I love watching customers because I can learn plenty. Watching how they enter and exit the business, where they want in the shop – observations can inform better business decisions.
One of the reasons we changed the location of our crafts titles was the observation that 70% of people purchasing from our women’s weeklies display turned left as they exited the women’s aisle. This revealed to us the importance of what they saw on their left side. We moved craft titles to this position and have enjoyed extraordinary year on year sales growth as a result.
So, we have made good money from watching customers. You can too. It’s easy.
Take time to stand still and observe. No, you can’t do something else while you do this. It’s important. Watch your shoppers and how they move around the store. Look for patterns. Use your observations to determine what you place where.
Remember, selling to shoppers as they go to the counter and then leave the newsagency is as important as selling to them as they enter.
Yes, watching customers can be commercially valuable.