As of: March 23, 2024, 7:07 a.m
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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Supermarkets use a variety of means to encourage their customers to buy more.
One of these means is the barrier at the entrance.
Munich – It is not uncommon for the shopping cart to be full to the brim at the end of a supermarket visit, even though only a few items were originally planned.
This phenomenon is by no means a coincidence, but rather the result of sophisticated strategies from supermarket chains such as Rewe or Edeka.
A variety of strategies are intended to encourage customers to stay longer and make more purchases.
The barriers at the entrance are not arbitrary, as they are based on a sophisticated concept.
Expert on sales strategies: “If you go slower, you as a customer will buy more.”
The hidden meaning of such barriers and sliding doors was explained in the
ZDF
program “The Tricks of the Supermarkets” by Roger Rankel, a sales trainer.
“The barrier, but also the sliding door, actually has more meaning than one would initially like to assign to it.” He emphasizes that the goal is to slow down customers when entering the store.
“You want to slow the customer down first, you want to stop him,” explains Rankel.
The barrier is a sign that shopping and thus relaxation can now begin.
He explains: “It’s like that, it stays that way, if you go slower, you as a customer buy more.”
This is also proven by the recordings from a hidden camera.
The barrier causes people to enter more slowly and therefore engage more intensively with the product offering.
In many Edeka branches, customers have to pass a barrier at the entrance.
© Imago/Lobeca
However, the strategy to slow down customers doesn't end with the entrance gate.
Another effective means of slowing down customer speed is the fruit and vegetable department located immediately behind.
This is specifically illuminated to highlight the freshness and attractiveness of the products.
In addition, product displays are placed in the way and serve as obstacles.
These force the customer to either stop or turn around, which encourages the discovery of additional products.
Significantly longer length of stay: braking factors ensure that customers stay in the supermarket longer
Fruit and vegetables, barriers and displays mean that customers spend more time in the store.
But how effective are these methods actually at extending customer retention time?
ZDF
investigated this using cameras and light barriers
.
In a period of two hours, 187 customers were in the store with the three braking factors mentioned, who spent an average of two minutes and 30 seconds in the corresponding department.
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However, if the barrier was open, the vegetables were not illuminated and the displays were put aside, the average time spent by the 139 customers was reduced to just one minute and 30 seconds within the same period.
This not only results in reduced shopping time in the department, but also fewer spontaneous purchases from consumers.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.