How To Go About Research in Physical Retail Spaces

I was going about my Sunday window shopping walk, in and out of a mix of stores, when I was drawn to a particular furniture store. I don’t know of anyone else who does this, but beautiful interior design furniture stores give me a ton of design inspiration. Maybe it’s my proclivity to abstract concepts and kinaesthetic learning which creates this odd habit.

Regardless, I found myself doing a little back and forth jig before deciding to walk in. Though the store was beautifully designed, it felt a little ‘above my paygrade’. And being an obvious introvert, I wouldn’t want any staff getting on my case. Although this expectation could be blamed on my (and I bet your) general experience with sales staff in Singapore, I am not one to rely on those tides of change. It got me thinking about all the other times I walked into a store with no intention of buying anything. I don’t do this for the fun of it, but sometimes, you just want to scope out a product before making a decision. Other times, you may need to do some research for a particular project. And then the loophole hit me.

After reading this, you will either think I’m a genius or a psychopath.

How do you go about research in physical retail spaces?

Just like any sales scenario, you have got to know your common objections. We don’t just want to go in and tell the staff that we are “just looking around.” They will either tail you like a shoplifting hazard or leave you alone. Remember, we are doing research here. Follow these steps.

1. Do some product research.

You are looking for a product which is not available in that particular store, or in the region. It really depends on the kind of information you want out of your trip. It would be unfortunate that you will not be able to find your desired product in that store, right? And most staff will be willing to help you out or promote another product. Pick an item close to the one which you want to know more about, and guide the conversation where you will.

2. Craft a backstory.

I’ll give you one that never fails. You’re shopping for a gift. Of course, the recipient and the occasion varies depending on the type and price of the product. The trick to pulling this off is in the secrecy. You don’t want to make a beeline toward a sales staff and ask for gift ideas. Make some rounds and really look for it. When asked, describe a type of object in bits and pieces, even talk about the alternative gifts, before eventually revealing that you are actually getting this for someone.

A step above that would not be to look for a gift on a special occasion, but a practical reason why you want to get it for a friend. Perhaps someone you know just moved into a new home and you’re looking to buy a lamp for them. Why that specific lamp? Their cat broke the other one and now the decor is off-balanced. How sad. Moving on…

3. Dress the part.

At the beginning of this article, I said that a store was so well-designed that it felt a little above my paygrade. That’s nothing a little wardrobe change can’t solve. Your outfit should fit your backstory and the kind of attention you want to receive. Don’t dress to the nines and walk into a luxury store thinking that matching the environment will fix everything every time.

As a general guideline, new money typically dresses up and is better for building a sympathetic backstory. If your character comes from old money, you don’t need to dress up and this often helps with a more direct speech pattern. Either way, test them out and see what you’re comfortable with.

Once you get good at it, you’ll be able to do this on the fly.

Good Luck!

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Cover Image by Amy Humphries on Unsplash