 Every consumer should read this classic |
| Review Date: April 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Greenwood, Connecticut |
| I used the first edition of this text in an American-studies graduate class. This newer edition is a bit updated (always good in a field like this) but mostly just in the last chapter, which is about electronic (internet) shopping. So, if you already have an earlier edition, you probably don't need this one: going to a library to check out the last chapter would be enough to update you. However, if you have no edition, I highly recommend "Why We Buy." Whether you are in the biz of selling or you are just an average consumer, this classic belongs on your shelf and should be periodically reread. I had my daughters read parts of it when they were teens so that they would become aware of how seriously the shopping industry is researched and geared to manipulate shoppers. |
Understanding myself as a consumer
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| Review Date: February 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Hatfield, San Francisco, CA USA |
| I heard Paco speak on NPR Winter 2009, and I thought, well this is interesting in light of our economy collapsing. I had no idea he would walk me through my own mindset as I enter a store, and why I end up buying so many things I only realized I needed once I took them home. Now that I am unemployed, (and lacking that discretionary income that gave me the option to not really think about what I was doing), I at least have a better idea of when I feel like I am being manipulated by store marketing (even if I still buy the salsa to go with the chips to go with the coke...) I would love to get Paco's insights on the effect of a much smaller budget for the American Household, and what smart stores will do to adjust. |
Why We Buy
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| Review Date: February 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: George Whalin, Carlsbad, CA United States |
| Paco Underhill's revision of this extraordinary book is even better than it was when it was first published. This new edition is jam-packed with amazing insights into consumers and how they shop that have never been available elsewhere. If you have anything to do with selling consumer products or the business of retailing this is one book you absolutely must read. It is also one of those books that you will want to highlight key ideas and passages and reread again and again. |
Fascinating, albeit mistitled, book
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| Review Date: September 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sooj, |
I somehow imagine a team of marketers and sales strategist at Simon & Schuster sitting with Underhill's manuscript and trying to make the book seem snappier, a little more soundbiteable. After all "Observations on Shopping Mannerisms by Anthropologist turned Retail Consultant" doesn't have the same tone as "Why We Buy" which rings with a promise to explain our deepest desires for material goods. Alas, the title misleads (not living up to Underhill's explanation of the function of the sign, even if it is only three words short...and in some ways, one must consider every book cover fulfilling the function of store signage).
Rather than "Why", the book is more of a "How". In what ways do consumers function within a retail space? What are the deterrents, the subtle incentives to stay in a retail space, the final closing environment for the sell? How do consumers function based on demographics? What is the architecture of the retail environment? What makes a consumer buy or not buy? These are some of the questions that Underhill seeks to answer with his team of field observers who track (unbeknownst to the shoppers), tape and interview shoppers.
Some reviewers have mentioned how commonsensical some of the observations are. Yet, it's one of the aspects that is always surprising about retail: that the commonsensical is ignored because so many of the decisions are made by corporate executives who do not spend enough time in the retail environment. Yet, on the rare occasions when a corporate executive will spend time in his/her company's retail executive, genuine observations will not come easily as an employee's perception is colored by his/her own preconceived ideas about what the company is. Additionally, it's difficult to perceive judiciously every single reaction one has but each easier to perceive on a surface level the reaction of others. For instance, when I read Underhill's observation for a need for a "transitional space" between the parking lot and actually starting to be absorbed in the retail space, I immediately understood what he meant, remembering my own shopping experiences and needing some time to take off my coat, close my umbrella, etc. Yet, I could never have articulated that in the way Underhill has done after minute observation.
I loved the chapter on the senses and shopping. One might say that the boom of the farmer's market in recent years can be partly attributed to a more interesting sensory experience than the often sterile, air-conditioned supermarket experience (of course, there are also political agendas and food issues that come into play). Yet, when I go to an interesting farmer's market with tables displaying a bounty of produce, freshly baked goods, beautiful flowers, handspun yarn...the displays of multiple colors, smells, as well as the varying characters of each vendor all make the farmer's market a more pleasurable experience than shivering through a supermarket where I am confronted with mediocre produce, food hidden under too much packaging, or aisles and aisles of frozen goods.
