Beauty and the bottom line
by Heather Leggett
With glossy blonde hair, big blue eyes and a perfect smile, budding UniSA PhD Bianca Price is everything you wouldn’t want in a retail assistant, if the results of her latest study are anything to go by.
The 27-year old, originally from Brisbane, has recently published a study which found that a woman is less likely to buy a product from a female shop assistant that she thinks is more attractive than her.
The study has raised questions about the common belief that putting gorgeous girls behind the counter increases sales. But the results have come as no surprise to charming Price who, like most women, has had negative experiences while shopping.
"It’s confronting to walk into a store and see nothing but gorgeous girls," she says.
"When people feel threatened, it can result in higher levels of avoidant behaviours and, in a retail environment, this means reduced purchases," she says.
The study, conducted as part of Price’s PhD, involved interviews of female university students between the ages of 18 and 26. Photographs of hypothetical shop assistants were matched with either a mobile phone or mascara.
Regardless of the type of product, women shied away from buying from a perceptively more attractive girl, a result Price says is a biological reaction to perceived social threats.
Price believes that the increased focus on appearance and body image in young women helps to explain the results.
"Younger women consider their appearance to be their CV," she says.
"It’s what can determine the number of friends they have, their luck in finding a relationship and their success in their career."
From cars to perfume, retailers successfully use stunning female celebrities as endorsers, but Price says thinking that hiring a gorgeous girl will have the same effect is a flawed line of reasoning.
"Retailers often think that beautiful is better. It doesn’t always work like that - women may not consider celebrities a direct social threat, but they might consider the girl at their local shopping centre to be one."
The lesson for retailers, Price says, is to think about the reality of your customer base.
"In real life, women come in all shapes and sizes. By employing a diverse range of staff, retailers can broaden the type of customer they appeal to."
Up next for Price is a study examining the effects of different types of beauty on purchase intentions.
"From the ‘Sex Kitten’ to the ‘Girl Next Door’, different types of beauty result in different reactions. I think everyone will be surprised by the results," she says.