I observed that people coming inside a supermarket tend to shop fast but they first see the grocery aisle. It stops them with the explosion of colors and smells that only fresh fruit can offer. I noticed, moreover, that merchandises in the first ten meters are almost worthless just in case: potatoes, onions... People usually do not prefer to buy the things that they see in the first meters of shopping. Consumers generally prefer to begin really shopping after the ten meters of entrance. And the supermarket places the expensive fruits-sorts more distant so that people will be able to pick them after they calm down.
Light Effects
I observed that there are some color tricks that affect the consumer behaviors. For example in grocery aisle; Orange and apples are served with a lot of mirrors, Bananas and quince with a green surrounding, salads and potatoes with clear light, red for meat and so on... It seems like that the customers of supermarkets are affected by the specific lighting of the products. My observation is that most of the customers buy the things that are not their real needs. They are just affected by the light tricks.
I am also affected by the light tricks of supermarkets. Especially in the fish aisle, the strong white lambs make fishes look more fresh and I can not resist.
The Music in the Supermarket
When the music was turned off for a while in the supermarket, I realized that the quiet music is necessary. The supermarket seems "dead" without it, but at the same time when music is heavy it disturbs customers’ consumeristic concentration.
The Brand Loyalty
My observation is that there are some brand loyalties for consumers. For example I directly buy Efes Pilsen, but some consumers do not have brand loyalty and they compare different brands for the same group of products. They decide the brand, which they will buy, after examining prices, packages… in front of the aisle. Maybe they decided to buy a beer before they come to the supermarket. But their hesitation in front of the beer fridge shows that they make a spontaneous brand selection. The ones who have brand loyalty get the product fast and most of them do not even look at the alternative brands. But the consumers who have not brand loyalty seek for an appropriate brand for themselves at that moment. They look at the fridge and shelves carefully. Their decision-making process can be easily affected by marketing experts such that Supermarkets locate attractive products belonging to different brands that are in the same product line. By this way expensive products can be sold to these consumers.
Queues at the cashier
There are queues at the cashier. I know that there are almost always queues. Besides most of the customers whom I have observed made extra purchases through queues! Kids are getting bored while waiting for the queue and force their parents for more purchases.
Gender Differences in Consumer Behavior
When I look at gender differences in shopping behavior, I see that men, in general, spend less time in supermarket. My observation is that men decide quickly, they go to the supermarket. Mostly they just buy what they have planned before and get out quickly.
In contrast, I observed that women are much less goal oriented and they usually go shopping just to enjoy and to gather information that may be used at a later date.
Children’s Factor
Parents are easily influenced by their children’s wants. The supermarket place candy and toys at a child’s eye level, the child usually nags, and the parents mostly do what kids cry for.
Effect of Promotions
Supermarkets use promotion tool for some products during a short period of time. I observed that the products that have promotional advantages like some discounts was the center of attention. For example, ETI Brownie cakes were out in a well designed pretty box. There were lots of cakes in it and the price was lower than the usual. ETI Brownie cakes were located near the cakes’ aisle but they were separated from its competitors, it was standing alone on the corner.
Also I have observed the Coca-Cola promotion stand. As it is seen by the image below, It is also separated from the soft-drinks aisle. It attracts more attention of consumers since it is on the way of the walking people.
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