I recently made a trip to Hanes Mall because I needed a nice pair of black ballet flats. I expected that this would be a quick, simple task, but after taking note of the complexity of this process, my trip to the mall turned out to be somewhat tiring and quite an eye opener. It all started when I went into Belk and began browsing their selection. Once I found a few possible contenders I asked the saleswoman if she could look for my size in the back room. I made myself comfortable in a chair within the seating area and when the woman returned with the shoes in my size I began looking them over and trying them on. During the time I spent in the shoe department I could not help but notice the behavior of other shoe shoppers. And upon observing this behavior I realized just how complicated and involved the consumer makes this process out to be.
When you go shoe shopping you would think it should be a simple and quick process. When you really think about it, all you need to do is find something what will comfortably cover your feet and be appropriate. You first determine what kind of shoe you want: athletic shoes, flip flops, dress shoes, etc. Then you find the right color and the right size and voila you are done! However, I realized that shopping for shoes is a very emotionally involved process. I could tell when my fellow shoppers were struggling over the decision to buy one pair of shoes over another or trying to determine whether they were truly in love with the shoes. These decisions became tougher and more time consuming for shoppers as the shoes in question grew more expensive and dressier. All the shoppers I observed had a lengthy process for determining whether or not to purchase a pair of shoes and although each person had their own unique way of going about this process, I determined a set of universal steps (no pun intended!) that most shoppers normally proceed through.
The first step involved a basic examination of the shoe’s appearance. People observed the color, the shape, the amount of arch support, and the finish of the shoe (whether it was shiny or more dull in appearance). Then shoppers began, what I would call, massaging the shoe, determining how much it gave way to bending and flexing, feeling the surface texture, and noting how the edges of the shoe felt. I know edges are something I must always pay attention to because I have experienced my fair share of new shoes cutting into my skin. If I want to avoid wearing Band-Aids or enduring these wounds I need to be sure that the edges of the shoes I buy are not too rough. Shoes that passed these thorough inspections were ready to be put to the test.
Next, shoppers would put the shoes on, stand up, and rock forward and backward, trying to determine if they had enough space for their toes. Then they would walk in a straight line and come back or make a circle around the seating area to see how the shoes felt and whether they were too tight or too loose. Shoppers who seemed to feel comfortable in the shoes then walked to the nearest mirror and examined how the pair looked. It was at this point that I could see the gears turning in these shoppers’ minds. They were trying to decide whether they liked how the shoes looked once they were on and then, perhaps most important of all, they were brainstorming possible ensembles to go with the shoes. I could tell that consumers were thinking, “Do I have anything that I could wear with these shoes?”, “What color clothing would I wear with this pair?”, “Are they too wild or too plain?”, or “Are these shoes too casual or too dressy for what I need?” I found it interesting that the boldness of the shoes that people tried on tended to coincide with their style of dress. Shoppers who wore brighter colors, more patterns, and flashier clothing items were usually trying on a more daring pair of shoes while those who seemed more laid back and donned more reserved attires were often trying on shoes that were less ostentatious.
In the home stretch of this lengthy process each shopper would make one final jaunt around the area and come back to the spot where they were originally seated. This was the moment of truth and the time when shoppers would decide whether they were in love with the pair. Consumers take one final look at the shoes on their feet and make their decision before removing them and placing them back in the box. The shoes good enough to have passed through this rigorous trial were taken to the cashier while the other shoes were taken to the back room where they would wait for the right pair of feet to come along.
I was exhausted after watching everyone else go through this process, let alone going through it myself. However, I was not too tired to head off to American Eagle, Banana Republic, and Gap for some new clothes. That is another complex process in itself, but we will have to save that discussion for another time!
Posted By: Katie Guerra
No comments:
Post a Comment