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Summary: A terrific, lively read---"The Naked Ape" goes to the mall.
Review: If you, too, love books that treat everyday human behavior like a scientific subject, this one's for you. Practically every page contains some fascinating tidbit about how we conduct ourselves in stores---like the fact that nobody on his or her way to the bank teller window ever pauses to read a sign, or that when people shop for telephones, they always put the receiver to their ear, even when it's obvious the phone's not connected to anything. We own a small chain of stores, and we're making dozens of changes just based on this great book. A must for anyone running a retail business.
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Summary: A consciousness-raising read for anyone who sells or buys.
Review: Like the great John McPhee, Paco Underhill gets deep under the skin of his subject to give you a new look at something familiar. His friendly style makes an activity we all think we know and understand come alive with new information and insights. His work is proof that even in the information age, there is much we don't know about ourselves and that much can be learned by patient dedication and study.
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Summary: A concise, thoughtful read on a relevant subject
Review: I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Paco Underhill's new book on shopping. Now, like many people I am often recommended to "how to" & "why" books on various business subjects -and I find that they are usually quite ponderous and dry and I generally last about a chapter --not so with this book --Underhill presents a POV on a subject that many of us take for granted --how people shop and why they do what they do when they are in a bank or a store. Obviously, since his business is studying this subject in all its minute details, he has had ample opportunity to study and probe vast amounts of film and this experience has provided him with insights that are both fascinating and, at times, quite humorous as he explores the human condition in that very American -- and now increasing global activity of shop 'til you drop. In short, it's ainteresting and informative read and every store manager should be given thisn bookm as required reading --as well as "civilians" who frequent these establishments--large and small.
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Summary: Sometimes the obvious isn't so apparent
Review: I finally picked this one up after about a year of "meaning to buy it." I'm glad I did. It's a lighthearted and fun book that will make you analyze every store you set foot into and make you want to avoid many others. There are no earth-shattering ideas in here, but it does point out many of the obvious things you'd probably miss, ie: product placement, who the decision-makers are and traffic flow of the stores. It's written clear and concise, but recycles many of the examples. I read it over the course of 2 planetrips (with layovers) and will probably pass it along to a store-owner I know - meaning I won't be referencing it for the rest of my life, but I'll probably keep an eye to see what stores have read it and who should
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Summary: Why We Buy Helps Me Sell!
Review: Since I have never been an avid shopper (usually once or twice a year besides the grocery), I found this book absolutely enlightening! I find I "shop like the guys" in the stores the few times I go each year. Usually I give my neighbor money and she buys my clothes, etc., during her very frequent shopping trips. However, about a year ago I opened a Holistic Clinic and have started carrying items to fill needs of my bodywork clients and yoga students, etc. Paco's book really made a BIG difference in how I have done the presentation of products, signs, customer checkout, etc. My sales did indeed increase significantly! I'm in a Business Networking group and have recommended the book to the other 20 people in that group and loaned it to a few. I also recommended it to 3 of our local bookstores (including a very large chain), the post office, and have given it as a gift to two friends who are starting their own businesses. My husband teases me about "Well, what does Paco say?" This book is fun to read, extremely informative, and has made a great difference in my sales - and a newfound enjoyment in shopping for me! Thanks Paco!
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Summary: Insighful Retail selling techniques
Review: This book is a great bunch of facts and insights into the nature of selling (which may be translated into buying). It does a good job of segmenting customers based on age, interests and personalities. Everyone who is in business of running, supporting or consultig to retail stores will benefit from reading thsi book.
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Summary: Paco's Life Work
Review: Paco Underhill's Envirosell has carved out a healthy and valuable niche in retail consulting - loosely, it's the 'science of shopping,' and Paco and team do impressive legwork to round up secret shopper-based observation and hidden video analysis.
