But exactly how customers' brains process the information that leads to these numbers does raise eyebrows. And how a retailer responds to those thought patterns could spell the difference between struggling and succeeding in 2009.

"Sure, there's less discretionary income, and people will probably spend much more time in the clearance section, but the behaviors are always the same," said Sheldon Gilbert, founder and CEO of Proclitiv Systems in New York .

It starts the second someone opens the door.

The gender factor

An example of this wiring in action: A woman walks into a store and immediately notices if the windows have been washed lately and the floor swept, said marketing expert Andrea Learned, who owns a firm in Burlington , Vt.

"Literally, it's bizarre details you wouldn't think come into play at all," she added. "They're noticing signage and whether or not it's easy to see the section they want to go to. They're noticing if the music is up a little too loud." Most importantly, they spot sales staff as they scope out where to go for help.

Whereas men seem to be more result-minded and prefer getting in, getting what they need and getting out, once women get to the aisles, their brains continue scanning and are easily distracted by stimuli.

For instance, according to Learned, a female is less likely to walk straight to a CD she wants. Her path is more curved — she might know what she came to buy but can be persuaded to look at more than one CD and actually might not end up buying the original artist.

Retailers also can chalk up this seemingly unfocused wandering to a need to multitask. Consultants label it a "while I'm here" mentality, with thoughts of upcoming gift-giving celebrations, school supplies and stockpiling events never far from the surface.

Stores should be bastions of sights, sounds, smells, hands-on opportunities — a sensory experience that will push emotions to the forefront.

For both genders, brick-and-mortar shopping also fills a need for social connections, according to Kit Yarrow, Ph.D. As a professor of business and psychology at Golden Gate University in San Francisco , Calif. , she advises retailers to herd all these drivers into one powerful package by appealing to emotions. Stores should be bastions of sights, sounds, smells, hands-on opportunities — a sensory experience that will push the most primitive part of the brain, emotions, to the forefront.

"People do not make rational shopping purchases," Hrabowry assured. "They will justify them after the fact. It's all mood-related."

But don't assume that making products touchable is enough, Hrabowry warns. Consumers, and women in particular, respond to stimuli that shows what they can expect from the product, so a dress displayed in a tableau setting conveys to the buyer that she can anticipate a romantic night out in it.

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Men certainly aren't immune to emotional cues, Hrabowry adds, but the list of products that can accomplish this is more limited. Typically, if it speaks to status — think cars, electronics, sporting equipment — then they, too, will work out of the primal side of the brain.

Emotion can't completely negate price, she admits, but it can lessen its consideration in the final decision. And once a retailer begins to master the art of emotion, it's not likely to desert as a marketing tool, as psychology principles remain steady no matter the economy.

"What drives people — whether it's a need for status, fear-avoidance, security, beauty enhancement, a need to be liked — remains a primary," Hrabowry assured. "Accurately identifying and meeting your customers' needs is the key. And if you don't, a competitor will."