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A Comparative Observational Study in a Retail Environment

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A Comparative Observational Study in a Retail Environment

This observational study involved picking up various items that have been vital in

gaining insights into consumer behavior in retail. By purposefully placing merchandise in each

shop aisle, retailers can observe the various factors that influence customers' purchasing

decisions, such as internal motivations, external stimuli, and demographics. This research

considers multi-contextual situations when customers interact with goods that lead to the

decision-making process. Utilizing this advanced technique, we intend to gain insights into the

intricate interactions that govern buying behaviors and their interplay with forces inside and

outside their surroundings. The main aim of this research is to investigate what factors influence

a purchase after considering issues, including customers' reactions, product designs, and

environmental factors.

Observations

Observation for Product 1

One product, an upmarket skincare product in the cosmetics section, displayed a high

likelihood of independent decision-making. It is significant to mention that the female target

market participated unprecedentedly in the buyer behavior process. Many touched it with their

hands, and some even had more than a fleeting moment of interest. Touching the package

showed a desire for actual contact, which signified a close association with the item.

Specifically, external factors such as the soothing track playing in the beauty department and the

carefully placed lights lighting up the skin care product proved essential participants (Acquisti et

al., 2023). Sensory components worked as they shaped the whole feel of shopping and allowed

clients to interact with it in several ways, not only in the form of transactions. This intensifying

sensory experience provided via external stimulations significantly impacts the emotional
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affinity between customers and premium skin care products; it captures the intricate alliance of

personal tastes with environmental considerations in decision-making.

The exciting observations were about the customer behavior of product 1, a top-of-the-

line skin care product. In the five minutes that the product labels were carefully scrutinized, there

was clear comprehension of the content and its benefits to individuals. This behavior goes hand

in hand with internal features such as self-care needs and why we should be considerate of other

people. Customers were searching for information, which means they wanted products matching

their individual needs and tastes in skin care. In addition, its bright exterior and the

sophisticatedly elegant and unobtrusive packaging made it look perfect on the outside. With this

in mind, such a conceptualized choice improved the perception of product quality and caught

consumers' attention. Its sophisticated shape might have made it seem like a high-end, effective

product, which compelled people to buy it. The findings in this research offer critical information

to marketers trying to craft products related to the personalized values of customers through the

lens that consumers' internal preferences are interdependent with external stimuli, like

environmental contexts or brand positionings, impacting aisle purchases in the beauty category.

Observation for Product 2

Looking at the well-known snack items in the snack and confectionary aisle revealed

different types of consumers engaging in this product. In cosmetics, there is a more specific and

targeted consumer group. In this instance, this healthy treat drew a diverse crowd, including

families with young children. The decision-making process was also influenced by external

factors, like placing attractive and colorful packaging that appealed to children at eye level.

Children's impetuous natures made this placement attractive; therefore, they influenced parents'

procurement decisions by purposely making appearance aesthetically appealing and drawing

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emotional desires, leading to on-the-spot purchases (Somuah, 2021). There were discussions,

compromises, and a group decision-making process in the family-member interactions. Its visual

appearance convinced the parents, and for the sake of nutrition, it was an agreement between

satisfying the children's taste and ensuring they also had something healthy for the parents. The

dynamic and interactive snack aisle decision-making highlights how outsiders' cues affect choice

for family Oriental shopping selection.

Additionally, the way they interacted with their kids at home while debating appropriate

snacks demonstrated how important their input was during this decision. This environment

deliberately used external stimuli like the arrangement of aisles and colored packages, creating

an ambiance conducive to rash decisions. The attractive and vibrant packaging is meant to attract

consumer attention and sway them to make a purchase. Surprisingly, a significant observation

became apparent during the obvious rash choices: The customers closely observed the nutritional

labeling of their products. Consequently, this makes the consumer's behavior in the snack aisle

very complicated to understand, as it is challenging to predict it. The tempting packaging and

tricky placement drive impulsive selections. However, one can notice an indicator of the health-

awareness selection related to nutritious factors to some extent. Such seemingly incongruous

behavior highlights the complicated interplay of external influences and emphasizes that

appearance precedes health when it comes to the shopping cart, which mainly concerns family-

based buying.

Analysis

Internal Influences (Module 4)

The acts in the beauty section also mirror the fundamental elements of internal impacts,

as highlighted in Module 4. Luxury skincare products attracted individual customers with

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considerable engagement, showing close preference relations on the part of these customers

towards the complicated choice decision, which could indicate an intrinsic drive emanating from

an innate urge to express oneself and nurture oneself. In such a case, customers have a particular

instinctual urge to develop well-considered choices that meet personal inclinations and fit

skincare requirements. By showing high involvement in this regard, it is evident that internal

factors such as personal desires and opinions significantly affect consumer action regarding

beauty products (Chen & Dermawan, 2020). The beauty segment is not just a store but a place

where tourists pass along a personal lineup to find items representing their internal drives and

resolutions to lead a better life.

