How Consumers Perceive, Learn, and Remember

Retailers often neglect at least one and often two of our five senses when creating their shopping environment. However, all retailers should consider each sense in an effort to provide the best shopping experience possible for their customers.

Through our five senses, consumers react based on their experiences of:

1.    Vision
2.    Touch
3.    Sound
4.    Smell
5.    Taste

Stimuli such as loud pop music playing in the background of a store or the aroma of your favorite scent in a bath and body shop constantly influence consumers in their shopping habits and ultimately in their purchases.  The process of interpreting our surroundings through our senses is called perception. This process includes attention and interpretation that is unique to each individual. Attention is when we apply our minds to stimuli, therefore creating thoughts on a certain stimulus. Interpretation is the unique understanding of something based on your initial perception and overall attention to the subject or object. The word shopping won’t sound so simple anymore when you reflect on each of the steps that consumers process while making their shopping choices!

Think of the last time you walked into a store and were captivated by something. Don’t think about Target or some other big box store, but rather think about a boutique or store similar to yours or similar to stores that sell product like yours. What was it that awed you? Was it the smell of candle burning in the background? Or maybe the sound of subtle jazz playing? Possibly it was an exciting visual merchandising display that lured you into the store from the front window. Then again, maybe something captivated you in a bad way, distracting you from shopping rather than encouraging you to linger longer in that store. A bad smell, loud music, a kid crying – whatever it was, it made an impact for you to remember. Your store makes the same impacts on your customers, so make sure you are in control of what these impacts are. Consider each of the five senses and determine how you are using them and if possible, how you can use them better.