Thursday, March 25, 2004
A retail anthropologist's mall
KAW is carrying an interesting review of Paco Underhill's new book, Call of the Mall, which apparently goes into great detail about the anthropology, ethnography and geography (I always wanted to use all 3 in one sentence) of shopping malls. At the very least the review makes the book sound very interesting!! Anyone read this book or Underhill's previous books?
Underhill explains why the stores closest to mall entrances tend to be occupied by hair salons or banks, not shops catering to impulse buyers: "When we enter any building we need a series of steps just to make the adjustment between out there and in here," he writes. "We need time to allow our eyes to adjust. We are not ready to make any buying decisions. If there is a sign close to the door, you won't read it."
Thus the best locations are further in the mall. And since the mall owner charges tenants a flat rent based on space plus a percentage of sales, it is in the mall's own interest to have the hottest stores in prime locations, says Underhill. He says every mall has a food court because they prolong a shopper's stay.
For example, he says that research has shown that if a clerk approaches a shopper who comes up to a department store cosmetics counter in the first 30 seconds, it scares her away. The customer has to first browse unaided, but "if she raises her head even a little," writes Underhill, "it's like a jerk on a fishing line."
He reveals that the reason fragrance is traditionally right inside the entrance in a department store is "because back in the days before cars, the perfume section was a bulwark against the stench of horse manure coming in from the street."
Underhill explains why the stores closest to mall entrances tend to be occupied by hair salons or banks, not shops catering to impulse buyers: "When we enter any building we need a series of steps just to make the adjustment between out there and in here," he writes. "We need time to allow our eyes to adjust. We are not ready to make any buying decisions. If there is a sign close to the door, you won't read it."
Thus the best locations are further in the mall. And since the mall owner charges tenants a flat rent based on space plus a percentage of sales, it is in the mall's own interest to have the hottest stores in prime locations, says Underhill. He says every mall has a food court because they prolong a shopper's stay.
For example, he says that research has shown that if a clerk approaches a shopper who comes up to a department store cosmetics counter in the first 30 seconds, it scares her away. The customer has to first browse unaided, but "if she raises her head even a little," writes Underhill, "it's like a jerk on a fishing line."
He reveals that the reason fragrance is traditionally right inside the entrance in a department store is "because back in the days before cars, the perfume section was a bulwark against the stench of horse manure coming in from the street."
