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Simulated Shopping with Shelf Sets
Decision Analyst's Logician® Simulated Shopping with 3D animation creates
a realistic virtual environment that emulates the retail shopping experience
in an online survey. Typically, the respondent sees a store “fly in”
that recreates the experience of entering a store and going to a particular
section. This “fly in” can be actual video or 3D animation. Sounds,
signage, and other shoppers can be included to add realism. Once the respondent
arrives at the desired section of the store, the “fly in” fades
to a shelf set, a virtual representation of the retail shelf with packages and
pricing shown. The respondent can take packages off the shelf, view them close
up, or zoom in on a side panel, back panel, etc., and place purchased brands
into a shopping cart. Lastly, the respondent checks out with her purchases.
Typically, the respondent then repeats the “fly in” and shops the shelf set a second time, and then a third time, and so on. On each shopping
trip (or each scenario) the marketing variables change according to an experimental design. This systematic variation of marketing variables permits the effects
of each variable to be isolated and measured.
The types of marketing variables measured include:
- Shelf Impact—How effective is the package
in attracting consumers' attention? Do consumers notice the package?
- Shelf position—What is the effect on market
share of a top shelf position, versus an eye-level position?
- Facings—What is the value of two facings
on the retail shelf versus one?
- Competitive position—Does the brand do better
when placed next to private label brands, or next to the market leading brand?
- Imagery—What image is a package projecting?
This can be an “add on” to a choice modeling design.
- Persuasion—How likely are respondents to
purchase the product based on the package and related variables?
- Price-Demand Curves—What
is the optimal price? Which price is most profitable? Which price maximizes
market share?
- Volumetric Forecast—What will year-one sales
volume be for a new product, or a new package? Decision Analyst's Conceptor®
models are integrated with choice modeling to estimate first-year retail depletions.
The Shelf-Set Display of Packages
Digital photography is used to create professional, color-accurate, and shadow-free
photographs of the brands' packages in the target product category. An image
of the shelf set is created for the product category (including competitive
products). Respondents are shown a series of shelf sets, which include each
of the products with relevant information (price, package size, flavor, etc.).
For each shelf set (or each scenario), respondents are asked to choose the product
they would purchase, if any. During the simulated shopping exercises, respondents
can:
- Click on a product and look at it more closely
- View all sides of the package up close for details
- Put the product in their shopping cart, or
- Return the product to the shelf
Different product offerings, prices, etc. can be tested and multiple shopping experiences can be created, based on a choice modeling experimental design.
Many different marketing variables can be tested, such as price, shelf location,
number of facings, competitive influence, advertising message, type of package,
etc. An experimental design is created to present a series of choice scenarios
for each respondent. When taking the survey, respondents are shown a series
of shelf sets, which include each of the marketing variables. For each set respondents
are asked to choose which product they would purchase, if any. The resulting
data is the foundation for a DecisionSimulator™, so that "what if"
games can be played—to reveal the effects of hundreds of different combinations
of marketing variables.
New products can be evaluated and year one retail depletions (sales volume at retail) forecasted using Decision Analyst's Conceptor® models integrated
with choice modeling.
Package Testing Services
Decision Analyst is a leading international marketing research firm with over
3 decades of experience in packaging research. We have tested hundreds of packages
over the past decade for leading consumer goods companies. We are a world leader
in the use of the Internet for packaging research.
For more information on Package Testing, please contact Jerry W. Thomas,
President/CEO (jthomas@decisionanalyst.com),
or call 1-800-ANALYSIS (262-5974) or 1-817-640-6166.
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