2. Introduction
I analyzed the following 6 stores:
- PANCOMIDO
- L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE
- ZARA
- BIMBA Y LOLA
- H&M
- TOUS
In the following slides you will find my insights and the hidden
opportunities I found for each of these stores. I have maintained
the observation guide structure in order to make it easy to follow
up.
3. PANCOMIDO
• Context: PANCOMIDO is a bakery in the
Salamanca District in Madrid. Its products
are handmade.
*NOTE: All the pictures used in this case have been found on the
Internet because the owner of the store forbade taking pictures.
4. Before entering
• Doors are usually closed. Although sometimes people could
think that closed doors can intimidate some costumers
(specially if you have to ring a bell before you get in) I think it
depends on the product that is being sold at the store.
• In this case, closed doors may guarantee the quality of the
product.
• I love the typography of its sign. It is a copy of a handmade
font and I think it transmits that the product that they sell is
also handmade.
5. Environment
• The store smells so good
(the same as any other
bakery) that you would
spend the rest of your life
there.
• The store is not very big so
there is not room for many
customers. That gives the
seller the chance to pay
attention to the needs of
the clients.
• The decoration with rustic
furniture matches perfectly
with the handmade bread
that they sell.
6. Personnel
• There is only one
salesperson in the bakery.
• As the shop is not very big
the first thing you see
when you enter is the
salesman asking you what
do you want to order.
• The salesman is very
young. Between 20-25
years old and wears
casual clothes and an
apron.
7. Products
• There is a central display table
with all the products that is used
also as the counter.
• The products are arranged by
typology: the bread on one side,
pastries on the other and so on.
• There is a bowl with free samples
of pastries in the counter. If
consumers taste the product
there are more chances that they
will finally buy it.
• The products have no prices.
8. Customers
• Most of the customers came alone. I think that this is because
it is a working day and usually people come after work in their
way home.
• Most of the customers seem to be 35-45 years old. I think it is
because of the prices of the store that are above the average.
• Some of the customers ask some questions about the
products (what is this? What is made of?), but the majority of
them know what they are looking for (they go on a mission).
• Customers do not spend much time in the store. They decide
what they are going to buy, they pay and they leave the store.
• All the customers that entered the store bought something.
9. Hidden opportunities
• PANCOMIDO sells basic goods that can be found cheaper in
other bakeries. The difference between PANCOMIDO and
other bakeries rely on the elaboration process. They should
make this process more visible, for example, with videos of
how they cook the bread, etc.
10. L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE
• Context: L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE sells body and
skincare products as well as fragrances.
• It has been in the market for a long time (since 1976) and its
products are known for there organic ingredients.
11. Before entering
• Doors are opened. They
invite people to enter the
store.
• There are also some
product samples that call
the attention of consumers
• The sign lettering uses an
antique typography (I think it
is a reference of the time
that this store has been
opened (since 1976)).
12. Environment
• The store is very bright and the colors are very warm so the
moment you enter you feel some kind of comfort.
• The floor reflects perfectly the idea of experience on the
profession as it imitates an old floor.
• There is no security in the store and there is calm music
playing that fits perfectly with the products they sell.
13. Personnel
• There is only one salesperson in the store.
• The salesperson is a woman, 28 years old aprox.
• She is younger than the costumers that are in the store. I
think that this is because she is an image of what their
customers would like to be but not who they really are.
• The salesperson wears casual clothes and has no make up. I
think this reinforces the idea that all the products they sell are
natural.
14. Products
• Products are arranged by collection.
Every collection has different
properties and it includes products
with different functionalities.
• It is quite different to know where to
go when you enter the store if you
don’t know their products. Due to the
fact that their products have different
packaging customers are not able to
differentiate their uses at the first
glance.
• There are some impulse products
such as lipsticks, or other products to
carry on your purse that are located
near the cash register.
15. Customers
• All the customers were women
between 40-55 year of age. Most of
them were alone.
• Customers are encouraged to touch
and test the products through
product samplers.
• Most of the customers appear to be
browsing. They try different
products, they ask the saleswomen
and they decide what to buy.
