You know what I mean. Men just don’t “care”… or see or even smell… as much when shopping. To them, it’s in, got what I need at a price I want to pay? and out. Women are more emotional about shopping.
Is your consignment or resale or thrift shop addressing the emotional needs of its target audience,
which is mostly women? I’ve turned a quote from Paco Underhill into a checklist you can use today. Emotional shopping, excerpted from Why We Buy by Paco Underhill, is all about:
Women expect more from the shopping experience. They are far more critical of the store
environment and notice
- lapses in cleanliness,
- poor lighting, and
- lack of directional signs.
They want to spend time in stores that make them feel comfortable. Some of the elements that make shopping more enjoyable for them are
- aisles that allow easy movement from rack to rack without being bumped from behind.
- Children’s play areas free women shoppers from constant child restraining.
- Product positioned that is easy to reach – positioned neither too high nor too low- will accommodate customers and make it easier for them to reach the product they’re after.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
I agree. Women are far more emotional about the shopping experience. We get compliments on a daily basis from customers who tell us they like that our store is: always extremely clean, well-lit, spacious aisles, everything organized by size and color, atractive displays, a wide variety of sizes and styles, and that we are extremely selective about the inventory that we accept. They also like the fact that we have helpful sales associates who start fitting rooms for them and return unwanted merchandise to the floor for them. Something they really like a lot if that they know we’ll be honest with them when they ask our opinion of how an outfit looks on them. We won’t say that we like it just to make the sale. We want them to be extremely happy with their purchases so that they keep coming back for more!
We get compliments daily on how much our shoppers like the layout of our furniture store. Not that we do anything all that much special even, just that there is enough room to move around, get in and out of the isles, see things without fear of bumping something. Maybe because I’m a plus size woman, I leave a few inches of extra walking space…? It is tough to do, especially when I am tempted every day to stack things to the rafters or in front of one another to “get it all in”.