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Paco Underhill

Founding President of Envirosell & Expert On Global Consumer Trends

Best-selling author of Why We Buy, Calling of the Mall and What Women Want, Paco’s books have been translated into over 26 languages
With insightful anecdotes, he breaks down buying behavior and consumerism in the modern era
Draws on an entertaining combination of customer interviews and video to back up insights for companies around the globe

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Inspired by the methodologies of urbanist William H. Whyte, and having lived in a multitude of cities around the world as the son of a diplomat, Paco Underhill founded the first iteration of Envirosell in 1977.

A consulting firm that does research in an array of categories, from retail to banking to transportation to manufacturers, Envirosell has worked in 46 countries and with more than half of the Fortune 50 list. With branch offices in China, Korea, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil – it has a global reach. While prototype testing of stores, restaurants and bank branches is still 30% of its business, its largest clients in 2019 are technology companies trying to understand consumer behavior in store, in home, on the job, and online.

Paco is the author of popular books including Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping out in 28 languages and used in MBA programs, Design Schools and Retailing Training Programs across the world. His books and articles are used in English as a Second Language (ESL) textbooks published by both Oxford University Press and National Geographic. His newest book with a working title of The Future of Eating and Drinking will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.

Speaker Video

Money$marts

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Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping. Based on his best-selling book, Paco Underhill reveals how to keep your changing customers and entice new and eager ones. Get fresh observations and important lessons from the cutting-edge of retail, including what retailers are doing right and what they're doing wrong—and how nearly every Internet retailer from iTunes to Amazon can drastically improve how it serves its customers. Plus, a guided tour of the most innovative stores, malls, and retail environments around the world—almost all of which are springing up in countries where prosperity is new.

Global State Of Retail. The world grows and changes every day, so does the State of Retail. The flexibility to adapt to tomorrow's changes comes from a solid footing today. Paco Underhill reveals the trends to watch to stay on the cutting edge, from changing consumers, communication, leadership issues, human behavior, and the retail tools of tomorrow.

What Women Want. The global marketplace is turning female friendly. Paco Underhill reveals why it is so important to serve women in the marketplace—what makes a product, space, or service female friendly, and why it matters.

Paco Underhill's Additional Speaking Topics, Include:

Retail Banking In The 21st Century
The Future Of Travel
The State Of Luxury Goods
Convergence: On-line, Mobile Phone, Bricks, & Mortar
The Crisis Of Market Research
The Evolution Of The Mobile Phone
Trends In Global Shopping Malls
The Future Of Bread & Food Service
Getting To The Modern Airport

In addition to discussing popular retail topics listed below, presentations can be custom-designed for each organization. They are as varied as his audience members. His relevant and informative messages have given trade associations, conference boards, and corporate retreats insightful information about the global state of retail from the world's foremost shopping anthropologist.

How Brick-And-Mortar Stores Can Lean Into A Changing Landscape

From Digital To Brick & Mortar: An In-Depth Conversation Between Paco Underhill & StyleSage’s Elizabeth Shobert

The Fall Of The Berlin Wall, Redux

Consumer Trends Expert Paco Underhill

Client Testimonials

Our sales team loved having him and took away a lot from what he had to say! He did a great job of mixing in personal stories and anecdotes with information he has learned out in the field and from visiting our customers.

The team really appreciated that he took the time to visit some of our customers and incorporated learnings from them into his presentation. He did a wonderful job to set the tone for week and provide our company with a great launch into 2020!

|One Coast

I had the honor to have him speak to my Business Of Fashion graduate students at Rutgers Business School. His session has transformed how students look at retail shop and think differently on how to create a better environment for people to buy.

Rutgers University Ginger King

What do women want? A man who gets it. Meet the wise, witty, and only occasionally geeky Paco Underhill, who explained to me why I prefer curved shower curtains.

Christine Lehner |Author of the Books, Absent A Miracle and What to Wear to See the Pope