Morpace Omnibus Report-Physical Appearance - Amazon Web ...

Consumers are influenced by the
physical appearance of a retailer
Overview
Retailers should be asking themselves these questions:
• What message is our business sending to potential customers?
• Are we turning potential customers away without knowing it?
• Is the environment of our location consistent with our target customers’ expectations?
Aligning the external appearance of your business with the expectations of your target customer is critical.
To accurately achieve this, you will need to understand those expectations.
We live in a highly visual world and the results from our latest Morpace Omnibus make this clear.
Specifically we asked consumers how much of an impact a retail store’s appearance has (from the street)
on their decision to go in. In other words, is 'how the place looks' as important as level of service, or cost?
The results indicated that physical appearance does matter – significantly. And it suggests that retailers in
all industries from automotive to restaurants to big-box should focus on the external presentation of their
building to ensure there are satisfied customers inside.
Results
Business Appearance Influenced Visit
No
31%
Yes
69%
80
60
40
20
0
Importance of Business Appearance
30%
66%
Extremely important Somewhat important Neither important nor
unimportant
More than two-thirds of consumers say they have avoided a place of business based on its external
appearance. Consumers decide whether or not they will shop at your store based on its presentation
from the street.
One-half of consumers (52 percent) have avoided a business all together because it looked dirty from the
outside. These consumers form an opinion of a business based on physical presence, which heavily
influences their decision to shop at a location. Nearly all shoppers (95 percent) say that exterior
appearance is important in their selection of a place to shop.
4%

One-third of consumers have not entered a business because it "didn't look like a place I would normally
shop." These consumers may not have been able to put a finger on specifically why they didn’t want to
shop there, but there was something about its appearance that gave them pause.
Even with the common perception that consumers build strong loyalty to a business, approximately 80
percent of consumers are open to shopping at new places, and most of them have visited a business
outside of their normal routine in the past six months.
Frequently Open to Shopping New Places
No
17%
Yes
83%
Have Shopped Somewhere Different
in the Past 6 Months
When considering what's important in selecting a place to conduct business, cleanliness and organization
is as important as customer service and cost.
More than 80 percent of consumers admit they have shopped only once at a location and never returned
because it did not meet their expectations. And while customer service is important to the customer’s
experience, “being able to find what I'm looking for” is nearly as important; one-third have not returned to
a place because it was perceived as 'dirty'.
No
17%
80
60
40
20
0
Shopped Once and Didn't Return
Appearance Factor that Most
Influenced Decision to Not Go In
52%
Looked dirty from the
outside
Yes
83%
11%
Looked outdated/old
from the outside
2
80
60
40
20
0
68%
No
30%
Poor customer
service
53%
39%
Didn't look like place I
would normally shop/visit
Disorganized ‐
Couldn't find
what I was
looking for
32%
18%
Yes
70%
Most Impacted Decision to Not Return
(Multiple Mention)
Dirty Questionable
clientele
8%
Other

Conclusions and Recommendations
At the very least, retailers should consider developing a research plan to evaluate the external
presentation of their operations as part of their overall marketing efforts. The perceptions that consumers
have of the “look” of a retail storefront may not agree with the retailers’. After all, the expectations
consumers have are developed largely by what your competitors are doing.
In addition to “appearances,” another consideration is your level of consistency. For example, the physical
layout, signage or external appearance of a storefront should be consistent, particularly in a given region
or target market.
Let us help you understand the consistency of your retail environment, guide specific improvements and,
reinforce your desired brand image.
For further insights, or to explore research opportunities, contact Jason Mantel, Morpace Vice President,
at 248.539.5252 or jmantel@morpace.com.
A total of 1,000 consumers were surveyed February 10-15, 2011 as part of the Morpace Omnibus.
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