where the purchase happens

Just got back from an hour (I can't believe it either) at Target. The store is pretty quiet at this time of year: No one is pushing past you; customers are actually having a fun shopping experience; the atmosphere is blissfully calming - I feel like I have the store to myself. So I don't mind that I spent an hour in-store going up and down the aisles.

THIS is where products are purchased people! This is where "the advertising" brings people to, if it does it's job right. It's either in-store or on-line (phone or Internet). What do consumers want here? How do they shop? Paco Underhill has done a fairly good job of bringing this space into strategic conversations everywhere but what have we done with his information?

I read an article today about Apple being zee best retailer. Now I'll hand it to them, it seems Apple has been doing its brand store "experience" for a while... but why the recognition so late? OH, maybe it's because they've come out, owned it first, and totally kicked ass at it so we attribute them brand history (and loyalty) because they're s so damn good. I don't know. You tell me.

The other thing that came to mind browsing in the refrigerated section (Super Target) was product design. Again, this creative messaging element is crucial to the in-store purchasing decision. I got struck by a SUPER COOL juice bottle with a sleek new design. I wanted it. I had to have it, forget my normal (the one I've been loyal to) product; this NEW bottle triggered a reaction, it got my attention. Hello, it said, Pick Me.

There's a statistic I found in one of those stacks of notes we all have: Something like 70% of purchases are made in-store while only 5-10% of a product's marketing budget is spent here; while 70% of the marketing budget is spent on advertising but ads only sway about 10% of all purchasing decisions. Hmm... I think we need to have another conversation team. :)