William J. Walter · 2017 · Independent consultant · 3 hours · Field Observation · Psychology
A Quebec City sausage shop wanted to sell more beer. Sitting by the door for two hours, I saw people walk straight to the counter and notice the beer only after paying. I turned one table 45 degrees and moved beer around the space. Beer sales rose 15%.
The shop's beer sales were struggling, and the beer fridge was stuck in the worst spot. Before proposing anything, I sat by the entrance for two hours and watched the path people took.
People walked a straight corridor to the counter, picked sausages they knew nothing about, and only noticed the beer on the way out. Nobody goes back for beer after paying.
The fridge couldn't move, so the path had to. A table turned 45 degrees, beer at the entrance and beside matching sausages, and a clerk suggesting pairings.
People paused, scanned the shop and chose a beer first. Knowing which beer they like made the unfamiliar sausage an easier choice. Left the owner a one-page strategy to organize around.
To influence what people do, look at what they do in context, and find out why, first. It's surprising how fast assumptions that seemed logical fall flat after a simple test. William J. Walter, a sausage shop in Quebec City, was struggling with beer sales. The beer fridge was in the worst possible spot, and it had to stay there.
I sat on the right side of the entrance for two hours. I wanted to see the path customers took first. It was simple: they came in, bought sausages, paid and left. Almost everyone did the same thing.
Most people acted like first-time customers, even the ones who weren't. As they came in, they seemed lost. They headed straight to the counter, but it felt forced, like they were being pushed there against their will.
First, the walk to the counter felt forced. Second, at the counter, people struggled to choose: they knew nothing about sausages. Third, on the way out, they noticed the beer fridge for the first time, or remembered it too late. They'd missed it, and they weren't coming back in after paying. They'd rather stop at the convenience store, even though it's more trouble.
The owners' most valuable knowledge was which beer goes with which sausage. It was the experience they wanted to offer, not just another shop selling sausages. So far, all they did with that knowledge was keep a beer fridge. So I asked: why not bring the beer and the sausages together, and let beer lead the way?
I suggested turning the table 45 degrees, putting beer bottles and packs at the entrance, and placing bottles beside the sausages in the counter. I asked the clerk to suggest pairings.
The change showed right at the door. The angled table broke the corridor and worked like a stop sign: people paused, scanned the whole shop, and felt invited instead of pushed. At the counter, beer beside the sausages gave them a clear choice: they didn't know sausages, but they knew what beer they like. And on the way to the cashier, the beer was still in sight. Some reached for the fridge before paying, and left with both.
The owner later told me beer sales grew by up to 15% after these small changes. I charged $150 for the analysis and the recommendations. Whether it's an app, a website or a store, people are looking for something. If the path to it is confusing or frustrating, they don't buy and they don't come back.
In the end, customers saw the beer as their guide to the sausages, not just another thing to buy. We didn't add anything new. We changed where things sat and how the path felt, because we knew what people did and, mostly, why.
Observation, analysis, layout recommendation. The clerk ran the pairing suggestions.
A 15% increase in beer sales was reported in the first month after the changes, with no subsequent updates.
The fridge couldn't move, so the path had to.
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