Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping Reviews

• Valuable, but keep expectations low

  
  By AXH34TXSUTQK1 on 2000-11-07
  I found this book to be interesting, if not mind-blowing, with a lot of basic observations about the shopping experience and the need to make measurement a fundamental part of the way we approach business. The book treads a line between feeding you specific anecdotes and findings from Mr. Underhill's research and giving you a framework for thinking about measuring and tuning your business, but it doesn't commit fully to either path. You may be left feeling like there were not actually that many interesting examples nor was a methodology sufficiently fleshed out to be useful.

  I view this book as the non-scientific underpinnings of a science (contrary to the sub-title of the book). Mr. Underhill seems like the gentleman scientists of a couple hundred years ago, making excellent and valuable observations, but not having clearly articulated a scientific method that can be applied broadly. This book is certainly worth reading (and for some it may be a real eye-opener), but I feel that a definitive text on the study of buying behavior has yet to be written (or, at least, discovered by me). In favor of this book, it is a fairly easy and quick read, where perhaps a more comprehensive book would not be as accessible. Consider it ...
  
  

• Not science, but still substantive...

  
  By A3KKOBGO2ZQY3P on 2002-03-25
  If you've read some of the reader reviews for this book you'll probably detect a bit of a trend. If you're a scientist or student in search of a tome that provides insight into the causes of specific purchasing behaviours this is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you are a practitioner (i.e. someone who works as a marketer or perhaps owns or manages a retail establishment) "Why We Buy" provides many, many anecdotes that you will find useful in your everyday life.

  This is something that few business books can claim -- immediate practical benefit. Plus, Mr. Underhill's casual writing style is easy to read. My only critique is that the middle third of the book gets a bit dull and repetitive, but the first and last thirds are wonderful.

  In short, I would highly recommend "Why We Buy" to anyone who works in retail, whether you're in the front office or on the front lines. I would not recommend it to people in academia as it probably will not provide the "scientific" substance that you're looking for.
  
  

• Retailers, manufacturers and consumers should read this book

  
  By ALCUF77IH8D87 on 1999-12-28
  This is a book both McDonalds and Ralph Nader would love. In this book, Underhill suggests different methods to maximize retail sales. Some include, for example, common sense solutions such as raising or lowering products so as to fall within the person's view range. Others are based on his research, such as putting a product you're pushing to the right of the best-seller. Many people will gravitate to the desired product (think of it as the magician's trick of "forcing" a card).

  The book further discusses the different age groups, family configurations, and genders, and how they shop, maximizing the efficacy of signage and packaging, etc. It has many hints to increase sales over short and long periods of time.

  It also advocates making stores more family-friendly. As a parent that has failed to successfully negotiate the Gap Kids' fixtures with a stroller and thus decided not to shop there again, I heartily agree with Underhill's suggestions.

  Consumers should also read this book to understand the insiduous (and fascinating) means retailers are using to manipulate them into further purchases. We all know how playing Christmas music is supposed to get you in the mood to buy more. This book details different subtle ways in which retailers are modifying their stores to entice you to buy. My favorite: placing a hopscotch game on the cereal aisle, forcing parents to slow down and become more vulnerable to kids' requests for the latest Sugar Bombs. If you feel that retailers are the enemy, this book will provide further proof.
  
  

• There are Really Two Books Here - One Great, One Rotten

  
  By A21Y64R8N4FWHH on 1999-12-03
  When the author sticks to reporting on the things he's observed over many thousands of hours of watching actual shoppers shop, this is an informative useful book. My partner sells pottery out of a studio/gallery and we found much of the data Underhill presents relevant to our experience selling.

  However, once he runs out of facts a couple of chapters into the book, Underhill pads the rest of the book out with opinions, and this is where the problems begin. While he may be an excellent observer, Underhill is a poor business analyst. He doesn't understand the dynamics of many of the businesses he comments on. Many of his suggestions are embarassingly ignorant of the realities behind the businesses he discuss, or, worse, suggest--as if he invented the concepts-- that companies should do things that they have already been doing for years.

  His chapter on the Internet is a perfect example of both of these criticisms. As someone who has designed and run a successful internet sales site for 5 years I wasn't sure which was greater--his ignorance or his condescension to those of us who have actually done the pioneering work he snipes at.

