were clean and very well
maintained, which enhanced the image of the store.
Most customers in the clothing stores had someone
with them to provide opinions and feedback and/or to
enhance the social aspect of shopping.
Biggest Surprises:
I thought that the Semolina Bread Company was a bakery selling baked
goods and it’s a deli restaurant. There was not a loaf of bread to be had.
In francesca’s boutique the two salespeople were deep in a conversation
and ignored all of the customers in the store for the entire time I was
there.
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
The entry doors at Marshall’s had to be opened
manually and were hard to open. I watched an older
woman struggle to get into the store with a shopping
cart. She had to wait for another customer to assist
her.
On the way out, the obvious anti-theft barriers made
me feel like a potential criminal (same at Burlington
Coat Factory).
The patio and entry for Semolina Bread Company
should have been inviting, but was poorly lit and the
interior was also poorly lit, so it didn’t look open
I was surprised how such a simple thing as open front
doors could make me feel so welcomed and draw me
in. Ann Taylor had both of its outside doors wide
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
open, screaming come on in! Not to mention the well placed 60% off sign…
Francesca’s had really engaging windows, but
the closed doors and merchandise table too
close to the entry made me hesitant to enter.
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
The entry to Stop and Shop usually has a lot of plants that make the entry
feel more welcoming, but we were preparing for Hurricane Sandy and
everything was taken inside.
The entry to Burlington Coat Factory was a similar unwelcoming design to
Marshalls but did have automatic doors. Burlington Coat Factory actually
herds people through the checkout line, with stanchions and display
cases loaded with unmarked/untagged merchandise. I was surprised
by how depersonalizing and dehumanizing that is.
I was surprised at my change in view and perception when I paid
attention to my feeling and my experience in each store, rather than
paying attention to the merchandise.
Opportunities Hidden in Plain Sight:
I think there is a tremendous opportunity and market for “store stagers”, much like “home stagers” who could focus on the customer
experience, rather than on merchandise display. Imagine what you need to do to give your home curb appeal when you sell it and use the same
theories in store staging. I think the focus is often on displaying merchandise, when the focus should be on building the long term relationship
with the customer by giving them a positive shopping experience. There are a lot of little things that can be done to make the store feel like a
higher end store and make the customer feel more valued, such as:
Maintain the physical plant and display structures.
Get rid of clutter, it’s tiring.
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
Open the doors and welcome customers. Like Tom Kelly, look at the entry like a traveler, then move in and do the same inside.
Mix the lighting with natural light wherever possible, old style industrial fluorescent lighting and high industrial ceilings feel cold and
impersonal.
Use a theme or themes when organizing merchandise
Pay attention to your branding.
Greet customers
Train staff – I was impressed by a few of the salespeople I interacted with by their cheerful and helpful attitude. That should be the rule
in retail rather than the exception.
Lower ceilings to make them feel warmer, but no so low you feel crowded. It will save energy too…
Put plants around the entryway and if appropriate in the stores.
Be discreet in placement of anti-theft devices.
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
Here’s my observation data:
Observation Lab Marshalls Stop n Shop Ann Taylor Francesca’s Collections
Semolina Bread Company
Burlington Coat Factory
Type of Store Discount name brand clothing
and accessories Groceries
Women’s Clothing Specialty
Retailer
Women’s Clothing and Accessories
Boutique
Deli Discount
Department Store
Before you enter the store:
Does the store draw you in? If so, how?
No, poorly designed entry
No Yes, open door, great windows
Yes, great window displays
No, poorly lit, outside tables poorly laid out
No
Is the door open or closed? Closed Closed Open Closed Closed Closed
How does this make you feel? Ordinary Ordinary Welcomed Not special Unwelcome Ordinary
How big is the sign lettering and in what font?
Sentence case Sentence case All caps Lower case Sentence case Sentence case
What does it tell you about the store?
Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure
Before you enter the store:
Environment:
What is the color scheme of the store? How does this
affect you? Blue and white
Yellow, purple, green and red
Black and white Black and taupe Green, maroon
and white Red and white
What type of floor does the store have? How does this effect the environment?
linoleum linoleum Wood wood tile linoleum
How high is the ceiling? How does this feel?
30’ approx, cold & industrial
30’ approx, cold & industrial
15-20’ Dry wall and wood
beams, feels rich
15-20’, warmer 15-20’, warmer 30’ approx, cold
& industrial
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you?
