Everyone knows it: Directly in the entrance area of the supermarket, either charcoal or potting soil is likely to build up. Yes, that should tempt you to buy. But is that the only reason?
Whether special lighting, well-placed special offers or a perfect feel-good temperature of exactly 19 degrees Celsius: discounters and supermarkets come up with a number of ideas to get customers to buy more than they originally planned.
After all, those who feel comfortable stay longer in the store and discover a product here and there that ends up in their shopping cart. The structure of supermarkets always follows a similar pattern.
External presentation as an incentive to buy
It starts outside. Here the customer will find very specific products directly in front of or next to the main entrance: charcoal and potting soil in summer. Road salt and firewood in winter. External presentation as an incentive to buy, one thinks immediately.
But should firewood or road salt in heavy plastic bags really attract more customers to the market? In any case, they are not a big eye-catcher.
In a way, yes. On the one hand, both articles are not part of the normal range. That’s why you have to make customers aware of it, says Hans-Georg Häusel, an expert in neuromarketing and author of the book “Kauf mich!” at the request of t-online.
Shelf space is extremely valuable
On the other hand, firewood and road salt are in front of it “because they are large-volume items that have no place on normal shelves or sales areas.” Because: The shelf space in the market is extremely valuable.
“Since 80 percent of shopping in the supermarket is a matter of habit, customers expect that the shelf allocation is always the same,” explains Häusel. If you had to store firewood and road salt seasonally on the normal shelves, this would have a significant impact on the entire process. If both items, which weigh a kilo, are in front of the supermarket, the shopping trolleys are not far away, says Häusel.
“Not very prone to theft”
And what does retail itself say? t-online has inquired at the Edeka headquarters in Hamburg. Several thousand independent merchants are organized in the association, but they alone determine which goods are presented in front of their markets – and which are not.
But: “Basically, many decide to place firewood and road salt – as well as charcoal and potting soil – in front of the market or in the porch, since these products are not very at risk of theft,” says Stefanie Adler from the Edeka press team. But they can produce dirt if, for example, a container is defective, she adds.
This is one of the reasons why firewood and the like are placed outside. Incentive to buy or not. In the summer, this works more with bedding and balcony plants, which can often be found in front of the entrance. The customer likes to be lured into the shop by this.
