Why We Buy

I really looked forward to reading Why We Buy by Paco Underhill because I expected a thoughtful analysis of how consumers behave. Instead I learned about useless ideas like the "butt-brush factor" which suggests shoppers who are bumped into from behind are not likely to continue to shop in that spot. I'm glad I'm not the executive who paid for that bit of information.

The author does acknowledge that many of his observations are obvious, because store designers often ignore the obvious. The book is very retail orientated, so the insights don't have much implications outside the retail environment. If you are a retail manager, the observations can help improve sales, but if not, you shouldn't waste your time on this book.