WASHINGTON - A new study has found that although shoppers are attracted to crowded stores, they are less likely to buy anything from there.

For the study, researchers used Pathtracker, a device attached to the bottom of a shopping cart that emits a signal every five seconds to track shoppers’ paths.

They matched the shopping cart paths with purchase records obtained from scanners to create complete records of consumers’ shopping trips. The data came from a large supermarket in the eastern United States.

The data showed that although consumers are attracted to crowded store zones, they are less likely to make a purchase once they arrive.

The authors also discovered that the more time people spend in a store, the more purposeful they become.

“As consumers spend more time in the store, they begin to feel time pressure when making the visit,” said the authors.

“Thus they adapt by changing their shopping strategies: They are less likely to spend time on exploration, and instead focus on visiting and shopping at store zones that carry categories they plan to buy,” they added.

The authors hope that the findings may help retailers and designers understand more about consumers’ shopping experiences. “

“Using our integrated model of consumer behavior, retailers can experiment with different store layouts and product placement schemes by simulating consumers’ paths and purchases,” said authors.

The study appears in Journal of Consumer Research. (ANI)