1. 1. STORE 1
The store does not draw me in. The door is open which makes me feel more comfortable to
come in. The sign lettering is quite big with an old-fashioned font, thus I would assume that
the store sells old-fashioned clothes.
The color scheme of the store is all-white; personally this does not seem as a high-end store.
Furthermore, the store is not brightly lit which makes me feel that it is not ‘open to the
customer’. There is no music playing which is also unwelcoming to the customer. The store is
crowded with merchandise and does not have a distinctive smell. The cash register is located
in front of everybody to see. There is no security. The time I would like to spend in this store
is very short. The environment influences the perceived value of the merchandise as being
low-cost merchandise.
2.

2. PERSONNEL:
The sales person initiates the contact with the customers very quickly in a matter of seconds.
The sales person has a script to follow with every customer.
The sales person treats different customers differently, for example, the customers who
‘look wealthy dressed’ are treated more kindly.
The ratio of sales people to customers is 2:1.
The employees are female and about 50 years of age.
The sales people are not using the store products.
The sales people do not have a uniform.
The sales people do not match the stores image.
PRODUCTS:
The first product that I notice is a red skirt and a red jacket on the mannequin.
The central display table has no featured products.
The ‘sale items’ are scattered throughout the store.
The products are not arranged by color, that is, the same-colored products are stacked
together.
There is no differentiation between the least and most expensive products location.
The prices of the products are easy to find.

3. 3.
The products in this store are arranged according to color contrasts, for example, yellow vs.
black; red vs. brown etc.
The sales items are all placed in the same corner (see photo on the upper right side),
however, they is no sale sign marking these shelves where the products are.
Most customers are alone and of female sex. The average age is 45. When the customers
enter the store they tend to walk in different paths or directions. On average, they stay in the
store for 5 min. The customers usually touch the products; however this is not encouraged
by the sale staff. Most customers do not appear to be on a mission and are merely browsing
through the items. The percent of customers that purchase the products in store in my 15
min observation was 0%.

4. 4
The shopping windows are attractively arranged using not only the items for sale but also the
aesthetic elements, such as furniture, flowers, and also accessories sold in the store, such as
handbags, belts, ties etc. Furthermore, the brand catalogues are also displayed in the
window.

5. 5
The central display/located in the centre of the store of this store is two sitting-chairs and a
rug which does not represent sale items, but are merely decorative elements or intended for
the customers to sit and wait for the spouse/friend/partner to wait on them while they are
shopping.
There are several, usually three items of the same model and color of the sale item placed
together on the hangers. There is some arrangement by function, for example, men’s suits

6. are placed together, and coats are separated from other items. There is distinct separation
between men’s and women’s apparel.
The first product that I notice is a yellow fur scarf wrapped around the mannequin’s neck.
6.
The walls are painted white and brown, giving the store walls some contrast between colors,
furthermore, the brown color makes ‘a rich’ appearance of the store. The central display in the store,
as seen on the above photo, is filled with a cosmetics line which is not the primary focus product of
the store – textile apparel. In addition, the cosmetics line is not the private or exclusive label of this
store which is called ‘MURA’ (see the above logo on the counter).
CONCLUSION:

7. I have visited 6 stores of a similar format and sale items. Some of them are of the same
franchise.
Before making the observations I have missed hidden opportunities, such as:
When selling the cosmetics line in store 6, there should be free samples or demonstrations
arranged.
There should be impulse items placed by the cash register, such as key-chains, lip-glosses etc.
The products should be arranged by price.
The age and gender of the employees should be diverse in order to attract the customers of
specific age-groups and gender.
I believe that the biggest opportunity to be emphasized is to communicativeness of the sales
team. If the sales person can communicate effectively with the customer or have the knowledge
about the materials, stitching or quality, he/she is more successful in sales.