Behavioral Science In-Store: Neuro Findings

The use of neuroscience in POPAI's 2012 Shopper Engagement Study made it possible to evaluate shoppers' behavior, visual fixations and emotional engagement almost as if in slow motion, revealing not only a time-locked breakdown of their decision-making processes but also new insights about the impact of displays. Data analysis is ongoing, but so far the findings suggest that endcap and floorstand displays affect shoppers differently than previously thought.By outfitting shoppers in unobtrusive gear consisting of an eye-tracking device, cameras and electroencephalography (EEG) equipment, "we're creating neuro movies, in a sense, and those videos show us that displays play a major role in stimulating product category consideration," says consultant and lead researcher Lily Lev-Glick, principal at New York-based ShopperSense. The neuroscience was used along with traditional methodologies.Shoppers who actively engaged with endcap and floorstand displays tended to walk to the featured product's category section and "make a decision at the primary selling area," Lev-Glick says. "This is huge because the goal had always been to stimulate impulse purchases; we didn't realize these displays have a wider reach in the overall store environment beyond just driving impulse purchases and maybe incremental purchases."Combining neuroscience data with attitudinal information obtained in pre- and post-shopping interviews, "We see now how the displays serve as a conduit to the shelf, bringing shoppers into a category they didn't plan on entering," she says.Endcaps and floorstands each play a distinct role, though: While endcaps do pull shoppers into the category aisle, they seem to function as a "navigation tool" or "section identifier," which can aid in closing planned purchases, whereas floorstands "appear to interrupt the shopper's path and stimulate unplanned consideration," Lev-Glick explains.After the first phase of its NeuroStandards Collaboration Project last year, the Advertising Research Foundation reported that neurological and biometric measurements can provide "deep, useful understanding – not available through traditional research – of the otherwise elusive world of consumer emotion." The 2012 Shopper Engagement Study seems to bear that out.The study consisted of two concurrently executed research modules, including interviews with shoppers conducted by Stamford, Conn.-based SmartRevenue and brain imaging using portable EEG equipment from Sands Research, El Paso, Texas, combined with an eye-tracking device to tie shoppers' physiological responses to exactly what they were looking at, eliminating such issues as recall and denial. The in-store intercept interviews took place with 2,400 shoppers, while a subset of 210 shoppers participated in the neuroscience module.The study is the first to use such a wide range of data-gathering techniques from one sample of shoppers in a live retail environment, according to POPAI.POPAI turned to neuroscience to understand such things as the degree to which displays made it into shoppers' line of sight and the display types and locations that generate the greatest activation. In addition, POPAI sought to measure shoppers' emotional response to the displays.When groups of neurons are activated in the brain, a small electrical charge is generated, resulting in an electrical field. EEG works by placing electrodes on a person's scalp to measure these fields and determine which areas of the brain are activated at specific moments.The headgear provided by Sands Research consists of a tight-fitting cap, similar to a bathing cap, over which a regular hat is worn. Goggles complete the ensemble, and while that would seem to draw attention, most fellow shoppers "don't indicate in any way that they recognize subjects are wearing something unusual," says Stephen Sands, chairman and chief science officer of Sands Research.The eye-tracking device collects "granular information" that mere observation "would never be able to pick up, even if you're standing right next to the person," Sands says.For example, it's possible to zero in on and track how many times someone compares prices in-aisle, revealing whether price "is a big consideration for this or that product or category," he adds.In May, when POPAI released a topline report of the study, the salient finding was that shoppers are making more purchasing decisions in-store, using in-store marketing and branding cues, than ever before – 76% today compared to 70% in 1995 – despite the economy and increasingly convoluted path to purchase. Further analysis has allowed for a breakdown of a "display-to-shelf conversion scenario," among other things, Lev-Glick says.The pattern most often seen is that the shopper moves at a moderate to fast pace in an "active store navigation mode" with a slightly downward gaze, paying little mind to shelves or displays. Then, "the shopper demonstrates an initial fixation on a display from several feet away. This initial fixation is somewhat central on the display itself," says Lev-Glick, adding that a "fixation" is defined as a 200-millisecond gaze, and that three consecutive fixations totaling 600 milliseconds count as a "view" that indicates an active consideration of the display and products.Upon approaching the display, the shopper begins to "view" it, either slowing down or pausing at a centralized position in front of the display for product consideration, fixating on a particular product or product group, and perhaps selecting an item from the display.At this point, some shoppers will place an item in their basket, which is consistent with the idea that displays spur impulse purchases (though not every conversion event is an unplanned purchase). But often, after a pause, the shopper proceeds to the category aisle in "navigation mode," stops in front of the category section and then switches to "hunting mode," characterized by shelf scanning.Interestingly, at this point some shoppers look again at the display as if to consult it. "This doesn't happen every time," Lev-Glick says, "but it's an interesting dynamic we see enough that it is worth mentioning."Lastly, the shopper makes a selection, places it in the cart and leaves the aisle. "We also see shoppers at times look back at the shelf as they leave the section as if to confirm their choice," Lev-Glick says.Endcaps account for 44% and floorstands 37% of all display-to-shelf conversions.That's just one surprising and important finding, and more are sure to follow, says Lev-Glick, who is still analyzing some 70,000 fixations and "triangulating" the neuroscience data with the attitudinal information. "It's as if someone opens four Christmas presents out of a hundred and they're asked which are their favorite and what will they use most. It's kind of hard to give a fair answer at this point."

Behavioral Science In-Store: Neuro Findings

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