su_ccc_assignment2_retail_presentation

Stanford University Online CourseBy Venture LabA Crash Course on CreativityBy Professor Tina Selig

Assignment 2: Are You Paying Attention

By Pranav SanghaviOctober 2012

INSIGHTSINTO

RETAILING

Stanford University Online Course: A Crash Course on Creativity Assignment 2 Are you Paying Attention By Pranav Sanghavi October 2012 02

Observations Before

Entering the Store


Before entering the store:

Things Observed: My Take on the same:

• Store Name is always in big bold and bright fonts, displayed prominently

• Innovative and catchy window displays through large walls of glass

• Majority of the stores have their doors open

• This helps to etch the store name in the customers mind

• This draws the passing potential customer into the store

• It makes the customer feel welcome


In Store Environment


In Store Environment:


• Color Schemes are always subduedbarring one store which was a kids store

• As flooring, a majority of them had basic ceramic tiles barring two, one of whom had wooden floor and the other a bit of marble

• This allows the focus to be drawn to the products on display

• They were shiny but plain as most customers look at products and not at floors. The wooden floor adds to the warmth of the store




• Ceiling heights were at least 12 to 15 feet with some having over 25 feet

• All stores were brightly lit with ample lights on the products displayed

• This gives a sense of calm and feels non-claustrophobic

• It makes for a vibrant environment and allows the customerto see the products clearly




• All the stores had soft music playing barring one which had loud dance music

• There was no loud noise within the stores and the store temperature was just perfect not too cold or hot

• This is conducive to shopping and the dance music was playing at a sporting goods store

• Loud noise would probably make the customer leave the store in a hurry and same goes with extreme temperature



Things Observed:

• Stores had distinctive smell and crowded with merchandise

• The security cameras are very discreet

• The environment does influence the perceived value of the merchandise

My Take on the same:

• The smell creates an identity in your mind like the store name display

• The customers would could be offended by in-their-face security cameras

• That could be another reason that the stores are not richly decorated


Personnel Observation


Personnel Observations:

• All the personnel are young adults in their 20s barring a few store managers and there are equal number of both male and female staff

• Majority of the stores lets the customer browse and promptly helps when asked to and didn’t notice them treating customers differently


• It’s the enthusiasm and energy of the youth that would help the sales

• I guess it works for me as I don’t like to be pestered when I’m browsing for merchandise and ask only when I’m buying something


Personnel Observations:

• Every Store had a uniform for their employees and only one store employees used their own products

• The ratio widely varied from 1:10 to 1: 2 depending on the customers in the store and the size of the store


• It’s easier for the customer to identify the staff and ask for help

• Larger stores had a weaker ratio where as smaller ones had a better ratio


Product (of) Observation


Product (of) Observation:

• The first product one notices is the one displayed on a table in front of the entrance

• Most stores have a central display table

• Sale items are either up in the front or right at the back


• This product is either the main product of the store or items on sale to draw the customer into the store

• Those store who use sale items to draw a customer set them up in front



• The products are arranged by function and colors mostly

• No free samples but demonstrations and try me products

• Over 90% of the products are at eye level

• All prices were easy to find


• This makes it easy for the customer to find and browse

• These help in promoting sales

• Makes it easier to view the products and hard to miss

• It saves the customer the embarrassment of asking a staff not knowing whether they will be able to afford it or not



• Slow selling items were found at the least accessible location

• Many of the stores had the most expensive and least expensive products next to each other

• All stores had impulse items next to the cash register


• I guess it makes sense to have fast selling items up front

• I guess the store would not be perceived as too expensive if two disparately priced items were together

• It is surely there to temp the customer to add items in their cart


Customer is KING or QUEEN


Customer is King or Queen:


• All customers were either with family or friends

• The customers age ranged from 5 to 70 years and both male and females were in equal number

• Many stores they tend to walk in the same path

• Very few came on their own. I guess shopping is a group activity as the opinion of the other person matters before purchase

• At the mall there are stores which cater to kids as well as older people

• I guess it’s because of the layout of the store as they want the customer to follow a particular path


Customer is King or Queen:


• It depends on the factors like store size, merchandise (electronics: more time, clothes: lesser time)

• It helps the customer make an informed decision

• Certain stores like shoe stores the customer is on a mission where as for clothes they are generally browsing

• The customer stays anything from 5 to 30 minutes

• They do touch the products and it is encouraged in all stores I visited

• There is a mixed number of customers either on a mission or just browsing


Other Observations,

Things Missed Before

And Opportunities


Observations & Things Missed Before:


• This is unique to India as shop lifting is common and this would put a sense of fear in the potential shop lifter

• I had never noticed this in stores fact before this exercise

• Every store had at least one security guard at the entrance

• All cash register counters are either towards the exit or at the back of the store


Opportunities:

Things Observed: Opportunity:

• I feel there is an opportunity for a company to provide a thin rubber/plastic (recyclable) floor mat with printed details about the products, directions to sections etc., which affixes itself easily to the floor. They could be foot shaped, roll out mats like carpets etc. This will make the floor more safe and more informative to the customer.

• All the floors are shiny, slippery and absolutely plain


Thank You


su_ccc_assignment2_retail_presentation

Documents

store temperature

discreetthe environment

vibrant environment

feetall stores

loud dance music

loud noise

products displayedthis

soft music