• I listened to some comments of
clients saying it was no their first
time in the store.
• Most of the costumers decided to
buy something.
16. Hidden opportunities
• L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE exposes a lot of products in
their stores and it is very difficult to see at a first glance where
you have to go in order to get what you want (all the products
look alike!). Taking into account that not everyone likes asking
the salespeople, they should think in other ways to guide
costumers to the products they need. Using banners or a
more differentiate packaging could help.
17. ZARA
• Zara is a retail store. It is a chain that has outlets around the
world.
• It sells affordable fashion.
18. Before entering
• Doors are opened.
• There is an area with big
windows where you can find
some examples of the outfits
you will find inside.
• Prices appear on the windows
as a way to attract costumers.
19. Environment
• There are a lot of people standing
in the queue at the cash registry.
That makes me reconsider my
willingness to buy there (laziness
of queues).
• The rest of the store is not too
crowded. The reason of this is
that it is late at night so most of
the people are in their way home.
• There is pop music playing in the
store.
• There is a security guard standing
in front of the door (it is almost
the first thing you see) that
suggests that there are a lot of
shop lifts.
20. Personnel
• There are quite a lot salespeople at the store (I counted
almost 7-10).
• All of them are young women between 25-35 years of age
that fit perfectly with the profile of the stores’ customers (in
fact sometimes costumers are confused with employees).
• They are dressed in black clothes by Zara.
• They do not tend to attend customers (just when someone
asks specifically for a size or a color).
21. Products
• Products are arranged by colors so it is easier for costumers
to find out what they are looking for.
• There are many tables, a lot of organizers, and so on. It is
difficult to pay attention to something.
• Shoes are mostly arranged in the floor. That makes them
easier to find because there are a lot of clothes in the store.
• Near the cash register you can find low price basic t-shirts.
22. Customers
• Most of the costumers are accompanied by someone
(daughter- mother or two friends). I haven’t found any men in
the store.
• Customers are not looking for something specific, they are
browsing.
• Customers touch the product because there are so many
clothes together that if you do not touch them you can’t see
what are they.
• 1 of every 4 customers purchased products in the store.
23. Hidden opportunities
ZARA sells affordable clothes. That makes a lot of costumers enter into their
stores. The problem is that you have to spend too much time waiting to be
attended or to be charged. This discourages a lot of costumers to enter the
store and to buy something because in the end they are not getting an
exclusive item. I propose two solutions to this problem:
• Currently the cash register in the middle of the store and there is a long
queue. The line is the first thing you see when you enter to ZARA. I think
Zara should invest in having more than one cash register (or even self-
served paying machines). This way, there wouldn’t be a big line in the
middle of the store, people wouldn’t have to wait so many time in order to
be attended and more people would buy.
• Taking into account the number of customers in the store there are not
many salespeople in the store and sometimes you have to wait a lot of time
in order to get the right size or the right color. Zara should hire more
salespeople in order to make customers loose less time.
24. BIMBA Y LOLA
• Context: BIMBA Y LOLA is a retail store that has its
headquarters in Galicia, a region of Spain, but has recently
opened stores worldwide.
25. Before entering
• Doors are opened and invite costumers to come in.
• You can see almost all the store from the outside.
• There is a big lettering on the windows announcing a
promotion that attracts the attention of the window-shoppers.
26. Environment
• The store is large and has two
doors in each side. Most of the
people enter through one door
and leave the store through the
other one.
• There is pop music playing that
makes the environment more
dynamic and nice.
• The cash register is located in
one of the sides of the store,
near the door. That incites
costumers to enter through one
door and leave through the
opposite one.
• There is no visible security.
27. Personnel
• There are four salespeople in the
store. This is quite a lot taking into
account the dimensions of the store
and the number of customers in
there.
• The moment you enter the store one
of the sales person greets you and if
your are looking at something
specific another salesperson asks if
you need help.
• The salespeople wear the store
products.
• All the salespeople are aged 30-40
years old, the age of the average
costumers.
28. Products
• Product prices are difficult to find.
