For most consumers, the retailer that is most visited is the supermarket.  On average, customers shop for groceries twice a week and spend around $100.00 per week.  Consultants are paid big money by grocery retailers to study the best layouts for the stores to incite more purchases.  According to Paco Underhill, a consultant who studies the way customers shop, there are many commonalities in the ways that stores are designed.

Underhill suggests that flowers and bakeries are at the front of the store to get customers’ saliva glands going.  Then, stores direct customers to the right, where they will most often find fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables are displayed using theatrical techniques like putting oranges against a black backdrop to make the color pop and the oranges appear fresher and more appealing.  The reason that produce is pushed first is because the grocer can earn a higher margin on produce and vegetable items, and sadly, most Americans throw out 20-30% of produce because it goes bad before it gets eaten.  Meat and dairy are to the back and in the left hand corner of most grocery stores in order to pull customers deeper into the stores.

The contents of each shelf in a grocery store are usually negotiated between the grocer and the manufacturer.  This means that the most popular brands and manufacturers with the most money are able to negotiate the prime real estate that is at the customer’s eye level.

Discussion Question:

Why are items located where they are in supermarkets?

 

SOURCE: Karen Rundlet, wlrn.org, October 28, 2013