But, don't expect to read 'Science of Shopping' and come out with a gameplan for your small- or medium-sized chain (although there's certainly a fair share of pointers). 'Why We Buy' is more a walk through Paco's life work, the evolution of the science. And kudos to Paco for that: he literally invented the field. My hats off to him. Coming out with the book was a brilliant piece of marketing. Want proof of that? When I pulled up 'Why We Buy' here on amazon to write this review, I was met with a sponsored link to Envirosell. Sweet.
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Summary: Misleading title...
Review: The title suggests that the book discusses the psychology and science of shopping and consumerism. It doesn't. At best, it provides some practical advice to retailers on how to catch the customer's eye, where to position product displays, etc.
If you're looking for a book that actually digs into the psychology and science of consumerism, you might try "How Customers Think: Essential Insights Into the Mind of the Market" by Gerald Zaltman.
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Summary: A good read
Review: A very interesting book and a very easy book to read. The content flowed well. It brings up lots of interesting items that many consumers don't think of. It has certainly given me many things to think about as I visit retail establishments. Every now and then it seems as though it seems like a plug for the authors company.
The chapter on Internet selling feels very dated, and it is, even though it is only 4 or 5 years old. Many of the criticism that the author had have been changed and many of his conceptual ideas are common practice. Then again, maybe on-line retailers took the author's suggestions and implemented them.
Overall it is a thoroughly enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone.
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Summary: Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management Used for Consumers
Review: This book's thesis is that by making the process of shopping easier and more desirable, and the choices clearer, the consumer will buy more. That's very similar to the observation that Taylor made about manual labor. Make it simpler and easier, and more work will get done. The methods are remarkably similar. Measuring the actions that the person under study makes, and changing the environment and process to see how the productivity is affected. I think this work is an important extension of behavioral economics, and hope it will be applied to more areas of business.
Although a book like this could be written in a very technical way, the voice and perspective are quite approachable. Also, the book is written to be equally interesting to shoppers and retailers. I'm sure you notice a lot of new things about your own behavior and that of others the next time you go shopping.
I also thought that the book was a good example of the way that stalled thinking holds back progress. For example, without this kind of observational measurement of shoppers, most retailers would never know which shoppers leave without buying and why. Or, why some merchandising experiments succeed or fail. In both cases, there are opportunities to accomplish more, if you can only grasp how your own decisions and behavior are helping and hurting your sales.
One of the sections I enjoyed was an evaluation of why many book stores miss sales. I often notice the inconveniences mentioned when I am in a book store, and wondered why the stores persist in doing things that make the store hard to shop in. There's a lot of stalled thinking in the industry, which is why we are fortunate to have Amazon.com to help us.
The book does a nice job of discussing how people with different perspectives shop differently. You'll probably get a laugh or two when you find yourself there. Do you secretly dig a sample out of the lipstick or the men's deodorant gel? Do you browse and rarely buy in Laura Ashley or in a computer store? When do you look at yourself in the mirror in a store? When do you not even go into a store because you can see long check out lines?
Ultimately, almost everything in this interesting book is common sense. But chances are that your needs are not often well served in areas that are important to you in retail outlets. My favorite was the problem of people only having two hands, and all of the times that we need three or four to negotiate the retailer's set-up.
A particular strength of this book was that it also pointed out that behavior is subject to change, as social patterns and values change. Men's jeans need to be in areas of wide aisles or fathers pushing their children in strollers will have to choose between looking at jeans and abandoning their children. That was not a very important problem 50 years ago.
I have often noticed how much people like to sample things before buying them, and how difficult it is to sample in many situations. Do you really want to go through what it takes to take a test drive of 20 different cars in 20 different dealers? Probably not. Yet, I would certainly buy a car more often if I had an easier chance to try the new ones out. You are probably the same way.
The main weakness of the book is that much less work has been done in looking at consumer behavior on the Internet, so the findings will hardly surprise you. You probably noticed these things years ago, like sites that are hard to navigate, have no site maps, and won't let you use the forms to buy.
I encourage anyone who has an interest in being more customer oriented to read this book, and use it to reexamine what your customers have to go through to do business with you. How could you improve?
Eliminate your stalls that make buying from you difficult, and rapid profitable growth should quickly follow.
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