Businessweek Reports Impulse Shopping Is Down

A recent article in Businessweek reports that consumers have become more careful with their money and impulse shopping is on the decline.

Part of the reason is that people are doing more research online before they go out to buy something. I certainly do. And, this leads to less browsing on the shelves.

How To Reshape The Shopping Experience

The writer’s advice to retailers is to reshape the shopping experience so that the store, in this case your optical dispensary, becomes an inviting place to be. Somewhere that patients will be comfortable lingering while they consider what they want to buy.

This actually runs counter to the old retail mindset that many groceries and big box stores employ today. They spread out the things you really want, like milk and bread, and make them harder to find with the hope that you will wander around and buy more in the process.

While I don’t think it’s done intentionally, it’s my observation that many optometrists make their optical departments overly difficult for consumers to access. And, lose revenue in the process.

If that describes your current office setting, this may be a good time to do a redesign.

My advice is to ask a local interior designer to look at your current office layout and offer some suggestions on how to make your eyewear department more attractive and more accessible to patients.

Thanks for reading,

Jerry Hayes, OD

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Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are for discussion purposes only and are NOT intended to serve as legal, accounting or investment advice. ©2011 Jerry Hayes, OD. Not to be reproduced without written permission of the author.