The Value of In-Store Research
Why conduct In-Store Research? Throughout the retail pipeline, manufacturers are at “arms length” away from what is going on at the retail level. In-Store research provides the following benefits for manufacturers:
- Insights into consumers’ shopping behavior
- Impact of shelf product placement
- Placement of advertising and promotions
- Product Pricing
- Observation of competitive products
- Store Traffic
Given our experience during the past 30 years with research in the North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, the following traditional research methods work effectively for in-store research:
- Store intercepts [in-store and store exit intercepts]
- Store observations
- Price checks
- Mystery shopping [product purchase]
During the past few years, technology has enhanced in-store research with the following methods:
Eye Tracking:
Advantages: offers insights into the visual impact of brand communications and their effect on shopper behavior.
Disadvantages: is more expensive than traditional observational research
Mobility Research:
Advantages: can obtain instant consumer buying behavior
Disadvantages: is more expensive than traditional observational research
Biometrics and Sensory Research:
Retailers are employing biometrics and sensory research to capture the consumer experience to understand how physical engagement and emotional responses drive purchase behavior: