Friday, April 24, 2009

Have Shoppers On a Mission Look at Possibilities

When you watch shoppers entering your store—or track their browsing patterns on your website—do you notice how some of them are clearly on a mission? They go right for a particular item and, if the value is right, they want to buy the item as soon as possible.
     Other shoppers love to look through the possibilities. Even if they've a specific item in mind, they enjoy digesting the alternatives.
     Are men more likely to be Mission Shoppers and women more likely to be Possibilities Shoppers? Yes, at least when it comes to clothes, according to some Stanford University researchers. In general, men come for clothes out of necessity, and when they do bullet on in, it's with a targeted purpose in mind. On the other hand, women are more likely to circulate around so they can socialize, analyze, and discover what's new.
     Be grateful for your Mission Shoppers. They're spending money with you, and they don't waste your time. But also move Mission Shoppers towards being Possibilities Shoppers. This helps improve your profitability because the longer the shopper spends with you, the greater the chances you'll make a bigger sale. The Possibilities Shopper buys more items and is more likely to upgrade to higher-quality items.
     Do your store/website displays and merchandise arrangements encourage browsing and upgrading? Are your store aisles wide enough for customers to stand in front of the merchandise without getting in the way of other shoppers? Are your staff strong in recognizing the difference between a Mission Shopper and a Possibilities Shopper so each shopper's needs can be met superbly?

No comments:

Post a Comment