MANILA, Philippines?Filipinos and the rest of the world deserve a better shopping environment.

To create that has been one of the missions of Paco Underhill, author, CEO and president of the research and consulting firm, Environsell, the premier tasting agent for prototype stores, bank branches and shopping malls in the world.

His first book, ?Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping? was published in 26 languages. His second book, ?The Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping,? has become an industry bible.

He was the guest speaker in the 4th Annual Ayala Malls Merchant Forum held this week at Hotel InterContinental.

In an interview with Inquirer, he said one of the thrusts of most shopping malls is to look at the relationship between landlord and tenant, and how it can generate better results for the store which, in turn, makes better results for the mall. He cited the key issues that mall developers and merchants should address.

Crisis of visual acuity. ?Our visual language?the way we use images to communicate issues of brand, information in a three-dimensional space?is evolving faster than our spoken and written word. How do we communicate?? he said.

If a potential customer went to a mall across the street, how can the mall help the visitor make his or her way through all the different choices and signage types? How does a mall design an introductory board that tells visitors what the stores are in its context?

Making the environment female-friendly. ?We live in a world owned, designed and managed by men, yet we expect women to participate,? said Underhill. Developers and store designers should consider how to deal with women and their accessories, the husband and the children.

In any shopping setting, the dressing room can be reorganized and can change the conversion ratio of customers who enter that dressing room.

?A man gets no pleasure out of trying things on. If he tries something on and it fits, it is bought. A female needs an outer chamber to plant her son, husband or boyfriend; middle chamber where she can ask sister, friend and mother, ?How do I look?? and an inner chamber where she changes her clothes.?

Understanding time. ?Time comes in real time, perceived time and a combination of the two. There?s a time when I?m ready to spend half a day in a mall and get lost in shopping therapy, and there?s another time when I walk in, wanting to get something and get out quickly,? he said.

Retailers should train staffers on understanding whether the visitors have a mission (e.g. buying high heels in 30 minutes before an interview) or not (it?s called browsing). This issue is tackled in service.

?When the customer walks in and is agitated, you go and ask, ?How can I help you?? When someone is out to enjoy himself, you leave him alone,? he says.

Staffers should also be taught how to read body language such as head movements. ?When a woman walks in and she?s looking, you can ignore her. If her head goes from side to side, she is looking for some information,? said Underhill.

He cited Sephora, the luxury beauty chain, as the pioneer in open sell where the salesperson and customer are on same side of counter as opposed to the salesperson serving from other side of the counter. ?It is a difference between dealing with someone nose-to-nose versus hip-to-hip. It is easier to gain confidence in your colleague if I interact with you from the same side of the counter,? said Underhill.

Thinking global, acting local. ?If I am Ayala Mall and I operate in Makati, Angeles City, Quezon City and Zamboanga, there are differences in operations. How do I respond to each situation??

Ethnicity. ?We are no longer a homogenous nation. In Makati where you have a large cross-section of foreigners, how do you respond to the various shoppers coming here? Toronto is the most ethnically-diverse, middle-class city on earth, yet all the lifestyle graphics look as if they were shot with everyone with blond hair and blue eyes. The lifestyle graphics of the store have to reflect the customer walking in.?

Underhill cited a Filipino manufacturer of underwear who learned a lesson in sizing. When it opened a store in the Middle East, the sizes were wrong for the market. He said the stock for a Makati store should include extra large sizes for Europeans as opposed to the stock in Zamboanga where Europeans are rare.

Underhill pointed out that in the Philippines, consumerism is celebrated and therefore, malls and stores could enhance the shopping experience by adding design value and capitalizing on our innate hospitality.

?What is possible in the context of the Philippines is so different than what is possible in Canada and in the US. You have access to materials and craftsmanship to bring design equity onto the floor that is unmatched in the world. Your creativity is an integral part of the culture. Why are you not doing a better job into the context of retail for the mall??

He added that Filipino designs are unique and by world standard, inexpensive. (Underhill?s companion, an American designer, noted that Filipinos complain about the price.)

?You build public spaces that are compelling to make people stay longer.

?By putting design equity, malls succeed in building a place?not just a place to collect rent,? he said.

Underhill also pointed out that sales training should help bring out the Filipinos? natural inclination for service and better tune it to the retail culture.

He asked the Ayala merchants where they drew inspiration from for cutting-edge in retail. Most of them said North America and the UK. ?Don?t go to the USA. Sixty percent of discretionary expenditure comes from people aged 55 and over. All of our malls are 25 years old. London is the capital of cool for people over 50,? says Underhill.

In the forum, he observed that none of the merchants have been to Moscow, the top shopping hot spot today, and the world?s most beautiful mall, the Vasco da Gama Mall in Lisbon, Portugal. He said cutting-edge retail is found in places where money is young (spenders are under 40 years old) such as Dubai, Shanghai and Mumbai.

Young money

?Money is young in Moscow because it is the under-40 generation capitalizing on the boom on the energy scene. It?s wild. The level of consumption is so acute... The consumption of luxury brands is highest,? said Underhill.

Developers and mall designers look up to the Vasco da Gama Mall which is designed like a glass ship. Where else in the world does one find a mall with a striking and unforgettable façade?

?In most shopping malls, the design equity tends to be focused inward than outwards. Vasco da Gama is near a transportation hub and hooks up to a trade marketing center. You then have a commercial meeting center. It has beautiful sculpture, beautiful areas to look out towards the ocean. The food courts are full past midnight. Because it?s beautiful, people want to be there,? said Underhill.

Outside of his work, his favorite mall is the high-end Iguatami in Sao Paolo, Brazil. ?One reason we go to malls is to look at other people. You find the noise of fashionable footwear rather than the squeak of sneakers in the US which everyone wears. Everyone dresses up to go to the malls.

?In Brazilian culture where you stay at home till you are married and the streets are dangerous, the mall is the place to hang out. Iguatami features luxury stores, soaring spaces, indoor gardens, beautiful café and very pretty girls. That?s hard to beat. I?m glad I go there at my age (56 years old) now. If I were there at age 25, I?d fall in love every 10 minutes.?

Staff should read body language. ?When the customer walks in and is agitated, you go and ask, ?How can I help you?? When someone is out to enjoy himself, you leave him alone.?