• Products are very easy to find out because they are all folded and well
organized. As you can see in the picture below the store is divided in
four sections: Accessories (Wallets, etc.)
jewelry Clothes
Exit door
Entry
door
CASH
Shoes and purses
29. Customers
• Most of the costumers are 30-40 years old. All of them are
women.
• Most of the costumers spend at least 15 minutes in the store.
30. Hidden opportunities
• BIMBA Y LOLA is one of the few fashion stores with less
memorable aspects in there stores. I recommend the
following changes:
– Create an identifiable smell that will characterize BIMBA Y
LOLA stores.
– Re design the store’s touch and feel.
31. H&M
• Context: H&M is a retail chain from Sweden.
• It sells affordable mass scale fashion.
32. Before entering
• Doors are open and there are
multiple banners advertising
that there are promotions
inside.
• The logo does not appear in
the windows. I guess it is
because everyone knows
H&M.
• A lettering with the prices of the
clothes that are shown in the
windows is visible.
33. Environment
• The first thing you see when you enter in the store is the
security guard.
• There is music with a lot of rhythm that makes people move
quickly.
• At the first glance do not see the cash register. Finally I find
out that it is located in the background of the store and in the
-1 floor. This make customers walk through all the store in
order to find the cash register.
34. Personnel
• I only saw one salesperson
in all the store located in the
cash register. That makes
me feel that customers are
not important for them (what
do I do if I need another size
and I do not find it?)
35. Products
• There are a lot of products in the store. They are arranged by
collection.
• There are several banners announcing the prices of the
products bellow in order to attract consumers attention.
• There are impulse items near the cash register such us lip
sticks and other cosmetics.
36. Customers
• Customers are younger in this store than in the other 5 stores
included in the presentation. They are 20-30 years old.
• Most of them are women that came alone or with one friend.
• Most of the customers are in the cash queue waiting to pay.
37. Hidden opportunities
• They should hire more salespeople in order to attend their
costumers. There are so many clothes and most of the times
it is difficult to find a size, etc.
• There is no sign of the Swedish origin. Maybe they could
exploit their origins a little bit in order to differentiate itself
against its competitors.
38. TOUS
• Context: TOUS is a Spanish jewelry store.
*NOTE: All the pictures used in this case have been found on the
Internet because the owner of the store forbade taking pictures.
39. Before entering
• Doors are closed and you have
to ring a bell in order to enter. I
wouldn’t enter if I were not
going to buy of I were not
looking something specific. You
do not enter just to browse.
When you enter, you enter to
buy.
• From the outside you do not
see the inside of the shop. You
only see the windows.
40. Environment
• The store is composed by two tables. Around the table there
are three chairs (one in one side and two in the other side).
• The cash register is hidden in one of the corners of the store.
• The store is very bright and the walls are made of stone. The
decoration is very stylish but a bit cold.
41. Personnel
• The moment you cross the door of TOUS one of the two
employees says “good afternoon, can we help you?”.
• The salespeople wear a suite and some jewelry of TOUS.
• One of the salesperson is young (35 years old approximately)
and the other one is older (45 years old). I guess this is it
because their costumers are aged between 35 and 45 years
old.
• The employees are very stylish and match perfectly with the
stores’ image.
42. Products
• There is a small showcase with some of the products they
sell. If you want to see the rest of products you have to ask
the employees.
• In the showcases, products are arranged by collections while
in the store of the shop, products are organized by function.
So when you ask for a ring they show you all the rings that
are available.
• Near the cash register there is a sample of their fragrance. I
guess they place it there because it is not the main product of
the store and people wouldn’t come in and ask for a fragrance
in a jewelry but maybe if they see it while they are paying for a
jewel they buy it.
43. Customers
• Customers are invited to touch the products the employee
brings you from the store. You can try all of them and see if
you like how you look with them.
• Most of the customers are aged between 35-45 years old.
• Most of customers are in a mission: they are looking for
something.
• Almost all the people that enter the jewelry store buys
something.
44. Hidden opportunities
• In my opinion they should do something in order to make it
easier for customers to know all their products. For example,
putting Ipads with all the collection available for customers.