  So read this book with the understanding that Underhill is a pretty good anthropologically-trained note taker,whose observations have turned up several things of interest to the retailer, at the same time that he is a pathetically bad business consultant and would-be futurist, with a pathological need to self-promote and a very annoying prose style.
  
  

• My two pence worth of comments

  
  By A2IE0UTLRKE8KQ on 2000-01-20
  This had been a great book. I have worked in the book retail business for more than 3 years and I found the book to be full of practical advice. It has made me look again at the business and see how it can be improved further.

  The author has mentioned about some changes he would like to see in bookstores in Chapter 18. While there are some interesting comments there like blow-up displays of book jackets and availabilty of bestseller lists, there are 2 things which I believe are not feasible.

  Firstly, book stores need to have shelves that are arranged in rows. While I agree that wide aisles and creative arranging of the shelves can make a better shopping experience, the standard arrangement of rows must remain.

  I have seen a public library where the shelves where arranged in a circular fashion. Besides experiencing it myself, I have seen irritated readers walking in circles to find the book they want. It created a very dizzying experience.

  The second thing is that books must be arranged alphabetically despite what the author said about lower shelves being Siberias of retailing. This is because book buyers are already accustomed to searching for books alphabetically. They were trained by bookstores and libraries all over the world practising this same standard. As the author said in the last chapter, the environment must adapt to the customer.

  When Tower Records first started operating a book store in Singapore, they arranged books according to the first names, like the CDs that they sell. Stephen King books were placed in "S" and not "K" like in other book stores. This created confusion for many book buyers and eventually, they realised that the convention for books is to place it alphabetically by the last name. The environment must cater to the consumer.

  I have seen a very creative retailer that seems to have solved this Siberia problem. HMV in Singapore have shelves that have a stock area at the bottom and actual selling space about 1 metre off the floor. This allows customers to see all the displayed CDs easily and to reach them without difficulty. A customer can also check for titles that may have been sold out in the stock area. He does not have to check with retail staff if there is stock in the back room. For the business, this means easier replenishment of stock and smaller stock area. The Siberia area is thus converted to useful space. I believe this can be done by book retailers too.

  Overall, this has been a very useful book. I recommend it to existing retail managers who wants practical advise on improving the retail business.
  
  

• A Superb Study of Retail Environment Interaction
  By on 2000-01-08
  Mr. Underhill and his company are pioneers in studying the retail environment in a methodical and 'scientific' way. The whole methodology depends on observation, thorough observation; which is later subjected to analysis and from that analysis they come up with valuable conclusions and suggestions for their clients.

  The book does, however, contain parts in which Mr. Underhill wanders off his area of expertise and starts projecting into the future without solid basis; therby losing some credibilty.

  It also seems that Mr. Underhill is not well versed on Marketing and I quote from Page 206, "But since the early '80s, PoP has really become a player, & now commands a seat at the selling table right next to marketing's", Any apprentice of marketing knows that PoP (point of purchase) is one of the many sales promotional tools that are only one part of Marketing Communications which is but one of 6 main categories of tools at the marketer's disposal. In actuality, PoP does in fact have a chair on the Marketing Table along with many other tools, such as the internet. I think Mr. Underhill shares a common misconception held by many non-marketers that marketing = advertising; while in fact advertising is still only a tool and only part of Marketing communications just like Sales Promotion is.

  The book is full of useful and insightful retail information. The essence of the book is how to keep the customer in the store longer, at a greater level of comfort and easy navigation.

  Mr. Underhill is backed with years of observation and study of how a shopper interacts with the retail environment; an essential read for anyone in retailing and FMCG brand management.

  A great reference book.
  
  

• Very interesting, a little bit long
  By A1Y3EY4BN8CD6O on 1999-12-19
  It is the very first time that I read a book devoted to shopping, and I must admit it was a good experience. I think I'll never walk again in a mall without checking if someone isn't writing things about me, standing in my back. Underhill is a very good anthropologist, he knows how to study shoppers ' behaviour, and he knows how to give us the chance to study it too. Many remarks should be taken seriously by a large number of retailers, but sometimes it seemed very obvious. Many of the changes he suggests are already applied in our supermakets. I also have to admit that many chapters were too long: why does he keep on repeating things? Moreover, I pretty much disliked the chapter about internet. I have the feeling Mr Underhill doesn't know a lot about internet sites, and the building of a site: he only criticises. According to him,people who buy on line today are simply having fun, or wasting their time, because the sites are so badly designed. People like me, who shop on the internet, are used to computers and to the rules of the internet, and I think we are not completely lost when a picture does not appear on the screen. Very nice book to read anyway.
  
