Ah, behavior: the root of everything we do. People have been trying to figure out why humans do what they do for ages.

Is it relevant to us? Well, unless society has undergone an enormous change over the weekend, human beings are still the ones buying your products and services, which means you should definitely care about their behaviors and what drive them. Here are a few behaviorally-based merchandising tips for your businesses!

Make a Good First Impression

It matters in job interviews and it matters to your customers, whether they realize it explicitly or implicitly. Your offices should make memorable first impressions - and good ones - or else customers walking in could walk right back out.

Put your best foot forward: stock your stores (or lots, in a dealership’s case) with your new and best-selling merchandise. Keep lots neat, clean, and aesthetically appealing - and don’t stop there. Make sure your office spaces are clean, too, and make the area feel as open and welcoming as you can. This can greatly increase a customer’s attitude towards your business, and a happy customer is more likely to do business with you.

Don’t Waste Their Time

With the rise of online shopping, customers are even less inclined to putter about. Even if customers can’t get what they’re looking for online - like cars, at least at this point in time - they’ll still check out your website. Keep it simple and straightforward and easy to navigate. Plus, customers in-store are still looking for specific items or goals and want to get it done as efficiently as possible.

Streamline your business/dealership as much as you can, displaying clear signage and product information to make it easy for your customers to find their way around and find what they’re looking for.

Don’t Put Too Much on Their Plates

Or, put another way: don’t overwhelm your customers with too many choices. As tempting as it is to have your salespeople show a customer a ton of different options or models, or to spit suggestions at them at a rapid-fire pace, take it easy. That kind of behavior will turn customers off of your business and direct them elsewhere. After all, no one wants to go in with the intention of getting that modest sedan and walk out pressured into a pricier, most lavish model. (It’s okay to ask customers if they’re open to looking at something outside of their price range or stated make/model, but be respectful and don’t push or else you’ll fall into the “pushy car salesman” stereotype.)

Overall, keep it simple, listen to your customers, and be as helpful as you can.

Bonus Tip: tap into their other senses! Customers do more than just look at cars (or pictures of cars): they can inspect them, sit in them, and take them for a test drive. Being able to experience the merchandise with more than just their eyes can make customers more sure of their purchases.