Crash Course on Creativity

Submitted by Hari Krishnan

PAYING ATTENTIONAssignment 2

Stores Visited:

• Dinsko – Footwear store• JC – Clothing store• Bokia – Book store• H&M – Departmental/clothing

retailer• ICA Supermarket• Stadium – Sports store

Place: Stockholm, Sweden

Store 1: Dinsko

Observations: As a male the store did not draw me in as

the theme from outside looked as a female shore store, male section was hidden behind!

Open doors – good signage, appealing for female customers

Color scheme was dull but was good as my attention was drawn towards merchandise rather than store itself.

Brightly lit, popular music, warm, sparsely crowded – mostly young female customers

The environment of the store was that of a discount shoe retailer.

No sales person visible except for behind counter

Prominent “Sale” displays attracting customers

No prominent central display with featured items.

Merchandise displayed according to brands rather than by prices

Store 1: Dinsko

Opportunities:

Products for male customers could also be displayed at the entrance to attract male customers.

Sales personnel could be proactive and attend to customers

Central display displaying featured or sale products could lead customers in.

Store 2: JC

Observations:• Video display at the entrance

attracts customers in.• Store split into women’s section

on the right and men’s on the left attracting both customers.

• Trendy music, ample lighting and prominent sale signs attract customers to spend more time in store

• Hardly any customers – maybe due to proximity to H&M next door

• No sales personnel visible – no uniforms.

• Accessories lined on central walkaway scope for impulse purchase.

Store 2: JC

Opportunities:

Space utilization can be optimized to make the store look less cluttered (see pic in previous slide)

Sales personnel could be more attentive with uniform to distinguish them

Store needs to send a statement – a discount retailer or high end retailer. Currently this is unknown – could be the reason for lack of customers.

Store 3: Bokia

Observations: Clear and prominent entrance with central

display featuring sale/popular item attracting customers

Display board displaying seasonal special – especially for kids as seen

Top 10 bestsellers list and book display helps customers access them easily

Prominent signage showing book genre by which they are arranged

Lots of accessories and impulse purchase items close to the cash register

Smiling staff – but no uniforms!

Store 3: Bokia

Opportunities:

Stalls for book search would help customers search for specific books and would encourage customers to spend more time in store

Staff could wear uniforms to distinguish themselves

Reading chairs or stools at the corner of the isle would encourage buyers to read and hence spend more time in the store prompting them to buy books.

Store 4: H&M

Observations: Large entrance with prominent central

display showing top sellers in various sections of merchandise

Left side of the landing zone dedicated to selling cosmetics and personal products – reminding customers H&M is not only about clothes

Dedicated staff behind counters and around store with uniform to help shoppers

Hip-hop music playing in the background Brightly lit store Customers flocking around sale areas

which are marked with huge “sale” signs Merchandise arranged according to price Sale items in the entrance attracts

customers to the more expensive full price items in the back

Lots of impulse purchase items kept at the cash counter

Store crowded with customers predominantly female and in their 20s

Store 4: H&M

Opportunities:

Male items in the entrance could also entice male customers since male merchandise is at the end of the store.

Front section of the store could be less cluttered by moving some racks to the back of the store which seemed to be empty and with less people. This would take away the cheap feel to the store from outside!

Store 5: ICA Supermarket

Observations:

Entrance well marked by an unmistakable “red carpet” welcomes customers in.

Shopping carts appropriately placed on the right side of the landing zone

Seasonal impulse buys – pumpkin cookies and confectionaries during Halloween – placed at the entry

Bread - the most sold item – placed right in front of entrance

Milk – the second most sold item – placed at the end of the store to make customers go through all the other isles prompting them to shop more!

Store 5: ICA Supermarket

Tobacco stall and impulse purchase items near the cash register

Movie DVDs and books right by the cash register. People waiting in the queue might be tempted to browse and buy.

Sign boards for isle items easily visible from one any place on the walkway

Opportunity:Price checker hidden

behind the pillar. One solution is to place the

red arrow on all 4 sides of pillar.

Store 6: Stadium

Observations:

A race track patter on the floor leads customers to the store. This track is marked all over the store making customers unconsciously follow this track.

The entrance is marked by sports figures and sets the sporty mood of the customer

Ambience of the store is sporty, and the music is fast paced matching the sporty style of the store

Price (and sale price) displayed prominently on all racks and shelves.

Many impulse purchase items placed close to the billing counters where customers queue-up

Store 6: Stadium

OpportunityTrack on one section ends in a dead end. This could be avoided to establish continuity

OpportunityOnly mirror in the

women’s section is hidden behind pillar and

racks. Mirrors tend to increase the time

customers spend in the store trying on merchandise.

Lots of friendly and smiling store staff found in brightly colored uniforms

Opportunity:Larger shopping carts hidden behind smaller shopping bags. Larger carts might induced more purchases. Hence Carts must be visible to the customers entering the store.

Thanks!