  
• Interesting at first, but then becomes tedious to read.
  By A3TB9HNQR54B5V on 2001-02-15
  This book explores the psychology, sociology, and ergonomics of shopping and retail display in depth. During the first several chapters of this book I was fascinated by some of the facts and anecdotal stories that the author presented. This fascination lasted for about half the book however. As the book progresses the author drifts from his presentation of the science of shopping to his endless, but often unsupported, suggestions on how shipping can be improved.

  The early chapters contain more descriptions of actual studies on shopping that Underhill's consulting firm has done. Whether you're a casual shopper or the owner of a retail store, these chapters are loaded with useful information. The author explains how simple changes to product display or packaging can make dramatics changes in the volume of product purchased. In the later chapters, it almost seems as though the author has run out of material. Instead of describing actual case studies, the author goes on a length with his personal opinions on how shopping could be improved today and how it will change in the future.

  Some of his suggestion seemed pretty wild. Designer toilet paper?? Other suggestions he makes just don't seem to be reasonable to me as a consumer. Example: He suggests that computer stores don't put all of the software, printers, monitors, etc in separate sections but rather disperse them throughout the store. I don't know about Mr. Underhill, but when I go out to buy a monitor or printer, I want to see them all side-by-side so I can compare them. I don't want to run around the store trying to find them all. He has countless similar suggestions that seem dubious to me and are not backed up by any of his research.

  His predictions for the future also seem rather odd. Example: As baby boomers age we'll see companies like Harley Davidson making sporty wheelchairs so upscale boomers can transition from their Harley cycles to their Harley wheelchairs.

  It is clear that the author is not thrilled about online shopping. Although some of his suggestion for how to change it indicates that he has not had much experience with it. He recommends that sites do things that they are actually doing today. Example: Why can't we order groceries online? - You can in most major cities Mr. Underhill.

  If you're in the retail business, you can probably learn a lot from this book despite the negatives I mentioned. I'd recommend it for anyone in this line of business. If you're just looking for an interesting book about shopping, I think that you too will have mixed feelings. It starts out interesting, but soon becomes tedious to read.

  This a review of the unabridged Audible.com version of this book (downloadable audio). This is an excellent audio version and the reader was one of the best I`ve heard.
  
  

• Misleading title...
  By A1I6S26WXN5O0J on 2004-12-29
  The title suggests that the book discusses the psychology and science of shopping and consumerism. It doesn't. At best, it provides some practical advice to retailers on how to catch the customer's eye, where to position product displays, etc.
  
  If you're looking for a book that actually digs into the psychology and science of consumerism, you might try "How Customers Think: Essential Insights Into the Mind of the Market" by Gerald Zaltman.
  
  
  
• Why We Buy Helps Me Sell!
  By AR04JN3UJP81I on 2000-04-20
  Since I have never been an avid shopper (usually once or twice a year besides the grocery), I found this book absolutely enlightening! I find I "shop like the guys" in the stores the few times I go each year. Usually I give my neighbor money and she buys my clothes, etc., during her very frequent shopping trips.

  However, about a year ago I opened a Holistic Clinic and have started carrying items to fill needs of my bodywork clients and yoga students, etc. Paco's book really made a BIG difference in how I have done the presentation of products, signs, customer checkout, etc. My sales did indeed increase significantly!

  I'm in a Business Networking group and have recommended the book to the other 20 people in that group and loaned it to a few. I also recommended it to 3 of our local bookstores (including a very large chain), the post office, and have given it as a gift to two friends who are starting their own businesses.

  My husband teases me about "Well, what does Paco say?"

  This book is fun to read, extremely informative, and has made a great difference in my sales - and a newfound enjoyment in shopping for me!

  Thanks Paco!
  
