Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping

Shoppers need to touch, hear, smell, or taste things before they’ll buy them. Mirrors help patrons field-test wearables. Unexpected products add to the lure of shopping. Groups of customers chatter among themselves, which adds to the experience and increases sales. When employees greet customers, this contributes to a feeling of being wanted, and it increases shopper loyalty. Bargain tables draw patrons, as long as they aren’t too crowded.

Turn-offs include too many mirrors, which can feel creepy; lines, which cause frustration; and having to ask dumb questions, which embarrasses shoppers, who much prefer instructional materials and open displays of products for easy examination. Dipping or bending down to retrieve low-lying merchandise reduces sales, as do “goods out of stock,” “obscure price tags,” and “intimidating service” or any incompetent, rude, or disengaged service (170). 

Shopping is more than buying. It’s a process that involves the senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Towels, bedsheets, and especially clothing are fondled before they’re purchased: Patrons want to know how something will feel before they agree to wear it. Touching helps us choose lotions, cosmetics, tools, purses, and briefcases, but not, for example, light bulbs.

Shoppers want to taste-test new foods, but there aren’t enough samples; without taste tests, 90% of new food items fail simply “because people never tried them" (173).