Two kinds of people will really like this book. Youâll like this book if you're responsible for the merchandising in a retail store anywhere. Youâll also like this book if you're fascinated by human beings and how they act in their natural habitat.
Why We Buy is as much an anthropological study as it is a business book. Paco Underhill describes what the title implies: Why We Buy. He looks at all of the elements that go into merchandising, such as the signage in a store, the width of the aisles, waiting times, and more.
That might be enough, but he also will give you insights into different kinds of shoppers and the differences in the ways that men and women -- as well as adults and children -- shop. Along the way, youâll pick up interesting tidbits, such as the distinction between marketing and merchandising.
To Underhill, marketing is increasing the number of people who come to the door with interest, while merchandising is everything you do after that and leads to selling on the floor. He has insights to share, based on his research, about both.
This is an excellent book except for one part. The section on the Internet and Web are simply weak. They show a lack of understanding of the Web as a retail medium and of how the Web, catalog operations and physical stores will each function in the Digital Age.
It seems to me like this section was inserted because "there has to be something about the Web." I would have preferred that Underhill either lavish the kind of attention and effort on Web selling that he so obviously has spent on physical stores, or had left the Net material out of this book all together.
Even with that problem, this is an excellent book. If you're responsible for a retail store, this book is a "must read.% If you're a customer, you may want to recommend it to the owners of stores where you shop especially the ones where you love the merchandise, but hate the shopping experience.
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Created/Revised/Reviewed: 24 August 2002
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