  

• Read better books. Don't waste your time!
  By on 2001-12-30
  I am a college student studying psychology & urban studies. When I picked up this book, I thought it would be a perfect read for me--it's a (self-proclaimed) study of "urban anthropology" and also is about shopping, a necessity of virtually every urban citizen. A nice break from the heavier books required for class. I was taken in by the shiny cover and largely titled "WHY WE BUY: The Science of Shopping." Thinking that the author might actually make an attempt to answer his question, why we buy, I longed for the hour I lost reading about anecdotal evidence (which, by the way, didn't even attempt to find causal relationships in why people might buy a certain object) and the author's egotistical musings on proving wrong his clients. (See p. 34-5 for an example of this egotism if you need proof.)

  In sum, this book is not worth the $15 cover price unless you care to read about how Mr. Underhill told a department store manager to move the ties from a display near the entrance/exit to a place slightly farther away, and how he named this "phenomenon" the "butt-brush factor." It is boring, unintellectual reading. There is no science, no causal evidence. Mr. Underhill doesn't take into account that people often shop differently--I will be more likely to make an impulse buy if I've thought of purchasing the object before I see it in the store. Is that the same as every college student? No. These personal differences, anything in the mind of the shopper, and issues important to the subject (i.e. socioeconomic status, marital status, race, preference, etc.) are left undiscussed. To me, that's the first step in trying to discover "why we buy."
  
  

• Uninformed. Unenlightened. Insulting
  By A1T8514OLUHJQB on 2000-07-12
  Underhill seems to believe that children were put onto this planet to be consumers. Children are first people, not consumers. He makes a cynical and demeaning assumption in denying this fact.

  Underhill has absolutely no concept of non-commodified public space and seems to think that every flat service is a space where an ad should be. It doesn't seem to matter to him that our spirits and minds might need uncluttered and quiet spaces to inhabit.

  I resented the author's constant assumptions that consuming is paramount to our economy and that it is an inherently healthy practice. Overconsumption is killing our culture and our planet.

  Underhill contradicts himself constantly (e.g. First saying that the entrance to a store is no place for shopping baskets and then stating later that the tote bags/baskets placed there by a book store were in just the right place...) This makes much of his book nonsense.

  Underhill repeats himself ad nauseum ... how many times do I want to hear about products and posters failing until he advises the business person to shift them up, down, left, right...? I got the message the first time he made this point.

  And, yes, this book is one long informercial. It offers nothing useful to anybody not prepared to buy his service.

  Finally, shopping is not a science and Underhill is no scientist. He has, by standing around and looking like he knows what he's doing, apparently been able to convince enough people over the years that he's performing legitimate, valuable research. He isn't. And he won't until he can present his methods and findings to credentialled social scientists for review and challenge.

  Judging by this book, my only knowledge of Underhill, ... and his claim to real-world sociological/retail expertise based on his "research" is nothing more than the ... squawking of a wannabe authority.

  Why We Buy is shallow, vapid and insulting. But it does illustrate well the inner workings of the unthinking mind.
  
  

• Research-Based Insights
  By A4J6S2FDKREYD on 2003-08-01
  Two kinds of people will really like this book. You'll like this book if you're responsible for the merchandising in a retail store anywhere. You'll also like this book if you're fascinated by human beings and how they act in their natural habitat.

  Why We Buy is as much an anthropological study as it is a business book. Paco Underhill describes what the title implies: Why We Buy. He looks at all of the elements that go into merchandising, such as the signage in a store, the width of the aisles, waiting times, and more.

  That might be enough, but he also will give you insights into different kinds of shoppers and the differences in the ways that men and women - as well as adults and children - shop. Along the way, you'll pick up interesting tidbits, such as the distinction between marketing and merchandising.

  To Underhill, marketing is increasing the number of people who come to the door with interest, while merchandising is everything you do after that and leads to selling on the floor. He has insights to share, based on his research, about both.

  This is an excellent book except for one part. The section on the Internet and Web are simply weak. They show a lack of understanding of the Web as a retail medium and of how the Web, catalog operations and physical stores will each function in the Digital Age.

  It seems to me like this section was inserted because "there has to be something about the Web." I would have preferred that Underhill either lavish the kind of attention and effort on Web selling that he so obviously has spent on physical stores, or had left the Net material out of this book all together.

  Even with that problem, this is an excellent book. If you're responsible for a retail store, this book is a "must read." If you're a customer, you may want to recommend it to the owners of stores where you shop especially the ones where you love the merchandise, but hate the shopping experience.
  
