Hewlett-Packard Labs Release Observational Study of Bookstore Shopping

In late October, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories conducted a two-week observational study on the buying behavior of patrons at a large independent bookstore, Kepler's Books & Magazines in Menlo Park, California. The results of the study were informative, and, in some cases, surprising, noted Kepler's Clark Kepler. "It was interesting to see the store through a third party's eyes," he said.

The study was conducted from October 28 - November 9, 2002, by Rakhi Rajani of HP Laboratories' Mobile and Media Systems Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, to look at ways technology could augment a bricks-and-mortar store. A bookstore was the perfect fit, because bookstores "are rich in information and choices and are often considered to be a comfortable environment in which to navigate and browse the media available," Rajani explained via e-mail. "[A] short observation and interview study was proposed that would enable the collection of data about the environment within a bookstore and the common actions and behaviors of those who spend time and/or buy there."

Kepler said that the results were a "combination of the expected and unexpected…. [There] were more focused gift buyers than we were aware of -- it was clearly articulated [in the study]."

Also, the study noted that many people came into the store looking for a comfortable browsing environment. For example, Kepler said, the report indicated that when browsing customers were faced with a bench partially covered with books, most would not sit down. This made it clear that "books on a bench are not just a shelving issue, [they are] a customer service issue," he explained.

The full report is accessible on the Hewlett-Packard Labs Web site in PDF format. To read the study in full, click here. Then, on the HP Web site, click on the icon next to the copy that says "Full Image," for a PDF file of the report.