"Supermarket P-O-P Close-Up" Study Examines How We Shop

Ever wish you could do a "Vulcan mind meld" and, like Star Trek's Mr. Spock, study the thoughts of shoppers as they encounter your displays? The "Supermarket P-O-P Close-Up" study, conducted by New York-based Meyers Research Center, may be the next best thing. Using a methodology called "Purchase Observation," Meyers' researchers intercept consumers immediately after product selection. The goal is to explore both the behaviors of consumers as they interact with supermarket displays as well as their attitudes toward in-store merchandising. Through in-aisle observation and an intercept-interview of a shopper who had selected an item from a display, researchers could study that individual's behavior and attitudes while the purchase decision was still fresh. According to Lily Lev-Glick, vice president at Meyers, this method provides insights on consumer purchasing behavior without the biases or poor recall characteristic of focus groups, diary panels, telephone surveys or mall interviews.The Supermarket P-O-P Close-Up study was conducted from December 1998 through January 1999. Surveys were taken in 16 major supermarket chains (including Stop & Shop, Acme, A&P, Kroger, Kohl's, Meijer and Safeway) in eight geographic markets: Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix and San Francisco.A total of 505 in-store intercept interviews were conducted. In each case, the interview occurred immediately after the shopper had selected a product from a supermarket display. Interviewers also recorded various behaviors that consumers exhibited while at the display.A key element of the study is that it examines how and why consumers make decisions at specific display types and display locations. The comprehensive results of the study, Lev-Glick adds, provide a framework for thinking about the selection and placement of P-O-P. For purposes of the study, displays were categorized as in-line/full-line merchandisers (merchandising units or permanent fixtures that provide a large selling area, usually in the regular stocking location); floorstands; pre-pack shippers (floorstands that come with merchandise already packed inside); mass/waterfall displays (merchandise is simply stacked on the floor with some kind of banner, mobile or special signage associated with it); endcaps (large displays at the end of an aisle); power wings/sidekicks (small wire, plastic or corrugated displays clamped onto the sides at the end of a gondola or other display); and shelf extenders (essentially trays fastened to the shelf that hold merchandise).Displays were also classified on the basis of where they were located within a store: in-aisle; end-of-aisle; at the front end (although excluding checkout counters themselves); on shelf/on gondola; or on the perimeter (the sides or the back of the store, or on the main transecting aisle).Among the key "topline" findings of the study (complete data is available for purchase from Meyers):Almost 40% of all shoppers who purchased a product say they would not have bought the item if they hadn't encountered the display.Roughly half of the shoppers who bought a specific item made the category decision and the brand choice in the store.Display shoppers are well represented across all demographic segments of store patrons. Among the slight differences detected were the facts that display shoppers tended to be a bit younger, include greater numbers of males and working persons, and were more likely to have children and teens at home.More than three-fourths of display shoppers claimed that the display influenced their brand decision. Fully half said the display had a lot of influence. Shoppers at end aisle locations were particularly likely to say that the display influenced their decision.Shoppers are more likely to stop at a particular display because "it helped them notice a sale or special" or because "it reminded them to buy a certain product" than for any other reason.Display shoppers are considerably more likely than general supermarket shoppers to make their category, brand and size/quantity decisions in the store.Display shoppers exhibited a lower level of brand loyalty, on average, than supermarket shoppers did in general. The ability to attract non-loyal buyers to a particular brand was most evident from displays placed on in-aisle or on-shelf locations.Trial purchase levels (buying something for the very first time) from a display were also higher than among supermarket shoppers in general. This was especially true for displays placed in in-aisle locations.Trial purchasers and non-brand loyal buyers were far more likely than other shoppers to say that the display influenced their decision to buy a particular item.Displays that remind shoppers to buy "by being visually appealing" may be more effective at attracting trial purchasers and non- brand loyal shoppers than displays that simply highlight a sale or special.Displays can help create a certain mood and put people in a buying frame of mind. Most consumers believe that displays "make shopping more enjoyable" and "help create a pleasant store environment."Displays also contribute to the social nature of the shopping experience. Someone else accompanied more than one-third of all display shoppers as they selected an item from the display.Shoppers who claimed that a particular display "influenced them a lot" were also more likely to say they found a display to be "eye-catching" and to have "packaging that matches" the display.One way to ensure that displays are impactful is to use them in conjunction with other P-O-P materials. Shoppers who claimed that a particular display "influenced them a lot" were more likely to have been at a display that had a sign associated with it than other shoppers were. Shoppers at "signed" displays were also more likely to be making an impulse purchase than shoppers at displays without any signage.Research OpportunitiesA seminar, titled "Consumer Buying Habits Across Retail Channels," will be conducted on Thursday, Sept. 16, during The P-O-P Show/New York. Lev-Glick will discuss channel and store loyalty, impulse and planned purchasing, decision-tree hierarchies, and other measurable consumer behaviors. Tickets for this event can be purchased by calling 1-888-POP-SHOW. (Lev-Glick will also be conducting a private working session exclusively for sponsors of the study on Wednesday, Sept. 15.)A complete copy of the "Supermarket P-O-P Close-Up" study, including all detailed data breakouts and an in-depth analysis by display type and display location, is available for purchase ($4,995) from Meyers.