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Why We Buy:

The Science Of Shopping (Google eBook)
Front Cover
244 Reviews
Simon and Schuster, Dec 30, 2008 - Business & Economics - 256 pages
Is there a method to our madness when it comes to shopping? Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a Sherlock Holmes for retailers," author and research company CEO Paco Underhill answers with a definitive "yes" in this witty, eye-opening report on our ever-evolving consumer culture. Why We Buy is based on hard data gleaned from thousands of hours of field research -- in shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets across America. With his team of sleuths tracking our every move, from sweater displays at the mall to the beverage cooler at the drugstore, Paco Underhill lays bare the struggle among merchants, marketers, and increasingly knowledgeable consumers for control.

In his quest to discover what makes the contemporary consumer tick, Underhill explains the shopping phenomena that often go unnoticed by retailers and shoppers alike, including:

  • How a well-placed shopping basket can turn a small purchase into a significant sale

  • What the "butt-brush factor" is and how it can make sales plummet

  • How working women have altered the way supermarkets are designed

  • How the "boomerang effect" makes product placement ever more challenging

  • What kinds of signage and packaging turn browsers into buyers

For those in retailing and marketing, Why We Buy is a remarkably fresh guide, offering creative and insightful tips on how to adapt to the changing customer. For the general public, Why We Buy is a funny and sometimes disconcerting look at our favorite pastime.

  

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User ratings

5 stars
36
4 stars
88
3 stars
83
2 stars
26
1 star
11

Good ideas for library layout. - Goodreads
Deride two companies that didn't take my advice. - Goodreads
Interesting insight into retail psychology. - Goodreads
Great insight for larger shops. - Goodreads
It is a good introduction to business anthropology. - Goodreads
Interesting insight for the average shopper. - Goodreads

Review: Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping

User Review  - Kimberly Massey - Goodreads

Interesting insight for the average shopper. Read full review

Review: Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping

User Review  - Steve Dragoo - Goodreads

Thought-provoking and applicable. Read full review

All 239 reviews »

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Contents

A Science Is Born
11
What Retailers Dont Know
34
The Twilight Zone
45
You Need Hands
52
How to Read a Sign
60
Shoppers Move Like People
75
Dynamic
86
III
93
The Sensual Shopper
161
The Big Three
183
Time Real and Perceived
189
CashWrap Blues
195
Magic Acts
200
In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Shop
212
The SelfExam
224
Final Thoughts
238

What Women Want
112
If You Can Read This Youre Too Young
129
Kids
141
THE DYNAMICS OFSHOPPING
155
Acknowledgments
245
Index
249
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Paco Underhill is the founder and CEO of Envirosell, Inc. His clients include Microsoft, McDonald's, adidas, and Estee Lauder. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He lives in New York City.

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