Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
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Building Positive H+W Impressions through Aesthetics<br />
<strong>Consumer</strong>s associate higher quality levels with better looking store spaces. Higher quality generally<br />
correlates quite closely with overall impressions of H+W as well; they are in many ways two sides of<br />
the same coin. The reverse is also the case, where a lack of detailed attention to aesthetics tends to<br />
convince consumers that something<br />
other than quality (most likely, cost<br />
containment) is guiding the choices<br />
that a retailer makes.<br />
In a thematic sense, the objective<br />
here should be to move away from<br />
the more industrial <strong>and</strong> warehouselike<br />
looks of the past (imagine a<br />
grocery store in the 1970s) that<br />
reflected ideas of utility, efficiency,<br />
<strong>and</strong> economy, <strong>and</strong> instead move<br />
toward looks that convey today‘s<br />
consumer, who is increasingly<br />
oriented more toward quality than<br />
utility, even in tougher economic<br />
times. For instance, compare the top<br />
photo to the bottom photo, showing<br />
differences in shelf materials. The top<br />
photo creates a much starker,<br />
utilitarian feel. The bottom photo carries<br />
Figure 120 - Comparison of Shelving Materials<br />
more of a message of quality <strong>and</strong> H+W,<br />
simply through the use of updated shelving materials.<br />
Below, we summarize the key variables to manipulate in making a store look <strong>and</strong> feel contemporary<br />
<strong>and</strong> oriented toward higher quality levels.<br />
Shelving<br />
Move away from utilitarian shelving (typically metal, often painted off-white) toward<br />
more natural (e.g., wood) or higher-end (e.g. chromed) shelving particularly in areas<br />
where H+W goods are a focus.<br />
Avoid high-stacked shelving <strong>and</strong> boxes on top of shelves, which produce<br />
warehouse-like impressions, <strong>and</strong> use lower shelving where possible, to provide a<br />
feeling of spaciousness <strong>and</strong> elegance.<br />
Avoid ―busy‖ shelves with excessive POS materials hanging off of them. Interesting<br />
products tend to be visually lost when a shelf is too busy, <strong>and</strong> too much POS often<br />
looks ―junky‖ to consumers. Instead use simple, elegant shelf facings that are not<br />
visually distracting.<br />
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