Collaborative decision-making in the snack aisle has shown that many unseen forces,

such as social and cultural factors, influence consumer purchasing decisions. In the process,

families negotiating the area held animated discussions and exchanged ideas, showing the

significant role of internal influences such as shared family values and norms. The snack

preference-influencing group decision-making assumption assumes that the inherent internal

variables in the family framework shape these food choices. The snack aisle illustrates a

collective approach to decision-making instead of individual orientation in the aisles dedicated to

cosmetics, where each person has his or her own taste and reason for preference. Through this, it

is evident that having two or more people select their food brings to light a common practice that

reflects miniature versions of family dynamics, such as compromise, negotiation, and

consideration. For this, marketers need to understand these internal factors to adapt strategies

that correspond to the motivations behind different customers' choices towards several

commodity lines. Since families are seen as choosing snacks jointly, it may be possible to design

advertisements and content that relate to the principles of taste or beliefs embedded within the
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family's members, which could help establish a connection between the marketer and the

intended market.

External Influences (Module 5)

The products were designed with aesthetic packaging to influence customers' behavior in

the cosmetics department, strategically placed the lighting elements, and played mellow music.

Sensory marketing became apparent when all these parts combined to enhance a vivid and

immersive purchasing experience. The ambiance, music, and spotlights that highlighted the

skincare product made it visually appealing. Furthermore, sleek packaging with a minimalist

design proved instrumental in luring people into buying it (Dibie & Olannye, 2022). This

revelation conforms to the principles of sense marketing, implying that it entails much more than

just the utility of any particular product or service. This case highlights the blend of internal

elements of the beauty aisle products that attracted consumers and external impulses derived by

professionals' expertise on sensual appeal, which affected consumer choice.

External influences in a nutritional sense were manifested in the purposeful setting up of

specific snack arrangements that attracted children's attention by utilizing colorful messages

positioned at their height. The snack packages were positioned to take advantage of shoppers'

visual perceptions, triggering spontaneous purchases. According to Snack Aisle's observation,

shop design influences customers' decisions. The visual cues convince people to pass and

influence parents to make favorable choices for kids' purchasing decisions. It aligns with the

notion that outlying factors such as shop appearance and layout make buyers more transparent

and make hurried choices when purchasing.

Consumer Decision-Making Process (Module 6)

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The decision paths observed in customers buying products in the snack and beauty aisles

support many of the ideas discussed in Module 6 because they confirm how complicated

customers' decisions can be. In the beauty aisle, consumers were more stretched and individual in

their decision-making and engagement with costly skincare products. The daily consumer

product categories clearly show signs suggesting that the information was purposefully searched

for, detailed label interpretations, and high involvement-type decision-making based on

consumer preferences.

However, from the perspective of the food department, that could be something, but the

people acted fast and on impulse. These customers were family members concerned about

contextual factors and signals, such as attractive packages and strategic positioning. Such is

compatible with low-involvement decision-making, whereby customers are fast-acting, relying

on the visual cues of a store or a restaurant. Nevertheless, this binary reveals that consumers

often act in diverse ways to buy goods or services contingent upon various situations at any

given moment. Comprehending these contrasts will guide marketers in creating a plan for the

particular customer's decision peculiar to various retail environments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this observational study indicated the dynamism of customers within a

natural store setting. The choice between two items retrieved from a retail store shows that

consumer decisions involving internal and external factors were equally involved. External

trigger factors also contribute significantly to purchase-making decisions. Therefore, marketers

must find out how to relocate products and plan a strategy accordingly. In this manner, it helps

form opinions on why people do this dance while in the store—the complex, situation-bound

decision-making inside a retail outlet.

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References
Acquisti, A., Brandimarte, L., & Loewenstein, G. (2020). Secrets and likes: The drive for

privacy and the difficulty of achieving it in the digital age. Journal of Consumer

Psychology, 30(4), 736-758.

https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcpy.1191

Chen, J. L., & Dermawan, A. (2020). The influence of YouTube beauty vloggers on Indonesian

consumers’ purchase intention of local cosmetic products. International Journal of

Business and Management, 15(5), 100-116.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f97e/4c4d9cf1a6094780319584445a62311c87d8.pdf

Dibie, R. N., & Olannye, P. A. (2022). Effect of Product Packaging on Consumer Buying

Decision of Cosmetics Brands in Asaba, Delta State Supermarkets. LAFIA JOURNAL

OF ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, 7(2), 151-170.

https://www.lajems.com/index.php/lajems/article/view/226

Somuah, N. S. (2021). Assessing Packaging Colours as an Effective Communication Tool in

Consumer Decision Making (Doctoral dissertation, Ghana Institute of Journalism).

https://repository.gij.edu.gh/handle/123456789/118