CEO and founder of Envirosell

Envirosell Inc. founder, CEO, and President Paco Underhill goes by many labels: the retail anthropologist, environmental psychologist, or the resource person for telling us “Why we buy.” As the pioneer in the field of Shopping Science, he has spent over 25 years conducting consumer behavior research. He doesn’t just take surveys or subjective input, though. What he does can only be described as the same rigorous process that any scientist commits himself to.

In studying shopping behavior, he pays close attention to over 900 aspects of interaction between the shopper and the store. He points out that there are many things to consider in retail. Some demographics are deemed obvious by stores, such as age and gender. Paco Underhill’s research analyzes and discovers much more. For instance, he looks at “trial and touch,” human anatomy, and other unspoken human inclinations that the shopper may not even be aware of. The greatest value added by his work lies in it being founded on quantitative data gathered.

Paco Underhill began his career in 1975 with New York-based land planning and management firm, Project for Public Space. From 1977-1978, he taught part-time for the Doctoral Program in Environmental Psychology at the City University of New York. Equipped with years of experience and a solid research methodology, he decided to create his own company dedicated to behavioral market research and consultancy. In 1979, he founded Environmental Analysis & Planning Consultants. After a decade of helping stores, banks, restaurant chains and consumer product manufacturers, he renamed his company to Envirosell, Inc. Today it has expanded to set up offices in Milan and Sydney, and now serves international companies as well, with 15-20% of the entire business coming from offshore accounts.

The New Yorker, Fortune, Fast Company, Business Week and Smithsonian Magazine, are among the major publications that have recognized Paco Underhill and Envirosell. ABC’s 20/20 and CBS’s 48 Hours had segments highlighting him and his work. He is also a regular contributor to NPR and BBC Radio. His columns and editorials have been printed in esteemed publications such as the New York Times, London Times, Wall Street Journal. His first book, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping has been published in 26 languages, and has sold more copies than any other retail book in history.