  

• Great for shoppers
  By AWJ3WHMWLEUAB on 2000-02-02
  If you like to shop, this book is for you. You'll recognize yourself in the shoppers Underhill describes, and find yourself laughing at how fickle you really are in your shopping preferences.

  I am surprised at the venom displayed in many of the other reviews. While Why We Buy isn't the best book ever written (not many nonfiction books are), it certainly is entertaining.
  
  

• Book or Sales Brochure?!?
  By A3RT58L0ZQCO47 on 1999-10-21
  Although the subject matter is undeniably interesting, the book's aggregate content is unquestionably remedial. Underhill accomplishes a 200-page sales brochure...want to learn more, read on?!?....no....hire our consultants!!! tacky, tacky, tacky.
  
  
• Why did I buy this book?
  By A2CJY7U40DGY7Z on 2000-09-20
  I heard the tie rack-butt brush story on TV and Faith Popcorn, someone I particularly enjoy and respect, called it brilliant in a blurb so...

  As an small business person who is about to open a retail store I was drawn to a title which might help me make design, marketing, advertising and positioning decisions which would replace gut feelings with scientific evidence.

  Things like how do shoppers respond to color, to floorcoverings, various types of music? What are the best ways of displaying various types of goods? What is the best way to appeal to a variety of socio-economic groups? Buzz words and wants for different VALS profiles. That kind of stuff.

  What I got instead was the same huge retailer, grocer, bank, fast food and drug store stories repeated over and over again.

  There was enough good information here to fill a free pamphlet.
  
  

• A day in the life of Paco Underhill
  By A2LZZCQ6XEK00G on 2002-02-04
  The teacher in a marketing class that I'm taking provided us a list of possible books to review. Having often been accused by my spouse of having poor shopping habits, I thought that "Why We Buy" might provide some personal insight. Although there were some interesting anecdotes in "Why We Buy", two factors lead me to conclude that this book was of little personal value.
  The first factor lead diminished the value of this book to me was that, while the subjects touched upon and the anecdotes given were interesting, the treatment is rather cursory and does not deal with the matter of causality (i.e., "why" we buy!) Any insights I gained were as the result of my own ruminations and reflections on the subject. The book itself didn't provoke these insights-it may as well have just said, "Think about how you shop," and left it at that. A couple of other reviewers have come to the same conclusion.

  The second factor is that, on a professional level, this book was not useful to me as it deals with a paradigm separate from that in which I operate. My position in managing software development projects for large organizations is far removed from the spatial concerns (e.g. tie-rack placement) that dominate the retail world. Another choice of book might have provided more professional enrichment-as would be the case for any individual who is not involved in the sale of retail goods.

  In terms of content, there is quite a bit about how Mr. Underhill got started in the business of studying shoppers, how "trackers" (people who follow shoppers) are recruited and perform their duties, and how Mr. Underhill's firm often gets to say to clients, "I told you so." We are treated to 70% ego, and 30% information on shopper behavior. It quite surprising that the purchase of this book does not entitle one to membership in the Paco Underhill fan club-though any really insightful information about Mr. Underhill (such as the origin of his unusual name) is absent. Although in later chapters that deal with particular segments of the population (e.g. senior citizens, kids) there is some interesting trivia on habits of these buyers, it is more likely that your bookmark will find its final resting place around page 35.

  If you are especially adept at wading through the pointless, "Why We Buy" contains *some* interesting trivia about shopper behavior. Despite the title, there is no examination of causality, very little insight, and (besides a methodical approach) very little science. Furthermore, anyone not directly involved in retail will find little in the way of professional interesting. Unless you are interested in how Paco Underhill came into his profession, how he spends his days, and what conclusions he has arrived at, I cannot recommend this book.
  
  

• Worth it for the first 50 pages
  By A3095A6GJ3R1WY on 2002-02-24
  Underhill's anthropological approach brings a lot to the study of retail environments and how we interact with them. In the first 50 pages alone, he lays out scores of great nuggets from his decades of retail research and consulting, some obvious (provide chairs for shoppers' companions, put more than just sizes 2, 4, and 6 on the rack for womens' clothes) and some less so (signage in drug stores should be geared to people walking from the back of the store to the front, etc.). Unfortunately, in later chapters the book strays from hard data and solid observation to cliche generalizations. The worst offenders are the chapters on women and on kids, where there is definitely a lot to be said, but where Underhill comes up short.

