Blog #6: Placement of Products

List #1: Items promoted to me within the grocery store

·         Fruits and Veggies

·         Candy

·         Pepsi

·         Tostitos Cheese dip

·         Bakery treats

·         Deli meals

·         Oreos, twinkies, little debbies, etc.

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List #2: Items promoted to those who may have a disability, or children who are shorter

·         Colorful cereals full of sugar

·         Candy

·         Bakery treats

·         Healthy Choices

The items I notices right away in the grocery store were normally stacked high, colorful, large signs,  and would be displayed in a way to be a focal point among all other items present around it. Pepsi, and Coke products are constantly being put on display throughout the stores. This is because it is a highly demanded product to the consumer. It is one that many are familiar with and easily relate to. The Cheese dip is displayed on its own rack that sticks out from the normal racks in the chip aisle. This rack makes it a focal point to attract you to buy this dip when you buy our chips. There thinking is, ‘why not add to the experience of your chips.’ This way if you had been planning on buying some kind of dip, the store makes it easily accessible to you to buy the specific product. This also gives the consumer the idea that they should buy this product because it is popular, meaning that it is something you should have.

        Items such as bakery treats, the deli, and fruits and veggies also have their own unique displays. The way in which an item is displayed attracts the consumer to it. These items are not your regular needed, everyday items. So these items are set up to attract the consumer into buying them. This all plays into the science that goes behind marketing. Such as the fact that the milk, which is the most frequent item bought in the store, is placed in the back so the consumer must walk through the whole store; causing them to pass other items for impulse buys. These items are not displayed in long rows against the shelves, but they are on “rounders” and square tables. This unusual display catches the eye of the consumer with its different set up from the regular aisles. These tables make it so the consumer is capable to walk around them and see more of the same items in different varieties.

        Some may have a different and unique way of looking at the store from the ordinary consumer such as children, those with disabilities or even someone who has a special diet.  For Children, marketers place the items that they would be attracted to on the lower shelves (eye level). These will tend to be more colorful and may have some kind of character that they can easily recognize. This is most common in the cereal aisles. The cereal itself will be colorful and contain a lot of sugar. Everything a child could want.

        I believe that the main contributor to this madness is marketing. Obviously every brand in the store has their own marketing team, along with the store itself. There are many factors that play into what choices the consumer will buy. Though, it is my personal opinion that the most popular items/ companies and who ever throws in the most money to place their products wins in the competition of what the consumer will buy when they go to the store. Therefore, these underplayed dictatorships are the ones who truly have the upper hand in what is purchased.