How to get the Indian Shopper to Buy More in the Supermarket

chillibreeze writer — Nuthan Manohar

I am unaware of the authenticity of this anecdote, but it is said that once Aristotle stood in the marketplace for days. When asked the reason, he replied that he was looking at all the things he didn’t need in life. I seem to belong to the same genre; I can spend ample time strolling supermarket aisles and return empty-handed.

This quirk coupled with the nature of my work has helped me observe and postulate on shopper behavior in the Indian supermarket.

For instance, when a woman saunters into the supermarket and forgets to pick her basket, and is browsing through, you can know for sure that she is potentially a good customer. She doesn’t have a list of items to buy and with gentle coaxing, can be made to buy much more than what she intends to.

Owing to the traffic rules we follow in the country, Indian shoppers prefer to stick to the left hand side of the store. They prefer to walk straight aisles and tend to turn right more than towards the left. While shopping with trolleys, they push the cart with the left hand and pick the merchandise with the right hand. Baskets are, however, carried in the right hand.

It is almost hilarious when popular brands try to get the rack closest to eye level, because unlike popular belief, shoppers prefer the rack that is just below their eye level. People read books holding it below eye level and the same principle holds true when they browse through products. So, the ideal rack is the one at shoulder level.

The next choice is the rack nearest to the elbow level followed by the level of the wrist. It is only after this that they look up. You will hardly ever come across shoppers bending down while browsing.

Shoppers are lured by premium/advanced personal care products, new product launches, imported products, promotional schemes, and snacks. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that shoppers walk in almost blind, which means they do not spend time in reading promotion posters placed at the entrance, or pick up trolleys.

Bakery products, fruits, and vegetables impart a sense of freshness and completeness to the store but since these are products that are bought weekly, there is a tendency to grab and go, which the retailer needs to curb. This means that the most essential products that are bought weekly and the anchor products of the store need to be away from the billing counter so that the shopper moves through various aisles and may indulge in some impulse buying.

Processed food, basic personal care products, and fabric care products rank second in keeping the interest of Indian shoppers. Provisions and oils, and household cleaning products, although essential to their purchase, are seen to be “unimaginative” and “boring”. Hence, there is ample possibility of cross-selling high margin imported products in these stores.

In supermarkets that have dairy and frozen products kept in refrigeration units with sliding doors, shoppers have to jostle other shoppers or wait for their turn to pick products. To induce more sales, stores have to provide more aisle space or switch to refrigeration units that do not have doors.

Shoppers seem to have an affinity for the billing counter, especially when they spy one that doesn’t have a queue. It is ideal if you can create layout plans where the shopper is nudged to go through all the aisles and finally encounter the billing counter. The area demarcated for billing may be used not only for selling products that are bought on impulse, but also merchandise with promotions that the shopper may have missed out on.

A host of differences in shopping behavior can be spotted once you consider the demographics of shoppers. For instance, women think of shopping as fun, exploration, and novelty; men think of their wallet and sticking to the “list”. Women love to spend time browsing, which positively correlates to billing amounts, whereas men seek quiet efficiency. Women tend to shop more when they are with other women and are more willing to try out new products. This is greatly hampered when men “chauffer” them. Ideally there should be a sitting area where men can sip coffee, while women shop in peace.

When it comes to children as shoppers, it has been noticed that pester power works when the product is “known” or “endorsed” and is around Rs 15. A good place to sell to children is near the billing counter, but the racks should not be too high for the children to reach. Men, more than women, are willing to indulge their children in a supermarket.

As final food for thought, now seems to be an apt time to test organic and health foods as a separate merchandise category altogether, since young shoppers today are more health- conscious and willing to spend more for all the things they may not really need in life.

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Nuthan writes for chillibreeze.

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