(Student’s Full Name)
Neiman Marcus is a high-end clothing store that offers clothing, shoes, jewelry and other accessories to customers with a discerning eye for fashion. When entering the three-story Neiman Marcus store located at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, California, the store was designed in particular manner that revealed highlighted the store’s emphasis on understated luxury.
Firstly, I noted that the store had floors made of cream, white, and grey colored tiles. Nevertheless, I recognized that there were some sections of the store that were carpeted. There were plush chairs and circular seating located at in the shoes sections of the store so that customers could be seated comfortably while trying on a pair of shoes. In addition, I observed that the shoes, handbags, and other bags were placed on shelving and tables. I noted that artificial lights were used to highlight the shoes, bags, clothing and jewelry that were being showcased. Furthermore, the store relied on metals and glass, which reflected natural light inside the store so as to make it appear much large than it actually was. There were also small tables with potted orchids placed beside the chairs. Jewelry were placed in special display boxes, busts, and racks so that they could easily be displayed. The mannequins were placed in strategic positions in the store so that passers-by could noticed the clothing items that were on display. The store was divided into sections that separated the designers, accessories, and clothing items so that the customers could easily locate what they wanted.
The color scheme of the store was also something that I could not help but notice. I observed that neutral tones, such as black, grey, cream and white, were used to offset bright colors, such as lime green, red, and orange. Additionally, there were some art pieces and carpeting on the wall that complemented the color scheme within the store. The music that was playing in the background was an instrumental piece that was low tempo and the scent of the store had fruity and floral notes.
The atmospheric elements that I noted while being in the store appealed to the visual, auditory, olfactory, and kinesthetic senses. Firstly, the kinesthetic senses are appealed to by the stores placement of plush seating in the shoes section. The plush seating in the shoes sections of the Neiman Marcus located at Broadway Plaza allowed customers to “feel comfortable” (Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal, & Roggeveen 479). Spence, Puccinnelli, Grewal, and Roggeveen noted that when customers feel comfortable that provides them “the means to interact with merchandise” (479). As mentioned previously, the plush chairs and circular seating were placed in the shoes sections so that the customers could be placed in a comfortable position while trying on a new pair of shoes. In addition, the placing of potted plants on small tables and the artwork on the walls allow the customers to have a sense that she is in a setting that is intimate and similar to being in one’s home. This feeling adds to the comfort level and permits the customer to remain in the store and try on more items. Spence, Puccinnelli, Grewal and Roggeveen explain that when a retailer has discovered a way for its customers to “interact” with items that are being offered then it is a “key to the success of many companies” (479).
The Neiman Marcus store at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, California uses various elements to appeal to the visual senses of its customers. For instance, the color scheme used by the store appeared to have been used to psychological influence shoppers to purchase items from its store. Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal and Roggeveen mention that “prices that appeared in red (as compared to black) were used by male shoppers to perceive higher perception of value” (474). This explains why a section of the store that had male shoes and messenger bags had red and black seating. It appears as if the retailer is using the color red to influence the buying habits of the male shoppers of the store. It should be acknowledged that the section that sold male clothing had touches of red and bright orange. Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal and Roggeveen mention that “black” is often “associated with more exclusive products” (475). On the other hand, bright orange “tends to be associated with more inexpensive offerings” (475).
The store’s use of low tempo instrumental music in the background is another atmospheric element that should be noted. Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal and Roggeveen indicate that a previous study discovered that “customers” in a store where “slower was played spent longer in the aisles, which led them to purchase more” (476). This then would explain why customers entering the Neiman Marcus store at Broadway Plaza would linger in the store and buy at least one item before leaving.
The store appealed to the olfactory sense of the customers through its use of a scent that had fruity and floral notes. I noticed that this scent was strongest near the jewelry section of the store. Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal and Roggeveen mentioned that when counters were “sprayed with a floral/fruity scent” then “customers” were more likely to spend more (477). Therefore, this might have explained why I saw some customers readily buying jewelry in the jewelry section of the store.
The one thing that I would change about the store’s environment would be the touches of bright orange that I saw throughout the store. As mentioned previously, bright orange is connected to “inexpensive” products (Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal & Roggeveen 475). Neiman Marcus is a high-end fashion store and should try to avoid colors that not accentuate this points in the minds of the customers shopping there.
Work Cited
Spence, Charles, Nancy Puccinelli, Dhruv Grewal, and Anne Roggeveen. “Store Atmospherics: A Multi-Sensory Experience.” Psychology and Marketing 31.7 (2014): 472-88. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
