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Shopping is one of the most challenging and rewarding human activities. Pooler offers a captivating exploration of the emotional and psychological dimensions of shopping. What drives shoppers in various situations? Why do we shop the way we do? Why do people go to malls, boutiques, and Web sites with their credit cards in hand, despite not knowing what it is they're looking for? This book answers such questions, taking an incisive look at how shopping and shoppers have changed in recent years.
For those in retailing and marketing, this guide to the fickle consumer's mindset offers concrete and practical advice on modern shopping behavior, along with important insights into the shopping psyche. Comprehending why people shop as they do is a daunting challenge for today's retailer. For example, why do people shop for bargain groceries yet purchase the latest luxury-model SUV? Why do people feel justified in splurging for Christmas, birthdays, or anniversaries, but suffer guilt from over-spending at other times of the year? Is clothes-shopping all about price and practicality, or is it more about emotional reward and psychological needs? Is the excitement in the quest or the acquisition? Why is there such a thing as a morning-after urge to return among certain shoppers, while others refuse to return an item even if it's flawed or doesn't fit? Pooler probes to the heart of today's complex shopper, providing valuable insights for retailers, advertisers, marketers, and consumers.
List of contents
Introduction
How Shopping Has ChangedShopping Outside the Box
The Shopping Information Gap
The Reasons We Shop TodayThe Mindset of Shopping
Motivations for Shopping
The Emotions of Shopping
The Passionate Shopper
Shopping for the Mind
Shopping in the Demographic Stages of Life
The Challenge for RetailersThe Levels of Retail Need
Retail Strategies
Internet Retailing
Conclusion
About the author
JIM POOLER is Professor of Urban and Population Geography at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An urban geographer and retail demographer, he views shopping as a multidisciplinary subject that incorporates elements from psychology, marketing, business, economics, geography, sociology, and anthropology.