  Nonetheless, I find myself studying every Starbucks and clothing store I walk into. The examples Underhill gives, and the framework he constructs for analyzing the retail environment, should be instilled into the head of anyone who runs a facility open to the general public. And I'm not just talking stores -- libraries, airports, etc. could learn a lot from this book!
  
  

• not for shoppers
  By on 2000-01-23
  A better title for this book would be "How we Shop and Why We Don't Buy." We don't buy because the aisles are too narrow, we can't reach the product, we can't try the product, there are no baskets to carry purchases, the lines are too long, etc., etc. There's absolutely nothing here that shoppers don't know.
  
  
• Nice to read, however, the word science would not apply
  By A2Q82SMS7OW64H on 1999-11-24
  I enjoyed reading the book. I also think that after reading it, one can build frameworks of observation and improve the way to evaluate the company's retail environment. One of the major achievements of the book is to teach marketing people that much of the customer research needs to be done in the store and that the small details may lead to amazing tactics to improve customer satisfaction and also to upsell him. However, I was disappointed as I was searching for some new guidelines of theory of action and I didn't found any. The book is not structured in order to teach a new science it is rather anecdotical. Compared to the book why people buy (Oxford press, John O'Shaughnessy) the book stays far, far behind to bring on a new proposal. I think that, after reading the book, there is thirst. I'm sure that the author managed to promote his consultancy and certainly, he will grow his database.
  
  
• Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management Used for Consumers
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2000-07-11
  The thesis behind this book is that by making the process of shopping easier and more desirable, and the choices clearer, the consumer will buy more. That's very similar to the observation that Taylor made about manual labor. Make it simpler and easier, and more work will get done. The methods are remarkably similar. Measuring the actions that the person under study makes, and changing the environment and process to see how the productivity is affected. I think this work is an important extension of behavioral economics, and hope it will be applied to more areas of business.

  Although a book like this could be written in a very technical way, the voice and perspective are quite approachable. Also, the book is written to be equally interesting to shoppers and retailers. I'm sure you notice a lot of new things about your own behavior and that of others the next time you go shopping.

  I also thought that the book was a good example of the way that stalled thinking holds back progress. For example, without this kind of observational measurement of shoppers, most retailers would never know which shoppers leave without buying and why. Or, why some merchandising experiments succeed or fail. In both cases, there are opportunities to accomplish more, if you can only grasp how your own decisions and behavior are helping and hurting your sales.

  One of the sections I enjoyed was an evaluation of why many book stores miss sales. I often notice the inconveniences mentioned when I am in a book store, and wondered why the stores persist in doing things that make the store hard to shop in. There's a lot of stalled thinking in the industry, which is why we are fortunate to have Amazon.com to help us.

  The book does a nice job of discussing how people with different perspectives shop differently. You'll probably get a laugh or two when you find yourself there. Do you secretly dig a sample out of the lipstick or the men's deodorant gel? Do you browse and rarely buy in Laura Ashley or in a computer store? When do you look at yourself in the mirror in a store? When do you not even go into a store because you can see long check out lines?

  Ultimately, almost everything in this interesting book is common sense. But chances are that your needs are not often well served in areas that are important to you in retail outlets. My favorite was the problem of people only having two hands, and all of the times that we need three or four to negotiate the retailer's set-up.

  A particular strength of this book was that it also pointed out that behavior is subject to change, as social patterns and values change. Men's jeans need to be in areas of wide aisles or fathers pushing their children in strollers will have to choose between looking at jeans and abandoning their children. That was not a very important problem 50 years ago.

  I have often noticed how much people like to sample things before buying them, and how difficult it is to sample in many situations. Do you really want to go through what it takes to take a test drive of 20 different cars in 20 different dealers? Probably not. Yet, I would certainly buy a car more often if I had an easier chance to try the new ones out. You are probably the same way.

  The main weakness of the book is that much less work has been done in looking at consumer behavior on the Internet, so the findings will hardly surprise you. You probably noticed these things years ago, like sites that are hard to navigate, have no site maps, and won't let you use the forms to buy.

  I encourage anyone who has an interest in being more customer oriented to read this book, and use it to reexamine what your customers have to go through to do business with you. How could you improve?

  Eliminate your stalls that make buying from you difficult, and rapid profitable growth should quickly follow.
  
