Observation LabIf I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient

attention, than any other talent. Isaac Newton: (1642-1727)

Before you enter the store:

Does the store draw you in? If so, how?The malls really draw you you in by the illumination, the parking, the big posters with advertising and the huge name in the wall of the entrance.

Is the door open or closed?The door is normally open and really big, it usually is an automatic door.

How does this make you feel?I don’t have to make any effort to open the door and it is easier to go in, it is like someone was waiting for you.

How big is the sign lettering and in what font?The sign lettering in some of them could have 3 metres high and 12 metres long. I think it is in Arial font, Georgia or Times New Roman which are really big and very legible.

What does it tell you about the store?The sign lettering is telling to you the name of the mall and let you guess it is a really enormous place where you can go to the cinema but not only that, you can enjoy a lot in the various and  numerous shops, restaurants and bars inside.

Environment:

What is the color scheme of the store? How does this affect you?The color scheme of the building outside is grey, white, light pink or light brown but inside you can see a lot of colours very bright: orange, yellow, blue, black, red, white, brown, a lot of different colours.

Inside the different colours make your attention goes to the places which have very alive and bright colours first and second to the other places. Some of the colours make you feel like to go and see what is sold or what you can do in a certain place, others colours make you feel all is clean.

What type of floor does the store have? How does this affect the environment?It has a white floor and a bridge in the middle, made of wood. You can relax

hearing the water and the feeling is that all is very clean.

How high is the ceiling? How does this feel?I don't know how tall it is but very big and really tall. It makes you feel not enclosed, it makes the mall has more  ampleness

How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you?There are lights all over the mall. It has a very white light and there are no areas with darkness. You can see all perfectly. It makes you feel safe and it get the mall seems to be even bigger. Some of the lights are brighter in some areas and make you watch these places, it calls your attention to go there.

How loud is the environment?The environment is a little bit noisy and some areas with lots of bars and restaurants are even more loud.

What is causing the noise?Almost all the noise is caused by the people talking, laughing, shouting...etc, but also it is caused by the music and some machines.

Is there music playing? If so, does it fit the environment?Yes, there is music playing. It fits with a leisure environment

Is the store warm or cold?Inside is warm.

Is the store crowded with merchandise or is it sparse?It is crowded with merchandise.

Does the store have a distinctive smell?No, there are very different smells: coffee, different perfumes, cookies, cakes, sweets, popcorns, te, ice-cream...etc.

Where is the cash register located?Next to the entrance.

How visible is the store security?There are some security guards inside and outside in the parking.

How long do you want to stay in this store?All the afternoon long.

Does the environment influence the perceived value of the merchandise?Yes, the environment has influence in the perception of the merchandise’s value.

Personnel:

How long does it take before a sales person initiates contact?There are not  lots of sales person trying to contact you, they are only in cases that a product or service is trying to be sold to the  customers of the mall by direct contact  and giving special offers or promotions. Normally ,you have to contact a sales person to ask about a product more than they come to you to sell you something.

Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each customer?Yes the salesperson has a script to all the  customers but also they give the information is required by the  customers every moment, trying to answer their questions and doubts.

Does the salesperson treat different customers differently?Well they have to treat all the customers in the same way but sometimes they don’t do it.

What is the ratio of salespeople to customers?

I don’t know but the salespeople usually are very few so maybe the ratio is about 100 customers.

What age and gender are the employees?They are less than 40 years old and there are more women than men.

Are the salespeople using the store products?It is not necessary, they usually wear uniform.

Do the salespeople have a uniform? Yes, they have uniform.

Do the salespeople match the stores image?Yes, they match with the image of the mall.

Products:

What is the first product that you notice?The books in the entrance.

Is there a central display table with featured products?No, there is not.

Where are items that are “for sale” located in the store?They are arranged on shelves very visible.

How are the products arranged? By function?  By price? By color?They are normally arranged by function.

Are there free samples or demonstrations?There are samples or demonstrations sometimes but not always.

What products are at eye level?The products which are in offer, the ones are typical for a certain season, the expensive ones. They are the kind of products that the store or mall want to sell more.

What items in the store are in the least accessible locations?The less sold and cheaper ones.

Where are the most and least expensive products located?The most expensive products are located in front of your eyes and the least expensive products are below, next to the floor.

Are the prices of the products easy to find?Yes, normally they are.

Are there impulse items near the cash register?Yes They are

Customers:

Are most customers alone or with someone else? What is the relationship?They are customers with their families or friends, some couples but also you can see people alone.

What is the average age and gender of the customers?There are customers of all ages and they are women and men, maybe you can see more women than men.

When a customer enters the store, do they tend to walk in the same path or direction? -        Yes, they usually go straight to the end of the store where is located the cinema, one of the most important points in the mall.

How long do customers stay in the store, on average?The customers stay in the mall about 2 hours.

Do customer touch the products? Is this encouraged?The customer can touch the products. They are not encouraged to do it.

Do most customers appear to be on a mission or are they browsing?They can be looking for something but they are also browsing.

What percent of customers purchase products in the store?Maybe a 80% of the customers.

Other Observations: I have never thought about the higher ceilings in the malls or stores could let

you feel unclosed and make the place even bigger. This is a point I missed before and now I observed it in all the places where I went.

The position of the things and the uses of colours is another point very important and very studied in marketing. Well, the culture has influenced the uses of the colours in marketing, but the position is not so connected with the culture but it is connected with the position of our eyes and the easy way to touch or see the things for us.

It was really difficult to try to look for a number of the customers per salespeople or the percent of people who purchase something and I realize about the fact that there are a few people who are contacting you during your stay in the mall or store in comparison with the number of the salespeople are in the mall working.

These observations are the same in a lot of stores and malls, they change some things like music, lights, scheme of colours, location of the different things, but almost all the observations and even the changes are the same. All depends on what the store and mall want to sell more and the structure in which the mall or store are located.