POPAI Reveals Shopper Engagement Findings

POPAI Reveals Shopper Engagement Findings
June 14, 2007

POPAI, The Global Association for Marketing at-Retail, announced the first findings from studies pioneered by the Marketing At Retail Initiative (MARI). This first proof of concept study was conducted in the United Kingdom at Morrisons and ADSA/Wal-Mart stores. Initial findings show not only the volume of shoppers visiting the stores but the amount of Marketing at Retail materials to which they were exposed to and what materials actually caught their eye. Important insights revealed for these United Kingdom stores include: 534 shoppers enter the store per hour; shoppers are exposed to 1.6 pieces of marketing materials per second as they navigate the stores; shoppers' eyes are drawn to 17.8 percent of the marketing materials; and walk-around displays, table units and revolving floor displays were the most seen display types. The ongoing project incorporates the use of technology such as small cameras and video software to quantify levels of consumer involvement. This technology will be able to count shopper entry, provide gender and age group demographics, and measure shoppers’ sustained visual contact with advertisements throughout their store visit. The software will also be used to develop thermal floor maps of shopper pathways illustrating hot and cold spots in the store and its relationship to the various in-store categories. "This is a significant initiative, which will allow brands and retailers to better understand the important role that POP can play in the marketing mix," said David Martin, head of brand marketing, ASDA/Wal-Mart. MARI outlined a series of tests around the world to study Shopper Engagement to begin to measure consumer experience at retail. Another study in the United States has completed work in the field, with the first analytic results to be released in July. Additional studies are planned for Europe later this year.