Consumers have different needs when they enter a supermarket to shop
In the supermarket, people spend time according to the product they want to buy. In this article, I will examine and evaluate my observations on how much time supermarket consumers spend when selecting their products and the reasons behind this. Consumers have different needs when they enter a supermarket to shop. I have observed that individuals coming to shop products such as bottled water or soft drinks really spend less time selecting the products that take an average of 5 to 10 seconds. However, tissues, milk, and other paper towels are among the easiest picks with an approximated 10-18 seconds on average. I also noticed that the above products take more time to select for older people than young people. I further observed that if there is a new product in the above categories, then customers will take a bit more time to try and differentiate the new product with their choice. I noticed that products with a strong brand image have a shorter selection time because consumers only look for a familiar pack. For instance, milk is a routine product for multiple customers compared to air fresheners, so I observed that customers spend more time on the irregular products, air freshener, because they can’t recall which brand they purchased previously. When it comes to skincare products, consumers spend much time reading the products’ specifications to make sure they meet their wants, and some customers even took 5 minutes to make a decision. Customers who purchase products in bulk spend more time selecting them because they focused on getting products with a promotion tag.
Furthermore, some customers spend more time than others based on various factors that I observed. In my observation, I looked at both the old and the young generations and evaluated their products’ selection speed. The following were my observations on why there was a difference in selection time for the consumers.
- I observed that selection of products between consumers was based on the customer’s hurry. Some customers came to shop in a hurry, so selecting their products was fast. On the other side, some customers would seem relaxed, with no pressure, so they took their time to make sure they selected the right products.
- Secondly, I observed that some customers would spend more time selecting products based on various product brands. For example, some air freshener customers would spend more time than others just to read about the product description and make a good decision about it.
- I would see some customers trying to compare the prices of various brands of a product. For customers who shopped for detergents, I would observe some comparing the prices to make sure they select a detergent that will fit their budget.
- Multiple brands would make some individuals spend more time analyzing which brand of a product contain a promotion and which is the best, i.e., is of high quality. This comparison will see some customers looking confused about what to choose and what to leave. I would observe that consumers would finally decide on one brand after taking a long time to decide.
Customer behavior varies in the store perimeter versus in the aisles. At times it varies depending on customers and the kind of products they are buying. Consumer behavior in shopping always vary from one consumer to another and their attitude towards a supermarket. However, how the customer and the brands will influence consumer behavior in the store’s perimeter is what they want to purchase. In the aisles, I also observed that customer behavior varies from one buyer to another. It is influenced by the brand of the product that the consumer wants to buy compared to the store perimeter where various products that a customer wants to alter his/her behavior. In the aisle, you generally find at most two products but many brands while in the store perimeter you different products in the supermarket.