Crash Course on Creativity
Assignment Two: Are you paying attention?
Carolyn Chafer
Even observing a very small number of stores for this assignment has given me a huge insight into customer perception. If only the stores would employ people to do the same! One of the stores, claires, stood out as the store where I could see no immediate room for improvement. The store is well stocked with a good variety of products on offer and has a helpful attentive member of staff (something which I have also noted in other claires stores in different locations). The colour scheme and other decoration is good, making the customer feel welcome and wanting to return to the shop. The computer games shop GAME I also observed as good, however I did feel that for a store selling this type of product they should really have at least one other member of staff who could advise customers. I think that this would improve their sales. My perception of the mobile phone store The Phone House was not good. Many of the demonstration devices were not working, and some of the screens had error messages. This gives both the impression that any device you purchase might be faulty and also that the staff either could not be bothered to fix the issues or didnt know how to neither gives the customer much faith in the company. I was also surprised that the mobile phones on offer in this store did not show any prices how would a customer make an informed decision as to which mobile phone he were interested in if he did not have any idea of the price? Another negative for this store is the customer service desk this was as large as the cash register desk and appeared to deal with faults, repairs, exchanges etc.. Again, this gives an impression that many of the items sold might be faulty or require to be exchanged (otherwise why would such a large desk be required?).
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The remaining three of my stores were all supermarkets of varying size. Generally mostly what I observed was good, however there were a few improvements which could improve the customer experience: The smell of laundry products in Eroski was quite overpowering something which Im sure must have been noticed by the management. Lidl never has enough staff (all stores in all locations which I have visited are the same) this can discourage customers who dont like to be left standing in line waiting to complete their purchases. The on-site supermarket is generally fit for purpose however they do seem to have a problem with their display of prices which frequently dont match the products. In this circumstance it is only the customer experience which is a problem since the very nature of the store means that customers only use it as it is convenient to where they are staying and the nearest other alternative is a 10 minute drive. Eroski also feels like a warehouse due to the concrete ceiling and harsh strip lighting. This is, of course, something which cannot easily be rectified, however it might be a consideration if a new store or refurbishment were being planned.
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On-site supermarket
Lidl Yes graphics of fresh fruit and veg at good prices
claires Yes display of brightly coloured and shiny things to buy
GAME Yes display of games consoles with offers, plus other things to look at Open Welcome Large capitals pink Well known computer games store
Phone House Yes gadgets on display
Eroski Yes, very large supermarket with groceries, home, DIY section all visible from outside Open Welcome Small sign Everyone knows it is there before they go so the store does not need to have a large sign
Before you enter the store: Does the store draw you in? If so, how?
No
Is the door open or closed? How does this make you feel? How big is the sign lettering and in what font? What does it tell you about the store?
Automatic OK Large Supermarket
Automatic OK Large Well known supermarket
Open Welcome Large sans serif Well known accessories shop
Open Welcome Large letters sans serif Although this store is branded Phone House in Spain, the sign lettering makes it obvious that it is the Spanish version of Carphone Warehouse international branding
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On-site supermarket
Lidl Blue & yellow gives impression of low prices
claires Purple & mauve nice colour
GAME No scheme
Phone House Neutral colour except back walls which are bright orange and turquoise. Bit odd. Tiled floor ok
Eroski No colour scheme. The ceiling and pillars are concrete which does not give a good impression
Environment: What is the color scheme of the store? How does this affect you?
Green/cream OK
What type of floor does the store have? How does this affect the environment? How high is the ceiling? How does this feel? How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you? How loud is the environment? What is causing the noise?
Tiles usual for supermarket Pretty high usual for supermarket Bright good for viewing items quiet people
Tiles usual for supermarket Pretty high usual for supermarket Bright good for viewing items medium people
Carpet makes it cosy Lowish ceiling fells appropriate Bright good to show off the sparkly items Medium Music
Wood floor
Tiled floor practical for this type of store Very high ceiling concrete with bright strip lighting Bright strip lighting perhaps too bright Medium Music
Regular height Brightly lit
Low ceiling feels a bit closed in Not too bright OK Not too loud Music and some noise from demonstration devices Yes fits the environment Ambient Sparse No At the back None Quite a long time to test the devices Not in my opinion
Slightly noisy Games demonstrations
Is there music playing? If so, does it fit the environment? Is the store warm or cold? Is the store crowed with merchandise or is it sparse? Does the store have a distinctive smell? Where is the cash register located? How visible is the store security? How long do you want to stay in this store? Does the environment influence the perceived value of the merchandise?
no Ambient well-stocked shelves No at the front entrance none visible Enough time to see what items are on offer No
no cool crowded no before exit None visible Quite a long time there is lots on offer yes
Yes yes it fits Ambient Crowded No To the left in the middle of the store None Long enough to browse all of the things on offer Yes
No Ambient Crowded No To the left in the middle of the store None A few minutes
Yes retro music, not sure if it fits Cold in chilled areas Crowded Yes washing powder smell as you walk in At the front of the store Security guard at the entrance Enough to check out what I might need only Yes concrete plus strip lighting looks more like a warehouse than a supermarket
Yes wood floor and wall panelling gives a more upmarket feel
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On-site supermarket
Lidl n/a Only Hola! (hello) no
claires Few seconds No obvious script
GAME No contact No
Phone House No contact Not obviously n/a No
Eroski
Personnel: How long does it take before a sales person initiates contact? Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each customer? Does the salesperson treat different customers differently?
n/a n/a
Dont know
What is the ratio of salespeople to customers?
