Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Scientific Marketing: Attacking Your Senses




A new wave of technology is taking over the way that we shop.  Scientific technology and brain scans are being used to entice shoppers to buy products, as well as figure out what consumers want.  Stores that are using sensory imagery to persuade customers include Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister.  If you’ve ever spent time in either of these stores, you know that there is a specific smell associated with the company, as well as dim lighting and loud music.  The stores have concluded that their customers respond the best to those elements and are persuaded to buy more products when entering the stores.

Scientific marketing helps certain stores stand out from other stores during the economic recession.  If these companies want to make more money, they need to find ways to appeal to their customers, rather than just with the look of their products.



I don’t know how I feel about brain scans and having the store know everything that I want; but I do think that appealing to the senses is important because it makes the consumer want to stay and shop.  If a store doesn’t smell good to you, why would you want to shop there?

Let me know your thoughts about brain scans and sensory technology.  Creepy or fabulous?

1 comment:

  1. Here's the deal with these types of stores. If they actually do research, "scan brains" as you say, and determine what their target market really wants; go ahead and do what you want to do. The problem is, a lot of these stores "think" they know what consumers want, but don't truthfully know.

    Take Hollister for example. They think the people coming in the store want to smell the intense smell, hear the loud music, and embrace the California, half/naked, surfer style to the utmost extent. I've never seen the data, so I don't know what research they've done, but from a word-of-mouth perspective, I haven't met too many people who welcome that type of environment.

    Same goes with stores who push sales tactics on employees. Go up to the customers, greet them, and prepare wardrobes that suit what they're looking for. Who really wants that? Let me be while I do my own shopping.

    It all comes down to human nature. Everyone is different. Now, if they scanned everyone's brain as they walked through the door, decided environment and sales tactics based off individual preferences - that would be cool.

    Who knows what we'll see in our time. It is exciting and scary all at the same.

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