Good looks don't sell

Cosmetic retailers, who think that employing an attractive salesgirl on the shelf would boost up their sales, need a reality check, for a new research has revealed that young women do not like to buy their make-up from better looking women.

u00a0The research has debunked the myth that female shoppers will want to be like her and buy what she wears or uses.

u00a0The study''s author, Bianca Price, of the University of South Australia, said that those surveyed reported that they felt intimidated by more attractive sales staff.

u00a0''If (the staff) were incredibly attractive, for the average girl that would be quite confronting and threatening, and often result in reduced purchasing intentions,'''' she said.

u00a0Price, 27, conducted the study as part of her PhD and interviewed 341 female university students between the ages of 18 and 26.

u00a0She selected a mix of photos of conventionally attractive and unattractive women, which she then used as hypothetical staff members in focus group interviews.

u00a0She matched the photos of the women with two products, mascara and a mobile phone, and asked respondents to assess their attractiveness compared with the women and then to imagine how they would respond to the person if they were selling the products.

The study found that the decline in purchasing intentions was not as pronounced for the mobile phones as it was for the mascara.