Assignment on Paying attention as part of the course Crash Course on Creativity by Standford University's Venture Lab, taught by Prof. Tina Seelig.

1. Crash Course on Creativity
Submitted by Hari Krishnan

2. Assignment 2
PAYING ATTENTION

3. Stores Visited:
• Dinsko – Footwear store
• JC – Clothing store
• Bokia – Book store
• H&M – Departmental/clothing
retailer
• ICA Supermarket
• Stadium – Sports store
Place: Stockholm, Sweden

4. Store 1: Dinsko
Observations:
 As a male the store did not draw me in as
the theme from outside looked as a female
shore store, male section was hidden
behind!
 Open doors – good signage, appealing for
female customers
 Color scheme was dull but was good as my
attention was drawn towards merchandise
rather than store itself.
 Brightly lit, popular music, warm, sparsely
crowded – mostly young female customers
 The environment of the store was that of a
discount shoe retailer.
 No sales person visible except for behind
counter
 Prominent “Sale” displays attracting
customers
 No prominent central display with featured
items.
 Merchandise displayed according to brands
rather than by prices

5. Store 1: Dinsko
Opportunities:
 Products for male customers could
also be displayed at the entrance to
attract male customers.
 Sales personnel could be proactive
and attend to customers
 Central display displaying featured
or sale products could lead
customers in.

6. Store 2: JC
Observations:
• Video display at the entrance
attracts customers in.
• Store split into women’s section
on the right and men’s on the left
attracting both customers.
• Trendy music, ample lighting and
prominent sale signs attract
customers to spend more time in
store
• Hardly any customers – maybe
due to proximity to H&M next
door
• No sales personnel visible – no
uniforms.
• Accessories lined on central
walkaway scope for impulse
purchase.

7. Store 2: JC
Opportunities:
 Space utilization can be optimized
to make the store look less
cluttered (see pic in previous slide)
 Sales personnel could be more
attentive with uniform to
distinguish them
 Store needs to send a statement –
a discount retailer or high end
retailer. Currently this is unknown
– could be the reason for lack of
customers.

8. Store 3: Bokia
Observations:
 Clear and prominent entrance with central
display featuring sale/popular item
attracting customers
 Display board displaying seasonal special –
especially for kids as seen 
 Top 10 bestsellers list and book display
helps customers access them easily
 Prominent signage showing book genre by
which they are arranged
 Lots of accessories and impulse purchase
items close to the cash register
 Smiling staff – but no uniforms!

9. Store 3: Bokia
Opportunities:
 Stalls for book search would help customers
search for specific books and would
encourage customers to spend more time
in store
 Staff could wear uniforms to distinguish
themselves
 Reading chairs or stools at the corner of the
isle would encourage buyers to read and
hence spend more time in the store
prompting them to buy books.

10. Store 4: H&M
Observations:
 Large entrance with prominent central
display showing top sellers in various
sections of merchandise
 Left side of the landing zone dedicated to
selling cosmetics and personal products –
reminding customers H&M is not only
about clothes
 Dedicated staff behind counters and
around store with uniform to help
shoppers
 Hip-hop music playing in the background
 Brightly lit store
 Customers flocking around sale areas
which are marked with huge “sale” signs
 Merchandise arranged according to price
 Sale items in the entrance attracts
customers to the more expensive full price
items in the back
 Lots of impulse purchase items kept at the
cash counter
 Store crowded with customers
predominantly female and in their 20s

11. Store 4: H&M
Opportunities:
 Male items in the entrance could also
entice male customers since male
merchandise is at the end of the store.
 Front section of the store could be less
cluttered by moving some racks to the back
of the store which seemed to be empty and
with less people. This would take away the
cheap feel to the store from outside!

12. Store 5: ICA Supermarket
Observations:
 Entrance well marked by an unmistakable
“red carpet” welcomes customers in.
 Shopping carts appropriately placed on the
right side of the landing zone 
 Seasonal impulse buys – pumpkin cookies
and confectionaries during Halloween –
placed at the entry
 Bread - the most sold item – placed right in
front of entrance
 Milk – the second most sold item – placed
at the end of the store to make customers
go through all the other isles prompting
them to shop more!

13. Store 5: ICA Supermarket
Movie DVDs and
books right by the
Tobacco stall and cash register.
impulse purchase People waiting in
items near the the queue might
cash register be tempted to
browse and buy.
Sign boards for isle
items easily visible Opportunity:
from one any place Price checker hidden
on the walkway behind the pillar. One
solution is to place the
red arrow on all 4 sides
of pillar.

14. Store 6: Stadium
Observations:
 A race track patter on the floor leads
customers to the store. This track is marked all
over the store making customers unconsciously
follow this track.
 The entrance is marked by sports figures and
sets the sporty mood of the customer
 Ambience of the store is sporty, and the music
is fast paced matching the sporty style of the
store
 Price (and sale price) displayed prominently on
all racks and shelves.
 Many impulse purchase items placed close to
the billing counters where customers queue-up

15. Store 6: Stadium
Opportunity:
Larger shopping carts hidden
Lots of behind smaller shopping bags.
friendly and Larger carts might induced more
smiling store purchases. Hence Carts must be
staff found in visible to the customers entering
brightly the store.
colored
uniforms
Opportunity Opportunity
Track on one Only mirror in the
section ends women’s section is
in a dead end. hidden behind pillar and
This could be racks. Mirrors tend to
avoided to increase the time
establish customers spend in the
continuity store trying on
merchandise.

16. Thanks!