business psychologist | economist | visual merchandiser
For me, the physical point of sale (POS) is a system in which digital and analogue stimuli complement each other perfectly. However, it is essential to emphasise the specific characteristics of physical retail in order to create a unique, harmonious and holistic customer experience (in-store customer experience - ICX). This should be based on findings from the perception psychology, gestalt principles and ultimately on consumer behaviour.
Since my apprenticeship as a visual merchandiser, the topic of physical customer experience has been a central part of my personal and professional interests. Although the term has only been established in the German-speaking world for a relatively short time, I focussed my extra-occupational studies on it. My aim was to identify and understand the factors influencing customer behaviour in physical retail through design, placement and promotions.
After several years in the field of physical retail customer experience, I changed industries for family reasons and only returned in 2011 when I took over the lead of visual merchandising at Sport Eybl and Sports Experts. However, even during my time away from retail, the customer was always at the centre of my activities.
In 2016, I was entrusted with the lead for POS and merchandising at Intersport Austria (AT, CZ, HU and SK). In 2016, I was also granted an individual master's degree in business psychology, which I completed in 2019 with my master's thesis ‘Gestalt principles and satisfaction in physical retail’.
In 2018, I moved to Leder & Schuh AG (AT, DE and CEE), where I developed and implemented visual merchandising guidelines based on gestalt psychology product presentations and the resulting customer behaviour.
Since 2020, I have been able to deepen and contribute this experience as part of a university career. In addition to scientific activities, this also includes teaching in the field of marketing management with a special focus on consumer behaviour.
