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GlobalShop 2013: Training shoppers to buy

April 18, 2013

Herb Sorensen has found the Holy Grail — of retail, that is.

Sorensen, author of the book "Inside the Mind of the Shopper" and named Fast Company Magazine innovator of the year, delivered the keynote address at Tuesday's start of the 2013 GlobalShop conference in Chicago, giving attendees a lesson on how to train shoppers to buy.

"Habit is what makes things fast, no thinking needed," said Sorensen. "That's where we are in terms of training shoppers to buy. How do we train shoppers so they will habitually do what we need them to do."

Sorenson has studied shoppers by analyzing trip length, traffic pattern, eye tracking and item purchases. Understanding shoppers will not only save retailers money, he said, but also enable them to increase sales. In order to do that, though, the retailer needs to focus on where the shopper is already spending time and making the most purchases.

"The shopper is attracted to open space," he said, adding that the path to purchase is often a U-turn.

Rather than implementing a grid floor plan, which blocks shoppers into certain areas, retailers should focus on the design of trip congruence, which he said results in convenience for the shopper.

"Faster selling leads to more sales," said Sorensen.

Read more about consumer behavior.