Lab 2

PAYING ATTENTIONby Oxana Tormashova

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StoresFor this Laboratory work I selected seven stores that sell clothing, electronics, cosmetics, toys and sports shoes.

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ObservationsImaginarium and Disney: toy stores

Location: Target Audience:Children of all ages and

their parentsAt the same shopping centre

near each otherBoth shops are competitors. But both have slightly different approaches

to selling their products that depends on their objectives. One is trying to attract firstly children (doors of the original design,

bright colors), and then impress the parents by offering products that are not only entertaining but also educating. It is brightly lit, a sort of cosy, the staff dressed in bright uniform. There are lots of low shelves with toys children can take and try it. This shop attracts mostly children that are younger because of it's creative approach to design.

Second shop is meant to sell products of the well-known brand. It has a more grown-up design and attracts older children and parents who are looking for presents. The staff is more serious and has more professional look.

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ObservationsFoot Locker: athletic shoes and accessories

Target Audience: Youth from 12 to 30, mostly males

This shop has a very grabbing attention design that is aimed to attract youth. There are bright color scheme, bright sport uniform of the staff, people in the staff are very young – about 18, specific music and lots of products on display.

To convince customer to buy a product, there are lot of discounts, that you can see it on the price tags as soon as you enter the store.

Everything described does archive the goal of attracting young people. But according to my observations persons older than Foot Locker's target audience tend to feel slightly uncomfortable in the environment and prefer to visit first other shops.

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ObservationsH&M and Bershka: clothing stores

Location: Target Audience:H&M: all ages and genders

Bershka: youth from 15 to 25At the same shopping centre

H&M positions itself as a respectable company that try to offer the best combination of price, quality and fashion. And the shop design (shop windows, ceilings and floor, demonstrations etc. ) is aiming to create an impression of professionalism and modernity. The color scheme is moderate and comfortable. The staff is professional, attentive and helpful. Good but not very bright lighting. Quiet modern pop music on the background. Products are grouped by function and price. And the price tags are well visible.

Bershka provides more “wild” impression. Their design is more liberated and defiant. The music is louder and the products are grouped not only by function but also by fashion collection it belongs to.

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ObservationsMiro: electronics and informatics

Target Audience: Adults of all ages

This shop attracts you by it's brightly lit environment and wide open doors. It is very sparse and the color scheme are light, the price tags are easy noticeable and there are lots of discount advertising.The staff is represented mostly by males of middle-age in suits, who are very attentive but not intrusive.

Everything is aimed to create a impression of professionalism and quality. These kind of shops are a lot more conservative in their design. And the major of their customers already have an idea of what they want to buy. So the main objective of the shop is to convince the buyer that here he would find the best solution.

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ObservationsBodybell: perfume and cosmetics

Target Audience: People from 18 to 40, mostly women

This shop is brightly lit and crowded with shelves with products on display. It attracts your attention by presenting famous brands inside the shop windows. There is a light music on the background. And the staff consists of young women in stylish uniform.

The products are arranged by brands and function. In order to findsomething of less famous and less expensive brand you have to go through the whole store to the far wall stands. The price tags are not visible from the start but you do can find it easily. There are lots of free samples for the customers.

The store has male's section but mostly is oriented on women. And women do tend to spend quite a time there.

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Observations. ConclusionIt was very interesting and informative to observe how different

companies try to attract customers to their store. I never before thought about reasons of displaying products in a specific order or how the environment can affect customer's desire to buy in a specific store.

There are some interesting ideas like Imaginarium with its creative approach to door's design and H&M and how they skilfully use and maintain the reputation of the company that offers the best price / quality ratio .

In my opinion many companies lack the more creative approach to their clients needs. For example Disney's can attract more customers by creating some kind of playground for younger children, where they can try some of the toys on selling.Or Bodybell can offer their clients a free consult with a professional visagist or beautician. Miro store is very similar to a garage sale, which in my opinion is not very attractive to a customer. For example, instead of arranging all products along the walls they can use round stands in the center of the store and place on them the most demandable products like cell-phones or players etc.

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Pay attention!Pay attention!

The most important thing I learned from this lab was that you can find and learn wonderful things by simply paying more attention to the world outside you habitual route. So the conclusion is: