I wanted to read this book to see what devious ways marketers were trying to get at our heads and trick us into buying things we don’t want. To my surprise, most of the “tricks” in the book are really about improving usability and findability – making it easier for the shopper to locate what they want, decide what they want, etc., rather than tricking them. Although there are a few “tricks” in there. Written in a very conversational style, this book goes through several aspects of designing a shopping experience, e.g. the art of signage, or the checkout process. There is a substantial part on catering for different demographics – the old, the young, men and women. The chapter on the Internet is, as expected, now severely outdated!

There are lots of practical tips for people who actually own or run stores, big or small. I am not at all the commercial type but I did find one tip useful for an exhibition I am involved in next week: the area about ten feet after the entrance to the store is a “dead zone”: people are getting adjusted to the different lighting, the different feeling of the store, and anything that’s placed there, they won’t notice unless it’s HUGE and POPS OUT AT YOU.

All in all, a good read, brimming with psychological insight, and giving me a much better idea of why supermarkets, department stores and bookstores are designed the way they are – and in some cases, how to improve them, since many people don’t often think about these things!

I found this to be a better read than the author’s Call of the Mall, which I tried reading a few years ago but never finished. Maybe I’m just more interested in the subject matter.