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Why We Buy

The Science of Shopping

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Revolutionary retail guru Paco Underhill is back with a completely revised edition of his classic, witty bestselling book on our ever-evolving consumer culture—full of fresh observations and important lessons from the cutting edge of retail, which is taking place in the world's emerging markets. New material includes:

The latest trends in online retail—what retailers are doing right and what they're doing wrong—and how nearly every Internet retailer from iTunes to Amazon can drastically improve how it serves its customers.

A guided tour of the most innovative stores, malls, and retail environments around the world—almost all of which are springing up in countries where prosperity is new. An enormous indoor ski slope attracts shoppers to a mall in Dubai; an uber luxurious São Paulo department store provides its customers with personal shoppers; a mall in South Africa has a wave pool for surfing.

The new Why We Buy is an essential guide—it offers advice on how to keep your changing customers and entice new and eager ones.

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Mike Chamberlain's genial voice quickly pulls listeners into the world of shopping science, which will have many questioning themselves every time they take out their wallets. Underhill's book contains a great many insights into why and how stores fail through glaring oversights and significant misunderstandings of the shopping experience. Based upon decades of in-store research by his company, Envirosell, Underhill's work provides tips for people looking to open a shop or those looking to avoid overspending. Chamberlain's narrative rhythm works well with Underhill's enthusiastic prose; he captures Underhill's upbeat tone and energy flawlessly. His quoting voice is distinct--but never so far from his prose voice that listeners will be distracted. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 3, 1999
      Underhill, once a budding academic who worked on a William H. Whyte project analyzing how people use public spaces, adapted anthropological techniques to the world of retail and forged an innovative career with the consulting firm Envirosell. Since brand names and traditional advertising don't necessarily translate into sales, Underhill argues that retail design based on his company's close--very close--observation of shoppers and stores holds the key. His anecdotes contain illuminating detail. For example, since bookstore shoppers like to browse, baskets should be scattered throughout the store to make it easier for customers to carry their purchases. In clothing stores, fitting rooms are best placed closer to the men's department, because men choose based on fit, while women consider more variables. And he sprinkles in other smart suggestions: drugstores could boast a consolidated "men's health" department; computer stores, to attract women, should emphasize convenience and versatility, not size and speed; and clerks at luxury hotels should use hand-held computers to check in travelers from lobby chairs. Underhill remains skeptical about cyberspace retail, believing that Web sites can't offer the sensory stimuli, immediate gratification or social interaction available in brick-and-mortar stores. While the book does little to analyze the international, regional or ethnic dimensions of the subject, it should aid those in business while intriguing urban anthropologists, amateur and professional.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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  • English

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