Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice [Hardcover]

Phil Lempert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2002

Take a Tour Through the Mind of a Shopper

"What's my test of a book I've been asked to review? Pure selfishness. How intense are the underlinings? How many quotes can I add to my presentations? How often are the things I believe 'for sure' effectively challenged? Phil Lempert's Being the Shopper is off the charts on all three counts. And not-so-incidentally, though Phil is a 'supermarket guru,' this book will inform anyone who markets anything."
-- Tom Peters, coauthor, In Search of Excellence

"Being the Shopper is gourmet reading . . . a delicious and healthy resource for the smart shopper and forward-thinking marketer. Set your taste buds for Lempert's cutting-edge insights and pragmatic advice on the one experience we all share!"
-- Chip Bell, author, Customer Love and Customers as Partners

"Phil Lempert convinces me I'm something called a consumer. It seems I'm obtuse, savvy, sensual, and picky-- and that my dynamics and demographics are constantly changing. So if you want me to buy something, you ought to try and understand me. reading Being the Shopper seems (to me) a real good place to start."
-- Barry Gibbons, former Chairman/CEO of Burger King
author and entrepreneur

"Rarely do you come across a book that's as meaningful to students and 25-year marketers alike. Being the Shopper delivers to both audiences by enlightening the reader on how to approach critical issues if you want to succeed in today's incredibly demanding environment. It's easy to talk about listening to the voice of your customer, but Mr. Lempert provides a refreshing guide as to how you really can do it."
-- Brian Perkins, Worldwide Chairman, Consumer Pharmaceuticals and Nutritionals Group, Johnson & Johnson

"Is there anything more American than choice? We expect it, we demand it, we revel in it. Phil Lempert understands what your customers really want, and how you can help them find it."
-- Steve Rivkin, President, Rivkin & Associates
coauthor, IdeaWise and Differentiate or Die

Editorial Reviews

Review

" a fantastically interesting, insightful read from a consumer perspective-and there are valuable lessons to be learnt for any retailer " (CWB ( Childrenswear buyer), November 2002)

From the Inside Flap

"Phil Lempert’s Being the Shopper may have been written for the benefit of marketers, but it also helps consumers understand why we buy what we buy. I, for one, will save money at the market as a result."
–– Jean Chatzky, Editor at Large
Money magazine

Being the Shopper reveals the subtle and important things that motivate consumers to buy. Supermarket Guru® Phil Lempert examines every aspect of shopper behavior to help you think like a consumer when creating selling stratagies.

In Being the Shopper, Lempert trails consumers as they shop, examining every detail of the retail experience, with a focus on effective ways to manipulate the customer’s visceral, emotional, and intellectual reaction to a product. He offers in-depth analysis of influential techniques such as in-store sampling, special pricing, packaging, and shelf positioning, giving readers unparalleled access to the inner thoughts of today’s shopper. Listen to customers’ real voices –– culled from Lempert’s research and the Supermarketguru.com consumer panel–– as they make purchasing decisions. Watch how shoppers react to marketing campaigns, and discover new ways to raise the appeal and name recognition of brands.

• Understand how your product appeals (or doesn’t) to real shoppers
• Hear actual accounts of the reasons shoppers choose some products over others
• Inspire loyalty with better, more noticeable brand campaigns
• Understand exactly what your customers want

"Part Four, Shopper’s Sense-abilities, is a must-read for every management team. One of the best eye-openers to help your key people understand what the customer really sees, feels, and smells on a supermarket trip that I have ever read."
–– Tim Hammonds, President and CEO
Food Marketing Institute

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471151351
• ISBN-13: 978-0471151357
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its about time!, July 15, 2002

By 

M. Pauwels (Mission-Viejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice (Hardcover)

Finally a book that is easy and fun to read that marketers and consumers can learn from. I tried to read Why We buy - lots of great info - but couldn't get through it. Lempert's book is timely, chock full of facts and has already made me a better marketer [and shopper]. I've heard him interviewed before on radio and this is one smart guy who should be listened to.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone who markets needs this book!, June 24, 2002

By 

E. Aidman (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice (Hardcover)

I have seen Lempert's reports on the Today Show for years and always enjoyed them - but WOW! I had no idea just how intuitive he is. This is a marketer's dream book. I for one [working as a brand manager for a major CPG] will use this as my bible and it has forced me into the stores and given me the tools on how to listen to a consumer instead of listening to my own predisposed [and antiquated] ideas.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Provides very basic shopper knowledge, November 26, 2007

By 

K. Thompson "Insight Seeker" (Twin Cities) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice (Hardcover)

I have seven years experience in researching consumer insights to determine brand positioning. I've recently taken a new position where I'm moving from brand advertising into retail marketing. I was hoping this book would provide deep retail shopper insights with rich examples of how these insights helped leverage products in a retail environment since my experience is only at the mass advertising level. Instead, I found this book to be elementary and unenlightening at any marketing channel level. Most of the examples are superficial rather than real case studies. While the author talks about many potential ways to get insight into the shopper such as using color and smel, he provides no concrete examples of how these insights have been or could be put into action by anyone. I would only recommend this book to someone with very little marketing experience who wants a basic overview of what factors a researcher might want to explore to better understand the shopper.