Shopper (Berfield, 2009) the Ethnographic

¶ … Shopper (Berfield, 2009) the ethnographic research methodologies of the retail research and advisory firm Envirosell and its founder Pico Underhill, are discussed both in print and in a video. Mr. Underhill's firm specializes in analyzing how consumers are changing their purchasing behavior in response to the economic downturn being experienced globally. In the video interview two scenarios of retailing are shown. The first is of a lingerie store that shows women dressed in provocative lingerie and posing with a defiant stance. Mr.

Underhill analyzes this as a store display to attract men into the store, yet paradoxically misses the point that women buy lingerie to make their exterior clothing fit better. He says the designer of this specific store display completely misses the point of how women shop. The second is a video shown is that of a large discount store that has merchandise at 8 to 9 feet above the floor. The woman in the video must have her son reach up to get a product of interest.

Both of these scenarios show that retailers have much to learn regarding their approach to creating retailing experiences that customers can feel comfortable in and yet also be functional to selling more. The article also mentions that shoppers are spending an average of 20% longer in aisles as they shop and also are trading out of items as they go through the store, leaving items at the checkout line before purchasing it. The economy is forcing a high level of cognitive dissonance in many shoppers today, Mr. Underhill observes (Berfield, 2009).

Strategies for Increasing Retaining Effectiveness Throughout the article there are specific strategies defined for increasing the sales effectiveness of retailers, illustrating the unique methodology that Mr. Underhill's firm Envirosell utilizes to increase the effectiveness of retailing strategies. His firms' methodology concentrates on tracking shoppers throughout stores and videotaping their behavior, then analyzing it in the context of displays, traffic routing strategies and the use of signage in the stores. As a result of this methodology, the company Envirosell captures 50,000 hours of video each year.

His firms' analysis shows that the front of stores is often used as a decompression zone, and that Americans tend to turn right when they walk into a store. As is the case with auto dealerships' service centers, the most crucial time to meet a customer is when they first enter the dealership or store. Mr. Underhill's analysis supports this fact with his firm stating that the first minute a customer enters the store is the most important in getting them to purchase. The challenges that Mr.

Underhill highlights for retailers are to control the flow of traffic through their stores and also specifically control the eye movement of.