Everyone shops. We all have the urge to buy things for ourselves whether we need them or not. Most stores we shop at have surveillance equipment to protect themselves, and the customer, should a crime occur. Since the customer is filmed someone out there figured why not study this footage and that is where Retail Anthropology comes in. As The Free Dictionary online states, “Retail Anthropology [is] the study of consumers ' shopping habits in order to choose the best locations for new retail sites and the best designs for the development itself and for the space within each store.” As this study is becoming more and more known many people are considering it unethical and manipulative. While the idea of being watched is definitely creepy,
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In the YouTube video How stores track your shopping behavior Ray Burke explains, how the straightening of items on shelves help one find their item faster. He also details how placement of items on tables invite the customer to feel the item, to decide to it or not. These simple methods of product position benefit the shopper so that they find what they need faster. Everyone considers their time valuable so having neat shelves and tables is something stores should maintain at all times. In The Science of Shopping Malcom Gladwell explains the “butt brush theory”, which is “Touch—or brush or bump or jostle –a woman on the behind when she has stopped to look at an item, and she will bolt” (96). I am delighted that this theory has been studied, because I very much dislike being bumped while examining items, shoes in particular. Some people do not understand the concept of personal space so if the aisle is not wide enough or if it is too crowded I will leave, as the quote mentions. I don’t care if there are really good sales, or I actually need something, because if I am uncomfortable that trumps everything. Many retailers would learn a lot from this theory because shopping should be a comfortable and pleasant …show more content…
For example, as Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon say in Signs of Life in the USA, “Consumption, not production, is relied upon to carry America out of its economic downturns. When Americans stop buying our economy comes to a halt” (76). As sneaky or manipulative as one may think Retail Anthropology is, who wants to live in a world with high employment rates? Unemployment leads to more homeless people on the streets and more reasons for the working class to be taxed higher. In the article Here’s Why Companies Are Desperate To Hire Anthropologists by Drake Baer he states, “While most execs are masters of analyzing spreadsheets, creating processes, and pitching products, anthropologists — and other practitioners of applied social science — can arrive at customer insights that big data tends to gloss over, especially around the role that products play in people 's lives.” As you can see Retail Anthropology is much more than trying to manipulate the consumer, it is also about getting to know them. Big name companies want to learn more about who they are selling to so that they can create products for them. Furthermore, studying people improves sales and creates jobs, which coincidentally affects many people’s
In the YouTube video How stores track your shopping behavior Ray Burke explains, how the straightening of items on shelves help one find their item faster. He also details how placement of items on tables invite the customer to feel the item, to decide to it or not. These simple methods of product position benefit the shopper so that they find what they need faster. Everyone considers their time valuable so having neat shelves and tables is something stores should maintain at all times. In The Science of Shopping Malcom Gladwell explains the “butt brush theory”, which is “Touch—or brush or bump or jostle –a woman on the behind when she has stopped to look at an item, and she will bolt” (96). I am delighted that this theory has been studied, because I very much dislike being bumped while examining items, shoes in particular. Some people do not understand the concept of personal space so if the aisle is not wide enough or if it is too crowded I will leave, as the quote mentions. I don’t care if there are really good sales, or I actually need something, because if I am uncomfortable that trumps everything. Many retailers would learn a lot from this theory because shopping should be a comfortable and pleasant …show more content…
For example, as Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon say in Signs of Life in the USA, “Consumption, not production, is relied upon to carry America out of its economic downturns. When Americans stop buying our economy comes to a halt” (76). As sneaky or manipulative as one may think Retail Anthropology is, who wants to live in a world with high employment rates? Unemployment leads to more homeless people on the streets and more reasons for the working class to be taxed higher. In the article Here’s Why Companies Are Desperate To Hire Anthropologists by Drake Baer he states, “While most execs are masters of analyzing spreadsheets, creating processes, and pitching products, anthropologists — and other practitioners of applied social science — can arrive at customer insights that big data tends to gloss over, especially around the role that products play in people 's lives.” As you can see Retail Anthropology is much more than trying to manipulate the consumer, it is also about getting to know them. Big name companies want to learn more about who they are selling to so that they can create products for them. Furthermore, studying people improves sales and creates jobs, which coincidentally affects many people’s