Some of us go shopping to just be up-to-date with what is around us - what we commonly know as 'window-shopping'- which means that you do not have any specific need or requirement that you want to fulfil, but visit a retail space to become aware of the latest products and services or even the fashion trends.
Some of us go shopping because it makes us feel good - you find yourself amidst people who are fulfilling their needs and wants by purchasing products or brands for their consumption - there is excitement, chaos, commotion and an elated feeling of well-being - which can ward-off any feeling of gloom or depression. Thus shopping becomes therapeutic - known as 'retail therapy' (I believe that many women are programmed at birth to be natural shoppers.and I've known many husbands who encourage their wives to go shopping, either with wads of cash or with half a dozen plastic cards, as that would give them that rare sense of freedom - very therapeutic in a different way!
Some of us go shopping to kill time or to just catch-up with friends or to take a break between work or home or just as an escape from routine. With the advent of malls, shopping has become an outing for most families, members of which are busy during the week in their respective jobs, but find time to meet over weekends. They visit malls or shopping centres together, thus engaging in an act of fulfilling their individual and collective needs as a family and also being in one another's company (which is why retailers and malls experience an increased level of customer traffic over weekends).
Even the way we shop differs; some of us make a detailed check-list of all the things to buy, especially when we go shopping for our monthly/fortnightly supply of groceries and home needs (and usually end up buying more than what is in the list!). Some of us get into a store and fill the carts with whatever seems appealing to us. When on one of your shopping trips you discover an unfamiliar product on the shelves, your curiosity is aroused and when you enquire or read up about it, you suddenly realise an uncontrollable urge to possess it! It's also true that some of us shop like there is no tomorrow! Shopping means and does different things to different people.
The title of the now popular book 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus' is very true about retail as well. Paco Underhill, a researcher of shopping trends, has a modified version of that belief. He says 'Men are from Sears Hardware (a chain of hardware stores in the US) and women are from Bloomingdale's (a popular chain of department stores in the US)'. His research at a houseware store in the US showed that women shopping with other women spent 8 minutes and 15 seconds on an average; while women with children took about 7 minutes and 19 seconds. When women shopped by themselves; they spent 5 minutes and 2 seconds. When women shopped with men, they spent only 4 minutes and 41 seconds inside the shop! Now how's that to prove who the naturally gifted shopper is?
I'm tempted to invite these researchers to India and let them study the behaviour and patterns of how Indian women shop for sarees and jewellery! I'm sure that will throw some mind boggling statistics, worthy of considering for the book of records! Retailer's in India are becoming aware of who makes the major purchase decisions for the family and are designing their communication and store ambience to attract and increase the dwell-time of their target customers.
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