Inside the Mind of the Shopper: The Science of Retailing [Hardcover]

Herb Sorensen Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0137126859 | ISBN-13: 978-0137126859 | Edition: 1

What do you really do when you shop? The answers are fascinating and, for retailers, they're cash in the bank. In Inside the Mind of the Shopper: The Science of Retailing, world-renowned retail consultant Dr. Herb Sorensen, Ph.D. uncovers the truth about the retail shopper and rips away the myths and mistakes that lead retailers to miss their greatest opportunities. Every year, says Sorensen, shoppers will spend a quadrillion seconds in supermarkets and they'll waste 80% of that time. Sorensen analyzes consumer behavior–how shoppers make buying decisions as they move through supermarkets and other retail stores–and presents powerful, tested strategies for designing more effective stores, improving merchandising, and driving double-digit sales increases. He identifies simple interventions that can have dramatic sales effects, and shows why many common strategies simply don't work. You'll learn how to appeal to the "quick trip" shopper; make the most of all three "moments of truth"; understand consumers' powerful in-store migration patterns; improve collaboration between manufacturers and retailers; learn the lessons of Stew Leonard's and other innovators; and much more. Then, in Part II, Sorensen presents revealing interviews with several leading in-store retail experts, including crucial insights on using technology and retailing to multicultural communities.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sorensen has made a career out of studying the way consumers behave in supermarkets. His research into their behavioral patterns includes inventing PathTracker, a system that tracks the motions of shopping carts and fitting test shoppers with specially designed glasses that record their field of vision every 3/25ths of a second, telling him exactly what they are looking at and for how long. It turns out there are three different groups of shopping excursions—quick trips, fill-ins and stockups—and Sorenson studies shoppers by behavior, rather than demographic. He exhorts retailers to forget the old system of making the shopper walk through a store, hoping theyÖll make impulse buys; instead, get them buying as quickly as possible and build momentum by putting products—particularly high frequency purchase items—directly in their paths. He cites such stores as Stew Leonard and Tesco as taking full advantage of new shopper research and provides interesting studies to back up his claims. While vastly informative—even from a sociological standpoint—the book comes across as too theoretical and academic for the general reader. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Herb Sorensen is a preeminent authority on observing and measuring shopping behavior and attitudes within the four walls of the store. He has worked with Fortune 100 retailers and consumer packaged-goods manufacturers for more than 35 years, studying shopper behavior, motivations, and perceptions at the point of purchase. Sorensen’s patented shopper-tracking technology PathTracker® is helping to revolutionize retail marketing strategies from a traditional “product-centric” perspective to a new “shopper-centric” focus. As Baseline magazine commented, “Herb Sorensen and Paco Underhill are the yin and yang of observational research.”

 

Herb has conducted studies in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. His research has been published in AMA’s Marketing Research, The Journal of Advertising Research, FMI Advantage Magazine, Progressive Grocer, and Chain Drug Review, and he has been utilized as an expert source for The Wall Street Journal, Supermarket News, and BusinessWeek. Additionally, he is currently a panelist of Retail Wire’s “Brain Trust.”

 

Herb was named one of the top 50 innovators of 2004 by Fast Company Magazine, and shared the American Marketing Association’s 2007 EXPLOR Award for technological applications that advance research, with Peter Fader and his group at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. Herb has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall; 1 edition (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137126859
• ISBN-13: 978-0137126859
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Retailing
  • #83 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Consumer Behavior

More About the Author

Herb Sorensen, Ph.D. is a pre-eminent authority on observing and measuring shopping behavior and attitudes. He is a BrainTrust panelist at RetailWire.com, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science and Scientific Advisor to the TNS Global Retail & Shopper Practice, serving Fortune 100 retailers and consumer packaged goods manufacturers throughout the world for over 40 years. Fast Company Magazine named him one of its top 50 Innovators. He has been quoted in The Wall St. Journal, Forbes, Business Week, MSNBC, Supermarket News, and Progressive Grocer. Herb speaks internationally to companies and groups--visit www.herbsorensen.com. Herb also writes an occasional blog at www.ShopperScientist.com.

Speaking Engagements 2012-2013, in addition to the United States:
- Canada
- Norway
- Russia
- China
- Australia
- Turkey
- Spain
- Mexico

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Credible Research July 10, 2009

By Leo MacLeod

Format:Hardcover

What is interesting about this book is the focus on shopper behavior rather than shopper comments to draw the conclusions. People aren't reliable sources for predicting behavior. Behavior is the best predictor of behavior. By looking at where shoppers go, how long they take, and what they actually buy, Dr. Sorensen sheds new light on how retailers and brands can capitalize on the truth right under their noses!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written with balance of quantitative and qualitative content January 8, 2010

By Ryan R. Kelsey

Format:Hardcover

Great book because each chapter has a unique purpose in understanding Herb Sorensen's approach. Too many books have 100 pages or less of real content and double that of filler. Not this one. It carefully uses tables, graphs, maps, photos and a fast-moving pace. These work well to emphasize the importance of the quick trip, moments of truth, and types of currencies we all experience as shoppers, retailers, and manufacturers. Ultimately, I enjoyed the manifesto at the end with the top ten best practices retailers and manufacturers could execute tomorrow without a catch such as "buy our software" or "our consultants are standing by for an expensive engagement". I have already bought a second copy in two weeks since I loaned it out so quickly.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for CPG Suppliers and Retailers May 5, 2010

By Jeff Doucette

Format:Hardcover

In the world of shopper insights there are two preeminent figures namely, Paco Underhill the author of "Why We Buy" and Herb Sorensen, the author of "Inside The Mind of the Shopper".

I recently finished reading Mr. Sorensen's book and it took me on a fabulous journey through the retail environment and how shoppers made purchase (or not to purchase) decisions in the store.

When you think about it, this is critical information for both suppliers and retailers as without triggering the purchase decision in-store neither of our businesses would exist.

Sorensen has decades of experience in understanding shopper and his work highly complements that of Underhill. Indeed, the work done by Sorensen is much more advanced including the use of high tech shopper tracking solutions, many of which he invented to facilitate his research.

The book is written in such a way to give actionable insights to both retailers and suppliers on how they can increase the chance to put more products in the shopper's basket.

For retailers, he debunks the long standing notice that price is the king of promotion, offers unique ideas on how to manage SKU sprawl and highlights the importance of "short trip" shoppers.

For suppliers, he encourages a clear focus on the key top-selling items in our assortment (less really is more) and to focus on breaking through the retail clutter with product packaging and POP material that truly has stopping power.

With up to 80% of final purchasing decisions being made in-store this is an essential read for those in shopper facing roles such as category management and shopper insights. It is also a great investment for retail buyers, store operations, key account managers, marketers and senior management.