Praise for the Second Edition of Inside the Mind of the Shopper

“The Second Edition of Inside the Mind of the Shopper is a goldmine for anyone trying to wrap their heads around the disruptions reshaping retail in the 21st Century. It provides much-needed clarity to a variety of hotly contested issues, from a pragmatic approach to ‘moments of truth’ to a dispassionate assessment of how physical and digital retailing can co-exist, compete, and (most importantly) be managed. But, for me at least, while there is much new ground broken here, none is more fertile than Sorensen’s notions of shopping as a ‘directional search’ and the idea of the retail area as the interface of products’ and shoppers’ competition for space. The author has given us many things to learn and even more to think about.”

— Ryan Mathews, CEO, Black Monk Consulting; author of The Myth of Excellence; The Deviant’s Advantage; and What’s Your Story?

“The author’s new chapters really contribute to making his ideas about active retailing even clearer, and making the book more up to date with the comparisons between online and offline. The book is so refreshing due to the author’s unique perspective and approach to retailing. I am used to both the practitioner’s ways of reasoning as well as academic literature on retailing, but the author’s perspective is distinct. He seems to have the mind of both an engineer as well as that of a retailer.”

— Jens Nordfält, Head of Research, Hakon Swenson Research Foundation; Assistant Professor, Stockholm School of Economics

“The Second Edition of Inside the Mind of the Shopper is version 2.0, not 1.1. Rarely does an update pave so much new ground that it could be considered an entirely new book. In the first edition, the author summarized the wisdom he developed from watching shoppers across close to a million shopping trips. In the second edition, the author examines today’s most pressing questions for retailers—how to rapidly evolve into a hybrid world of bricks, clicks, digital, social, and mobile. The second edition is an essential read whether or not you’ve read the first edition. Most of the information is new and virtually all of it is essential.”

— Neale Martin, CEO, Sublime Marketing; Professor of Innovation, Coles College of Management, Kennesaw State University; author of Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore

“Herb Sorensen’s seminal first edition of Inside the Mind of the Shopper has not only become prescribed reading for our consultants, but it has also become the go-to read for many of our clients. This is not a cover-to-cover read but rather a constant companion for any retail or shopper marketing practitioner, as it is packed with valuable insights drawn from over 40 years of shopper understanding. The updated second edition takes into account the dramatic changes technology has brought about since the launch of the first edition seven years ago. Technology has not only changed shopper behavior, but it has also played a significant role in how retailers and marketers engage the shopper. The author’s recommendations for how bricks and mortar retail should venture forth in this digital age are both reassuring and energizing. One thing that hasn’t changed over the two editions is the message that the shopper should be at the heart of everything we do as retailers and brand owners.”

—Peter Wilson, Director, koji

“I found this book to be a very important part of the industry. I also think it is a must-read for every merchandiser and category manager and would be the right text book for any retail merchandizing course for retail management programs, and even for management trainee programs. I spent time at Grand Union stores years ago in each of their four phase training programs, and this book would have helped me understand a lot more of how shoppers control the store.”

—Frank Riso, formerly with MSI/Symbol Technologies

“This fresh update to Herb Sorensen’s seminal book Inside the Mind of the Shopper is especially timely as retailing in the digital age begins to mature. While the second edition (rightly) still puts emphasis on the shoppers’ time and on ‘Big Head’ categories, there is a new, deep analysis of both digital and bricks-and-mortar retailing. This book is a must-read for every student of shopping, from aspiring marketers and merchants to seasoned veterans.”

— Liz Crawford, SVP Insights MATCH; author of The Shopper Economy

“Inside the Mind of the Shopper gathers the insights of decades of research into shopper behavior by one of the world’s leading retail experts. It pulls off the difficult trick of blending science with immediately accessible descriptions of exactly what is happening when shoppers interact with goods in a retail environment. As you read, you experience a succession of ‘Aha! So that is what is happening!’ moments as realization dawns that your personal experience has a scientific underpinning. This is a must-read for any researcher in the field, and for any store owner or manager.”

— Professor Alan Penn, Dean The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London

“Anyone interested in retail marketing, shopper behaviour, or evidence-based marketing MUST read this book. Here is the evidence you’ve been looking for, and more.”

— Professor Byron Sharp, Director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, and author of How Brands Grow