Why We Buy

Shopping: there's a lot more to it if you know how to look. We speed up when we walk past a bank (nothing to look at, of course), so if you don't want your customers to shoot straight past you, don't open your shop next to a bank. And once you've lured them in, whatever you do, don't put key items just inside the door. This is decompression zone where we take the five to 15 paces we need to adjust to the shop's lighting and slow down from normal walking pace to browsing. And don't ever put menswear at the back of the shop; male customers don't like having to walk through womenswear. And while we're in womenswear, don't place goods that require close scrutiny in narrow aisles. Your female customers will leave if they are brushed or knocked by passing shoppers. profitable. By using state-of-the-art observational techniques and research methods grounded in anthropology and environmental psychology, Paco Underhill uncovers the secrets that have made him the retail industry's most sought-after adviser, with clients including McDonald's, Levi-Strauss, Coca-Cola and Sony. Why We Buy is essential reading for anyone involved in the business of consumer products and is a hugely entertaining read for all of us who have that one thing in common. We shop.