Observation assignment

People value opinions of experts when deciding a purchase

Insight

Customer Service Still Valued

Mark Famy – Crash Course Creativity Observation Assignment

At this consumer electronics retailer, if a customer is with a sales person, they spent up to

20mins talking through a potential purchase



I observed a person evaluating watches with a sales assistant for at least 30mins… they

discussed the merits of each design



This cosmetics store gave advice which was valued by customers as it was based on personal

experience. Staff were also using the product.



This store had no staff “on the floor” but I observed people approaching the man behind

the desk to ask his opinion on things.



In this stationary superstore, I noticed a similar “lack of attentive service”. People

had to approach staff who were busy with something else.



Trend is to make decisions on purchase online by reading customer reviews

Problem

People buy from e-tailers not retailers

Then they are increasingly buying from trusted e-tailers rather than stores.

….sometimes by going to a retailer 1st just to physically try the product


Expert advice online when you need it….

Opportunity

xpertz.com

Website that encourages experts to register and help people make decisions on purchases online

Revenue generated by click and buy through the site: xpert gets a 20% cut and is rated by users.


Business

Observation assignment