  

• Disappointment
  By on 2002-01-29
  Strong title and little substance.

  An example of the uneasy quality of reasoning on display in this book:

  People buy more - the author has found out via his in -store research - when they spend more time at the store, so keep them longer at your store.

  Perhaps, but why there is no attempt to clarify if and how the above actually is a causal relation, no attempt to prove that it is not a simple co-relation or even a casual effect though of the opposite kind to that suggested by the author i.e. he/she who buys more needs more time at store and not the other way around (wouldn't we expect people who buy to spend more time at a store as they need to try the clothes compared to people who just do some window shopping ?)
  
  

• A 'Read' for Retailers
  By ANG2MNG25WEP8 on 2002-09-01
  I read Mr. Underhill's book and must admit that I could identify with many of his suggestions and observations, and were I a brick-and-mortar retailer, I would find this book indispensable. The book's value is derived primarily from the mindset created during reading ("watch your customer, and try to understand his motivations and challenges in your store"), rather than from the value of the specific observations themselves ("aging baby boomers have eyesight that is deteriorating so make your type larger on product packaging").

  If you are interested or work in retailing, you will likely find the methodology interesting, the observations useful at times, and will no doubt find something useful to implement. If you are a large retailer, it may even inspire you to hire the author's company to study your stores and provide insight and recommendations on how to improve your business.

  The chapter devoted to the Internet is dated, but primarily because of the speed at which the Internet and its retailers are moving. With several years' experience in a web analytics company, I can say that the online retailers have much better and more accurate information about shoppers' behavior, and on the whole, are improving the overall shopping experience very rapidly as a result. Reading about real world shopping behavior was interesting because of my position in assisting very large retailers study their online customers.

  The book will appeal primarily to retailers, or those interested in the behavior of the shopping public. Personally, as a consumer, I wish every retailer and product manufacturer would read this and make my life easier. I have thought many of the same things that Mr. Underhill suggests for retailers, such as "give me a chair to sit in while my wife finishes her shopping".
  
  

• Book can be summed up in a few pages
  By A369P1RTHM5NTG on 2007-02-15
  I really didn't get much of value out of this book. Long winded, little actual data. A book to skim through. Most of the book is spent on impressing you on how great the author is for figuring things out. Ah, how I hate books written for money and not substance.
  
  
• I enjoyed this book.
  By A19UKA8P8CG0D1 on 2000-01-21
  I enjoyed this book immensly, because it examined a practice which we all seem to enjoy, yet we never stop to think about the different theories and practices within the industry. For example, we never think to ourselves how the merchandise is placed so that it is perfectly in our view, and how the store is laid out so that we take in all of the atmosphere and stimulents which are directed towards us. As with all books, the reader will find some parts of this book to be somewhat "boring", but you will find plenty of instances where you find yourself saying "so that is why they do that" and "gee, i never realized that".
  
  
• Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
  By A1NISZF56543YW on 2000-05-31
  Don't waste your time reading this book if you are looking for concrete ideas to better operate your retail store. Underhill presents a hodgepodge of concepts and ideas about the retail environment. If you operate a book store, drug store or computer store you might find some helpful information, but if you are looking for a general guide to heip you figure out the shopper a retail operation other than those listed above you'd better look elsewhere for information. As they say, the author is a legend in his own mind. On a final note I found Underhill's crude language when describing his own shopping experience in a drug store (see page 209) in quite poor taste.
  
  
• Great Book!
  By on 2000-04-23
  An excellent book. It's interesting that it has been criticized by shoppers for simply explaining why shoppers don't buy, which isn't news to shoppers. But the book wasn't really written for shoppers-it was written for sellers, who understand little of the shoppers predicament.

  Now if someone would just give this book to the powers that be at Blockbuster Video and the other stores where the staff bends over backward to say "hi" as you walk in (who cares?) but disappear as soon as you have picked your video...
  
  

• A concise, thoughtful read on a relevant subject
  By A3H9BN1O9WZHP0 on 1999-04-15
  I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Paco Underhill's new book on shopping. Now, like many people I am often recommended to "how to" & "why" books on various business subjects -and I find that they are usually quite ponderous and dry and I generally last about a chapter --not so with this book --Underhill presents a POV on a subject that many of us take for granted --how people shop and why they do what they do when they are in a bank or a store. Obviously, since his business is studying this subject in all its minute details, he has had ample opportunity to study and probe vast amounts of film and this experience has provided him with insights that are both fascinating and, at times, quite humorous as he explores the human condition in that very American -- and now increasing global activity of shop 'til you drop. In short, it's ainteresting and informative read and every store manager should be given thisn bookm as required reading --as well as "civilians" who frequent these establishments--large and small.
  
