Inside the Mind of the Shopper: The Science of Retailing

by Herb Sorensen

Book Overview

What do you really do when you shop? The answers are fascinating and, for retailers, they're cash in the bank. In "Inside the Mind of the Shopper: The Science of Retailing," world-renowned retail... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0137126859
• ISBN13: 9780137126859
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Wharton School Publishing
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Finally a book on Store design and construction!

Finally a book on store design and construction! From his 40 years of observing shoppers, Herb Sorensen has given us the gift of understanding shoppers. This book is a great handbook for any marketer or retailer seeking to understand why people do what they do when they shop. Armed with the knowledge in this book, marketers and retailers can work together to predict how shoppers will respond (or not!) to package and label design, selling messages, shelf plans, and the entire retail space. In this book you will learn how to drive more profit from the "quick trip"...the three "moments of truth" in every shopping event...customer "migration patterns" within the store...and how to use "active retailing" to place products precisely where they'll do best. I give this book five stars *****

What makes supermarket shoppers tick?

Have you ever wondered why the milk is in the back of the grocery store, far away from the entrance? Supermarket managers put it there in hopes of enticing shoppers to buy some of the thousands of items they pass on their way to the dairy case. However, shopping behavioralist Herb Sorensen disagrees with this strategy. He suggests that it causes shoppers emotional distress and they will simply buy their milk elsewhere. This type of product placement tactic is the kind of "misconception" that Sorensen identifies as retailers' and manufacturers' biggest problem. They spend billions learning about their customers and then fail to understand how consumers behave in their stores. Sorensen proselytizes heavily about the virtues of shopper research, which is not surprising since it is his field of expertise. Given his intricate factual material, backed with research, charts, statistics and case histories, getAbstract believes that he will persuade most readers to accept his methods by the time they finish his book. This is a crucial read for retailers who aspire to increase sales by understanding what shoppers want and providing it.

Well-written with balance of quantitative and qualitative content

Great book because each chapter has a unique purpose in understanding Herb Sorensen's approach. Too many books have 100 pages or less of real content and double that of filler. Not this one. It carefully uses tables, graphs, maps, photos and a fast-moving pace. These work well to emphasize the importance of the quick trip, moments of truth, and types of currencies we all experience as shoppers, retailers, and manufacturers. Ultimately, I enjoyed the manifesto at the end with the top ten best practices retailers and manufacturers could execute tomorrow without a catch such as "buy our software" or "our consultants are standing by for an expensive engagement". I have already bought a second copy in two weeks since I loaned it out so quickly.

Real World Research is Priceless

Great insight on behavioral response Shopper Marketing. A must read for both Retailers and Manufacturers that collaboratively bring in-store, decision point initiatives alive.

Credible Research

What is interesting about this book is the focus on shopper behavior rather than shopper comments to draw the conclusions. People aren't reliable sources for predicting behavior. Behavior is the best predictor of behavior. By looking at where shoppers go, how long they take, and what they actually buy, Dr. Sorensen sheds new light on how retailers and brands can capitalize on the truth right under their noses!