A Controversial Review of America’s Shopping Centres

Paco Underhill, author of the wonderful book “Why We Buy. The Science of Shopping” has now followed this up with a review of the shopping experience in America’s Malls.

His new book “Call Of The Mall” examines how Americans use the mall (shopping centre), what it means, why it works when it does and why it often doesn’t work at all well.

Paco Underhill is CEO of Envirosell whose studies of consumer behaviour are sought after by leading retailers, manufacturers and distributors around the globe. And now owners, managers and marketing specialists in shopping centres will be studying carefully the observations and conclusions of the man who has been called “the Margaret Mead of shopping”.

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Have you ever been so absorbed in a book that you just couldn’t put it down? And have you ever kept interrupting your partner saying "Listen to this" and read out aloud yet another extract (till they leave the room or the bed and go elsewhere for some peace)?

Well I’m guilty of that and it’s not the latest John Grisham thriller or a fact more exciting than fiction Jeffrey Archer story. It’s ‘Why We Buy. The Science Of Shopping’ by Paco Underhill founder of retail research company Envirosell. A man until recently unknown to me but not to McDonald’s, Starbucks, Estee Lauder, Wal-Mart and Blockbuster Video to name just a few.

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As the world is changing, life is changing and so is customer service. Have you noticed this?

John Stanley certainly has and it’s the theme for his new book ‘Think For Your Customer’. He argues that thinking like a customer isn’t the right mindset and points out that potential customers today have less time than ever before, and in addition they are now getting an information overload. If in today’s market you thought like a customer, the chances are you’d be as stressed and confused as many of them are.

It’s an interesting view and one that I both agree and disagree with but it’s certainly a good topic for debate. Let’s take one of the example’s John uses to illustrate what he means by thinking for the customer:

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“Evolution works on the principle of the fittest not the fastest. Remember who won the race between the tortoise and the hare.”

This quote by Carl Honore, a London based journalist and self-confessed speedaholic, is taken from my favourite book read (twice) in 2004 “In Praise of Slowness. How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed”.

As a young man in my early 20s in Scotland someone in business that I greatly respected gave me similar advice and its been a guiding principle for me ever since. It’s one I make a point of refocussing on at the beginning of each year and with Carl Honore’s book that has now become a lot easier.

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