UNIT 30
M2: Compare how three retail businesses use space and psychology to influence customers
to purchase goods.
In this task I will be comparing how my three chosen retail businesses use space and
psychology to help influence customers to purchase goods. For this task I have chosen
Selby's department store, Nags Head Market and Waitrose, all of these businesses are
located in Holloway, North London.
Visual merchandising is the practice of displaying a business's stock in a way that will help
attract customers in coming into the store or purchasing goods. For example, window
displays, samples and signage. This effective marketing tool helps showcase products and
services which can be used in a variety of ways. Therefore, this is when different
psychological factors are put into place to help attract customers, such as one consideration
would be to focus on a specific business target market. A way of using this may be smell, if a
business aims for a younger demographic, the use of sweet and fruity smells may attract
these customers. As a result, psychology is used in visual merchandising through
incorporating products and the environment to encourage the sale of a product or service
through catching attention to the customer individually.
Tangible techniques refer to something physical whereby the item can be touched, seen,
heard, or smelled. Selby’s department store effectively uses tangible techniques through
their window displays, this is evident through their clean and neat summer displays with
horizontal colour blocking of different beauty products available in store, this is beneficial to
the business as this helps catch the eye to new or existing customers to encourage them to
enter the store. Whereas, neither of the other two businesses implement this strategy to
their stores, this is due to the market not having enough space as each store is only given a
limited amount of space for their business where majority do not have window space to
showcase their products, whilst Waitrose have a clear window showing the tills inside their
store. As a result, this would affect businesses through bad/no window displays as these
allow companies to showcase their products or services to passing customers, offering an
insight of what is available in the store.
However, all businesses effectively use pricing, such as discounts and special offers in their
store in order to attract customers into a better deal. Nags Head Market uses larger banners
to highlight their available deals and promotions for example their “Two for one” signs in
their food stalls. Whilst Selby’s display their discounts, currently their autumn “Up to 70%
off” on selective items on the tags of products, furthermore, showing this on a board in their
window display so customers acknowledge the high discounted deal available in store.
Similarly, Waitrose “Great Autumn Savings” available, giving customers the opportunity to
save ⅓ on many of their items in store. Consequently, promotions and savings are beneficial