Fluorescent, brightly lit, feels
cold
Alternating, Fluorescents,
too dim
Mixed lighting, felt like real
daylight,
Lower lighting, not even
Low “atmosphere” lighting, felt
inappropriate
Fluorescent, brightly lit, feels
cold
Observation Lab Marshalls Stop n Shop Ann Taylor Francesca’s Collections
Semolina Bread Company
Burlington Coat Factory
How loud is the environment? Relatively loud,
busy time in store
Quiet for a grocery store
Quiet and calm Quiet Very quiet Quiet, but not a
busy time
What is causing the noise? People and
music
Quiet background
noise
Low ambience music
Background music
Background music and
kitchen noise
Customers and staff,
announcements
Is there music playing? If so, does it fit the environment?
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Is the store warm or cold? Warm Warm Warm Warm Warm warm
Is the store crowed with merchandise or is it sparse?
crowded crowded Sparse Crowded Sparse Crowded
Does the store have a distinctive smell?
No Mixed food
smells New clothes
smell No Bread no
Where is the cash register located?
Right up front Front of store Left side, middle
Right side, middle
Back of store Front of store
How visible is the store security?
Security system right up front
Invisible Invisible Invisible invisible Security system
right up front
How long do you want to stay in this store?
Hours Just long
enough to buy groceries
Long enough to look through
every rack Not long
Long enough to eat…
Less than an hour
Does the environment influence the perceived value
of the merchandise? Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Personnel:
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
How long does it take before a sales person initiates
contact?
When I went to dressing room
No contact (used
automated checkout)
Immediate contact
No contact Immediate
contact Checkout
Observation Lab Marshalls Stop n Shop Ann Taylor Francesca’s Collections
Semolina Bread Company
Burlington Coat Factory
Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each
customer? No No No No No No
Does the salesperson treat different customers
differently? Hard to tell N/A
Didn’t seem that way
Yes No No
What is the ratio of salespeople to customers?
Few to many Few to many 2 to 2 2 to 6 2 to 3 Few to many
What age and gender are the employees?
Mixed age, and gender
Mixed age and gender
Middle aged females
20’s and 30’s females
Young male and female
Mixed age and gender
Are the salespeople using the store products?
Yes Probably yes yes Don’t know yes
Do the salespeople have a uniform?
No Yes No No Yes No
Do the salespeople match the stores image?
Yes Yes Yes
Yes, though one may have been a bit older than
the store’s target market
Yes
Yes
Products:
What is the first product that you notice?
Halloween costumes
Cookie display in entry
Table of new clothes in front
Jewelry in front Cold cuts Gourmet food packages and
jewelry
Is there a central display table with featured products?
There are central racks,
not tables No Yes Yes No Central racks
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
Observation Lab Marshalls Stop n Shop Ann Taylor Francesca’s Collections
Semolina Bread Company
Burlington Coat Factory
Where are items that are “for sale” located in the store?
Sale racks mixed into various
depts..
Tucked into back hallway and end of
aisles
Back left of store near
dressing rooms Back of store
Specials listed on board
Sale racks mixed into various
depts..
How are the products arranged? By function? By
price? By color?
Gender, age, type of product,
size Type of product
Style collections,
then size
Type of product and size where
appropriate Flavor
Gender, type of product, size
Are there free samples or demonstrations?
No Yes No No No No
What products are at eye level?
Shoes, bags, accessories and
homegoods ,Name brands
Style Displays & mannequins
Jewelry and purses
none Various products
in every dept.
What items in the store are in the least accessible locations?
Where are the most and least expensive products located?
Most expensive up front, least
mixed throughout
Most expensive eye level,
generic mixed throughout
Newest, front and center, sale
at back
Most expensive up front and least at back.
N/A Both mixed
through store
Are the prices of the products easy to find?
Yes Yes Yes, but
discreetly placed
Yes Yes, pricing
board clearly displayed
Yes
Are there impulse items near the cash register?
yes yes no yes yes yes
Customers:
Are most customers alone or with someone else? What is
the relationship? With someone Both Alone With someone With someone With someone
What is the average age and gender of the customers?
Very mixed 21+ females 40+ females 20-40 females Young adult
mixed gender Mixed ages and
genders
Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity
When a customer enters the store, do they tend to walk in the same path or direction? -
No Yes No No Yes No
How long do customers stay in the store, on average?
? ? ? ? ? ?
Do customer touch the products? Is this encouraged?
Yes/Yes Yes/not really Yes/Yes Yes/Yes No/No Yes/Yes
Do most customers appear to be on a mission or are they
browsing? Browsing On a mission Browsing Browsing On a mission Browsing
What percent of customers purchase products in the
store? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Other Observations: