Making First Impressions Count Paco Underhill Whitney Jones Stephanie Ryder

First Impression The main danger in store planning is getting caught up in the presentation drawing of the front view of the store. The main danger in store planning is getting caught up in the presentation drawing of the front view of the store.  No one sees the store from the perspective of the store drawing  “The assumption that a front view has anything to do with a customer's has anything to do with a customer's first or on-going perception of a store is hogwash.” of a store is hogwash.”

 Instead, retailer should think about the entrance from the customers’ point of view  First steps form the perception of the store in the consumers’ mind  Creates the disposition to make a purchase

Most stores can segment their customers into 2 groups  Portal Shopper  Doorway Shoppers

Portal Shoppers  Make up a large portion of the business for some retailers  Don’t need to be enticed into the store with a flashy entrance  Will put up with higher prices, messy aisles, incompetent employees incompetent employees  Ex: Book lovers see bookstores as a “portal” into the world of books “portal” into the world of books

Doorway Shoppers  Impulse shoppers  Retailers need to entice shoppers to come in  Side or approaching view is most beneficial

Doorway Shoppers Cont’d  Ex: Main streets and malls are allowing stores to build out their entrances to enhance shoppers view  Window displays also help

General Window Rules 1. Keep it simple and change often 2. Slant or angle displays toward dominant direction of traffic, ie., toward a parking lot 3. If used, make sure graphics are large enough for people to read while walking -don’t count on people to stop -don’t count on people to stop

Flaws of Store Entrances 1. No transition zone People need time to adjust their walking speed and frame of mind.People need time to adjust their walking speed and frame of mind. 2. Directional and promotional signage should be placed deeper in the store Poor placement of maps leads to people leaving the store in frustration.Poor placement of maps leads to people leaving the store in frustration. Also frustrates associates who have to answer same questions over and overAlso frustrates associates who have to answer same questions over and over

Flaws of Store Entrances 3. Aisles and entrances need to be family friendly Entrances need to be wide enough for strollersEntrances need to be wide enough for strollers If parents have to put in too much effort to navigate around store with kids, they will leaveIf parents have to put in too much effort to navigate around store with kids, they will leave

In Conclusion… “The difference between stores that work well and look great in the flesh, and those that don't, often has nothing to do with price points and inventory, and everything to do with a well-executed strategy based on human needs.”

Sources  clesby.html clesby.html clesby.html 