One salesperson only
What age and gender are the employees? Are the salespeople using the store products? Do the salespeople have a uniform? Do the salespeople match the stores image? Products: What is the first product that you notice? Is there a central display table with featured products? Where are items that are for sale located in the store?
Female youngish n/a No Yes
Usually only one or two salespersons but lots of customers female late 20s/early 30s n/a Yes Yes
Yes speaks English when he realises we are not Spanish One salesperson only (small shop)
Not obviously
Not obviously
Not obviously
One salesperson only
Male late 20s Yes No Yes
Male late 20s n/a Yes Yes
Three salespeople, around 15 customers 2xfemale, 1xmale late 20s Not obviously Yes Not sure of image!
Lots of cash registers difficult to count customers/staff as such a large store Mixed n/a Yes Yes
Expensive gift products (whisky) No
Bottled water Yes
Halloween items No
How are the products arranged? By function? By price? By color? Are there free samples or demonstrations?
Only occasional items on offer throughout the store function
In the top far corner
3 for 2 offer on one stand near to door Function and colour No
Games consoles in offer bundles Yes top 10 games on back wall In centre of store nd 2 hand games
Small tablets No
Halloween items Lots
Throughout
Throughout the store
Function
Function (by type of console) Demonstrations of various games
Function
Function + special displays, e.g. Halloween Nothing obvious
No
No
Yes lots of devices to try, however many of them not working not a good look
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On-site supermarket
What products are at eye level? What items in the store are in the least accessible locations?
Various Various
Lidl Various None
claires Most things Hats, scarves
Where are the most and least expensive products located? Are the prices of the products easy to find?
Are there impulse items near the cash register?
At the beginning of the store (wines and spirits) Varies some are obvious but some prices are not in the right place on the shelf and it therefore takes a bit of detective work. No
Mixed
Mixed
GAME Various Actual products kept behind cash register for security Mixed
Phone House Everything n/a
Eroski various various
Mixed
throughout
Yes
Yes everything is priced on the packaging
Yes everything has large display of the price
No large display of mobile phones, none of which had any price information.
yes
Yes sweets, snacks plus leaflets about offers the following week
Yes - various
No
No
Yes - confectionary
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On-site supermarket
Lidl With others usually family members Mixed
claires With friends
GAME Some alone, some with friends Male, mixed ages from children up to 40s No Mixed
Phone House mixed
Eroski
Customers: Are most customers alone or with someone else? What is the relationship? What is the average age and gender of the customers?
No other customers in store n/a
When a customer enters the store, do they tend to walk in the same path or direction? How long do customers stay in the store, on average?
Yes aisles
Yes aisles
Mixed at the time, although store aimed at teenage girls mainly No
Mixed
mixed
No
Yes - aisles
Unknown
20 minutes
5 minutes
Do customers touch the products? Is this encouraged? Do most customers appear to be on a mission or are they browsing? What percentage of customers purchase products in the store? Other Observations:
Yes, dont know if encouraged or not On a mission
Yes, dont know if encouraged or not both
Yes, yes Browsing
Varies depending on what they are looking for or if just browsing Yes, yes Browsing
20 minutes (more if waiting at customer service desk) Yes, various devices to try out Mission
30 minutes
Guess 90% Small supermarket which provides basic needs of people staying on the resort. Prices are quite expensive, however the store is convenient and quite well stocked. Customers go there only for convenience
100% not enough sales assistants so queues build up puts some people off shopping in that store good value everyday products plus special offers of household and other items. Customers are encouraged to return
50% Bright, fun shop with good value items and friendly, approachable staff. Customers go there when they want to purchase low price fun items of jewellery and accessories and for gifts.
Not sure Lots of games on display along with accessories. Not many consoles available maybe customers need to enquire at cash register. Might help sales if there were another assistant wandering around the store and talking to customers.
Not sure most were waiting at repairs desk. Large customer service desk for faults, returns breakdowns, repairs etc. this does not give a good impression of the quality of the goods sold in the store. Many of the demonstration devices were not working (error messages displayed). I would not be encouraged to purchase from this store.
Yes depends on type of product Mission but with browsing of other items 95% Local products available and promoted. Fresh products displayed very well appetising. Lots of choice makes people go there for a variety of different things and then purchase others too. Very convenient to have lots of things in one place plus some of the products are good value.
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Claires is packed with brightly coloured and sparkly accessories
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claires is light, bright and welcoming
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Game has a large stock of computer games and accessories the store also looks welcoming
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Special offers can be seen from outside of the shop which draws people in.
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The products are themed into the type of console which the games can be played on making selection easy.
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The Phone House had lots of devices on demonstration, however many of them were not working this one had a serious looking error message. This does not inspire people to buy from this store.
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Lots of mobile phones are on offer at The Phone House, however none had any indication of either the price of the handsets or the contracts which were available. The only prices shown were for the suggested accessories.
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The high concrete ceiling and striplights make this supermarket feel more like a warehouse. There are many offers which are displayed well and the store offers a very wide selection of products.
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Halloween themed items (to the right) draw customers to areas of the store which they might not usually visit.
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