How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Gruen Transfer

Disciplines > Retail > Gruen Transfer

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

The 'Gruen Transfer' (or 'Gruen Effect') is the point at which shoppers fall into a slightly confused state in which they are overwhelmed and entranced by multiple stimuli, and so become more susceptible to advertising, promotion and persuasion.

Example

I walk into a shopping mall. There are bright lights, shops on four levels I can see up through the jazzy central atrium. Moving staircases go up and down, signs, smells of coffee, shops aplenty. I stand there, dazed, then wander around the shops. As I walk back to the car, I notice I've bought more than I had intended.

Discussion

The Gruen Transfer is named after Victor Gruen, an influential architect of early shopping malls. Gruen himself wanted his malls to be pleasant places and was concerned about the effect, though he still kept designing more-than-attractive malls.

You must make this window-shopper push your doors open and make him take a step, the one step that changes him from a window-shopper into a customer. A good store front tries to make his step as easy as possible for him, and tries not to let him even notice that he takes such an important step.
-- Victor Gruen, 1941

These days the principle is used to its greatest extent and lighting, hues, mirrors, half-hidden scenes and other "scripted disorientation" cues are used to trigger the effect. The overall pattern is a combination of harmony and disharmony. The harmony can be in the overall attractive design of the mall and regularity of shops. Just the sheer scale of overall designs are enough to overwhelm people as they try to take it all in.

The Gruen Transfer is caused by sensory overload and consequent confusion that puts people into some kind of a hypnotic trance. This is aided in malls by the shutting out of external distractions. A similar principle is used in Disneyland, where huge attention is paid to creating an undistracted, authentic experience.

How real is the Gruen Transfer? Whilst it clearly has some effect, irrational fears about it can exaggerate its power. We are not programmable automata who are easy to control. In the 1950s when it was first identified and people were assumed to be 'Gruenized', there was a general hysteria about the power of advertising and propaganda. Psychology was in the 'behaviorism' phase where we were considered little more than animals in the way such methods reliably conditioned us.

See also

Confusion principle, Hypnotism

Hardwick, M.J. and Gruen, V. (2003). Mall maker: Victor Gruen, architect of an American dream, University of Pennsylvania Press