A Level Psychology - November Term Exam 2023 - Revision

Gil et al. (2009) (412)

• Aim: to investigate the extent to which spatial configuration impacts movement around the store, duration of store visits and interaction with other shoppers and staff, whether certain groups of shoppers showed distinctive movement patterns

• Methodology

  • data was gathered using interviews and naturalistic observations of shoppers in the supermarket

  • researchers created a detailed plan of the shop floor, which identified the locations of different products

  • sampling technique: opportunity, more than 480 shoppers

  • colored tabs were provided so that the shoppers could be identified when exiting the store

  • as the shoppers moved around the store, their movements were tracked by CCTV camera operators

  • when leaving the supermarket, shoppers were asked about their spending, whether they used a list, and other shopping habits

  • using CCTV footage, the researchers were able to record many dependent variables such as

    • time spent in each location

    • duration visit

    • average walking speed

    • duration of interaction with the product

    • percentage of the store sections visited more than once

    • percentage of the store visited

• Ethics about how information was gathered

  • participants could have felt discomfort as they were told they were being observed —> this could have impacted their shopping habits as well as answers given during interviews

  • privacy: participants who were asked to be in the study were told that their activities in the shop were being observed —> this means that the researchers were not observing people who did not give consent, therefore respecting their privacy

    • Their identity was also kept private and not revealed/accessible to the general public

• Strengths of Gil et al. (2009)

  • Location: the research took place every day where many people spend their time. Participants were not recruited in advance which meant that their usual shopping habits may not have changed in advance to the day they were being observed

  • Generalisability: research provides detailed procedures that can be easily replicated to test for reliability

  • Reliability: observational data may not be valid —> Participants were told that they were being observed which could have changed their shopping habits ex. less time looking for goods or repeated activities they would usually avoid.

• Weaknesses of Gil et al. (2009)

  • CCTV —> Participants could have consciously or unconsciously modified their behavior

  • researchers could have put up posters informing the people coming to the shop that there is CCTV and they are being observed, which could have retained usual shopping behaviors —> data could have been more ethical

• Lauteborns 4c’s (marketing mix)

  • The consumer wants and needs

    • Emphasising the importance of consumer wants and needs/demand

    • this would be then used to match the needs of the consumer —> customer satisfaction

  • costs to satisfy

    • defines the amount a consumer is willing to pay for the product - it goes beyond the purchase price

    • Lauteborn believed that the first step in digital marketing is to establish an alignment between the product’s value and the price they would be willing to pay for it

    • The cost of conscience or opportunity costs is also part of the cost of product ownership.

    • for example, a restaurant serving pork may lose potential consumers who are Muslim

  • convenience to buy

    • convenience/easy-to-buy products and goods

    • the quality of goods and services should match the needs and demands of consumers

  • communication

    • selling should encourage two-way communication

    • recognising the differing impact that advertising can have on consumers

    • sellers should engage in constant communication

    • buyers should provide constant feedback