Why Grocery Stores Are Designed Just Like Casinos

Most people think local grocery stores are arranged for convenience. However, the thing is that they are designed to get you to spend as much money as possible. In fact, according to behavioral experts, grocery stores are carefully laid out, just like a casino, to get you to stay longer and spend more.

Just like players use casino reviews nz to choose a perfect casino to gamble, grocery stores apply various casino tactics to keep consumers shopping, playing, and feeling good longer in the store.

Read on to know more about why your local grocery store is designed just like a casino.

Positioning with a Purpose

Although it might seem like you can roam at your own will, smart store and casino design make it predictable where most shoppers and gamblers will go first. In fact, Vasillis Dalakas, a consumer behavior expert from California State University, told Casino.org that ‘Nothing in grocery stores happen by accident.’

As research has shown that objects to the left catch our attention more than those to our right, supermarkets are encouraged to steer customers in a clockwise direction.

Based on that premise, it’s wise for stores to make sure consumers keep looking to their left so they can keep going back to the store’s interior. As such, planners place catchy items – like the eye-popping display – to the right of the entrance.

Staples like milk, bread, and eggs are all positioned away from each other to ensure shoppers pass more potential purchases along the way.

The Multi-Sensory Experience Is the Goal

Both casino designers and grocery stores try hard to engage consumers with six senses. Supermarkets nowadays actually implement many of the principles which were once held by casinos as gospel: limited windows, limited natural light, and none or very few clocks.

Instead of sunlight or the time, the management ensures that at the front of most grocery stores are bombarded with the smells, sights, and sounds of the most stimulating sections: bakery, floral, and produce.

Even the music isn’t played by accident at the grocery store. A study by the American Marketing Association showed a 38% increase in sales for stores that played music compared to those who didn’t. All the positive sensations offered by music put shoppers in a healthy-feeling mood that stimulates the appetite.

The Outside-in

The best designers know that first impressions matters and hence, they place major emphasis on what guests see when they enter. In an attempt to make shoppers look at more potential purchases, grocery stores place fresh samples and out-of-the-box products right at the front. One-way entry and exit points make it difficult for shoppers to enter and leave as well. Even without venturing down any aisles, shoppers are more likely to see end cap shelves at the exit, where products sell eight times fast.

Differing Demographics

A major challenge for both casinos and grocery stores is to appeal to a wide variety of budgets and demographics. At groceries, aisles that are 6+ shelves high can accommodate various differently priced-products. The higher-priced brands are situated at eye-level, while cheaper brands make are placed where they are harder to see.