When merchandise crowds the aisle and carts crowd the shopper: Effects on sales (opens in new tab)

The first time I entered a Lidl (in Germany) more than 20 years ago they had wide aisles and a very clear structure. Aldi was the opposite, a little bit shabby and chaotic.

Today I'm more and more annoyed by Lidl: a messy obstructive placement of product islands and displays everywhere while Aldi is a role model of order and structure.

...And no retailer is going to pay attention to this study. Every store I go into seems to make a fetish out of cramming more merch on the end caps, next to the checkout, etc. In fact some stores clearly make it a point to make shoppers wander slowly in circles. And of course thoses sweet sweet deals with distributors for shelf space.