Underhill includes some great observations on dressing rooms, from its awful interior design and architecture to the shabby daily maintenance. The one further item I wish he had explored as a natural complement is the existence of bathrooms. It strikes me that too often independent businesses lose out by not having a public bathroom, even if it were just one small lavatory. While Starbucks helped invent the "third space" concept, I also think that it has a restroom is crucial. I can't count the number of times I went into a Starbucks to use the restroom and bought a coffee as I felt I would too shameless to just use their facilities.
For those who are interested in the minutiae of the retail experience (and I use the word minutiae in the most complimentary manner), this is a superb and tremendously enjoyable reading. |
It's the best for any Retail Business to know
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| Review Date: October 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. VanDox, |
| I've been a Retail Visual Merchandiser and Stylist for 34 years and Paco Underhill's science is absolutely accurate. I live by this "science". It was great to know that I've been doing it right for all these years and even learned some new stuff from this book. It's a MUST READ ! |
An eye opening experience
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| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gustavas Jankauskas, Lithuania |
By far the most in-depth analysis of our buying decisions in POS. Although at first it seems that some of the details described are not worth any interest, the author quickly provides a solid rationale behind any single one of them.
By reading the book you get the feeling "yes, exactly - why hasn't anyone thought of that?!" as well as eye-opening moments.
Strongly recommended to all the retailers as well as ones, who are proposing various POS activities for the retailers.
Only one negative thing - the font is very small and text is crowded so sometimes it's too much tiring to read it for a long time. |
Fascinating, though it ends badly
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| Review Date: January 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: oldtaku, San Diego, CA United States |
The first four parts of this book are absolutely fascinating. It's an in depth look at the psychology of shopping and it is exactly what the title promises. Underhill's company gets paid to spy on people in stores and see what they're doing wrong and right. The gems in this book are the anecdotes and the specific revelations about how any obstacle you put in the way of a shopper drops your sales figures. Any way you can make life easier raises your sales. This all seems sort of obvious, but most people running the businesses don't think it through.
One example is the entry zone at the front of the store - you'd think that's a prime location for signage, deals, brochures, etc. But when you're headed through the door into the store you see almost nothing and stop for almost nothing, and then (in America) you tend to drift to the right and then you're 'in' the store. If you put a store directory just inside the door, nobody uses it. Move it back a bit so you can find it once you're into the store and suddenly it's heavily utilized. He has hard observational data for all these, so they're compelling in addition to being fascinating.
And of course all the bad examples are great fun to read (seniors crawling along floors trying to read labels on badly shelved medicine), as are the descriptions of how different groups shop (male vs female, old vs young, parents vs. single, etc.) The whole book is pretty much a commercial for Underhill's company, but it's still informative and fun reading.
Where the book falls down is at the end, where a chapter on the Internet is shoehorned in and a perfunctory shout out to each of Envirosell's worldwide branches is included.
Even though I think he's more right than wrong, the whole Internet chapter comes across as a confused old guy muttering about how he doesn't get that new fangled rock music. He complains about how many review sites there are, for instance, and has no idea how much it can transform the shopping experience (and not just be a poor supplement). Worse, the book's entire premise is mostly about how you need observational data of real customers because they'll always do things you don't expect (can't argue there), but he HAS no data on this topic, so it's just not compelling. I can't help but think the whole chapter is just in there because 'we need something about teh intertubes'.
The 'Come Fly With Me' chapter must be in here because he needs to professionally backscratch all his international partners. It's pretty much useless and turns a mild commercial into an infomercial.
If I sound too negative, please don't take it that way - I'm just trying to tell you why this isn't a five star book. You have 220 pages of 'awesome and can't put it down' book followed by 40 pages of 'what the hell am I doing reading this' slog, then another 30 pages of fairly decent reading. If you don't read those two chapters, it's a five star book!
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