  
• Interesting read, but not enough detail
  By A14ME4FQBNFYWH on 2001-04-14
  From start to finish, Why We Buy is very interesting read. Underhill goes over the behaviors people exhibit while they are shopping and points out how retailers do things both correctly and incorrectly. His conclusions are based on years of observational research.

  The book is written in a light, conversational manner that makes it a quick, easy read. However, it excludes an enormous amount of detail about Underhill's research. The book makes references to his research over the years, but does it at such a high level that it is difficult to fully buy into his argument. I want to believe what he says, but he just doesn't provide the necessary level of detail.

  He also seems to draw conclusions that just can't be made (based on the information he presents). For example, he will relate a story of how a particular rack was being used in a store and then say "obviously it should have been placed like this.. and after the store took my recommendation the items on the rack sold much better...". He doesn't account for other factors that could have caused better performance -- such as seasonal effects, etc. One could assume he controlled for all of these things, but it isn't stated in his discussion.

  Also, he tends to go on rants about the way stores should be and offers all kinds of suggestions about his view of the world. Great.. amusing at first, but they get a little tiring.

  Finally, I don't agree with his assessment of online shopping (note, I am biased on this one). He takes his observations about shopping and applies them to the online environment when it isn't clear this is a reasonable thing to do. Some of his points are good, but in general they are very near sighted.

  All criticism aside, I think Why We Buy is a worthwhile read. Just set your "suspension of disbelief" threshold higher while you are reading it.
  
  

• MUST READ FOR ANYONE IN MARKETING OR RETAIL!!!!
  By on 2001-11-01
  Paco Underhill's book utilizes observational research to determine why people buy. The book starts off with a detailed description of the shopping behavior of a customer in the towel section of a store. Underhill carefully writes down the customers every move, from the number of towels touched, to checking the price tag, nothing gets by without being recorded. He does this same type of observation on hundreds of customers, and from the observations recorded; he makes very thoughtful suggestions to the management of the firm.

  I found many of his observations very common sense. For example, "transition zone" as Underhill calls it. Many businesses fail to recognize that it takes time for customers to make an adjustment from being outside of the store to being inside the store. A customer will ignore a simple item like a shopping basket if it is placed in the transition zone. Hanging signs and posters in front doors go unnoticed, because customers are concentrating on opening the door, rather than looking at signs. In a later chapter he goes on to discuss how natural human movement motivates customer purchasing. Because humans walk and look in a forward motion, a lot of items that are on the shelves go unnoticed. If a customer is familiar with the stores environment, then he or she is more likely to roam with his or her eyes as they are passing through the isles.

  I found the most interesting topics later in the book. Underhill gives a very insightful description of why men and women shop differently. Underhill states, "Men are from Sears Hardware, Women are from Bloomingdale's." I found some of his research findings very fascinating. He gives a wonderful statistic on men's buying behavior. When a man try's items on at the store there is a 65% chance that he will purchase the item vs. a woman 25%. There is one observation Underhill makes I definitely have to agree with is that idea that men almost always pays. However, I do not agree with his idea that men get a thrill out of purchasing their female friends items.

  When I started reading the chapter about what women want, I found a lot of his research findings not too surprising. It is almost common knowledge that women tend to shop faster if a male companion accompanies her. Also nothing new about how ritualistic women shopping patterns is. From seeking and comparing, to trying on and leaving items behind, it is all part of a days shopping for women.

  At the end of the book there is an insightful chapter called "The Self-Exam." One idea that he mentions repeatedly through out his book, and emphasized again in this chapter is that shoppers need baskets when their hands are full. Which is not surprising, however when was the last time you saw a stack of baskets sitting in the middle of a store? This book is very thoughtful, interesting and gives any person in the marketing field excellent insight on buyer behavior. This book is a must read for anyone managing in the retail.
  
  

• Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping by the Author of Why We Buy

• Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping by the Author of Why We Buy
• 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, Revised Edition (2003)
• How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials)