I recently finished reading a fascinating book called “Inside the mind of a shopper” by Herb Sorensen. Sorensen is a leader in the field of following what a shopper actually does in a store, instead of relying on shopper comments. From that perspective, he makes a compelling case to change retail marketing strategies from a traditional “product-centric” perspective to a new “shopper-centric” focus.
One great example of his research is a supermarket that puts milk at the back of the store, knowing that: shoppers often come in to buy only milk. They do this in hopes that the shopper will find other things they need along the way. His theory is that retailers who do this waste shoppers time, and risk losing the sale altogether as shoppers find an alternative store that will serve their needs better. (a convenience store)
I must say that although the book was largely focused on a bricks and mortar shopping environment, it gave me some great insights on how e-commerce companies can remove obstacles to help their buyers. With regard to building supplies, as more shoppers move online to find value, those insights will help us serve them better.
I’ve included a quick You-Tube video of Herb Sorensen. My favourite part is at 5:00 where he says “shopping is an interuption of your life”
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