Many frequent shoppers at large supermarkets may have noticed a phenomenon: they often cannot find the products they want because the products on the shelves seem to have "legs" and constantly change positions. Why do supermarkets do this?
Consumer Perspective
This question has actually been asked by many foreign consumers on Quora and Reddit, often targeting Costco.
Some consumers believe that Costco does this to encourage people to move around more, ultimately leading them to find what they're looking for. However, scientific research has shown that this is not just a guess; it's actually Costco's strategy.
An article highlighted that Costco's approach aims primarily to expose consumers to more products while shopping, thereby encouraging them to buy more.
Management Perspective
A Costco leader believes that frequently changing the positions of products on supermarket shelves can enhance the shopping experience, creating a treasure hunt-like feeling for consumers and helping them discover new products they might not have noticed otherwise.
It turns out that running a convenience store involves a lot of considerations. I often struggle to find the items I need when shopping at supermarkets. From a customer's perspective, constantly changing product locations can reduce the time spent searching next time. However, from a business perspective, fixed shelf positions over a long period can give customers a stale and outdated impression, reducing the appeal of the products. Therefore, large supermarkets periodically adjust the positions of products to give consumers a fresh feeling. Of course, too frequent changes in shelf positions can be overwhelming for consumers, leading to frustration if they cannot find what they want.
Seasonal Factors
Large supermarkets tend to make minor changes to the layout of products on shelves every 2 to 6 months.
In addition, seasonal changes, new product launches, and the removal of outdated products also lead to changes in product display positions.
I once worked in a supermarket where some product distributors paid shelf fees. In such cases, promoted products would be placed in the most popular, visible, and easily accessible areas, resulting in changes in the products on shelves.
Moreover, supermarkets adjust the positions of products on shelves during holidays and promotional events to showcase products they want to sell more of in prominent locations.
In summary, when shopping at large supermarkets, we often find that the positions of products change frequently, like playing hide-and-seek with us.
