The document discusses insights from POPAI studies on shopper behavior in retail environments, emphasizing trends in shopping paths, decision-making, and engagement. It highlights a reduction in in-store exploration, with most shoppers concentrating on perimeter areas and showcases the growing influence of digital devices on shopping habits. Key strategies suggested include optimizing store layouts, providing interactive experiences, and ensuring prime product visibility to enhance sales opportunities.

1. Experience design:
from retail to
tradeshow
Richard Winter, President of POPAI
Palazzo Mezzanotte
June 18, 2014

2. • Non-Profit founded in 1936
• Global trade association with chapters in:
• Argentina
• Asia
• Australia/New
Zealand
• Benelux
• Brazil
• Central Europe
• DACH
• France
• Hungary
• India
• Italy
• Portugal
• Russia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Turkey
• UK/Ireland
• Host education seminars, display
competitions, networking opportunities, and
retail tours throughout the country
• Provide resources, education, ideas, advocacy
to marketing professionals
Who We Are
Point of Purchase Advertising International

3. Entry Interviews/Pre-Shop
• Shoppers ages 18 years or older interviewed about planned category, brand purchases
(documented from shopper list or shopper recall)
• Shoppers asked to return at conclusion of their shopping trip for a follow-up exit interview
Exit Interviews/Post-Shop
• Post-shopping interviews probed on items purchased and shopper perceptions of the store’s
shopability and attitudes towards the shopping experience
• Register receipts were scanned to capture and code all purchase information to compare reported
pre-store planned items and actual purchases
Eye-Tracking
• A sub-set of shoppers in both the 2012 and 2014 studies who passed screening criteria and agreed
to wear eye-tracking were asked to embark on their shopping trip and shop the store as they
normally would.
2014 Mass Merchant Channel Study
Methodology: A Key Driver of Valid Findings

4. RELEVANT
FINDINGS

5. 1. Specifically Planned: Category and specific brand were planned prior to the store
2. Generally Planned: Category was planned but specific brand was not determined pre store
3. Substitute Product or Brand: Planned a specific category or brand but selected another
category or brand instead in the store
4. Unplanned: Bought an item that was not reported as planned prior to entering the store
Generally
Planned
Substitute
Unplanned
In-Store
Decision
Rate
1
2
3
4
3
42
Decision Types 2, 3
and 4 collectively
make up the “In
Store Decision Rate”
Purchase Decision Classification

6. 34%
30%
24%
18%
10%
6%
15% 17%
2% 4% 6%
3%
54%
60%
55%
62%
Grocery 1986 Grocery 1995 Grocery 2012 Mass 2014
Most Recent POPAI Studies
Specifically Planned Generally Planned Substitute Unplanned
66% 70% 76% 82%
In Store: Purchase Decision Over Time

7. THE CHALLENGE

8. 4%
32%
64%E
11%A
35%A
54%
21%
37%
42%
I visited each aisle or section of the
store
I visited most aisles or sections of
the store
I only visited the aisles or sections
in which I planned to buy
something
Shopper Footprint
2013: Mass (N=2797) 2012: Grocery (N=2401) 1995: Grocery
I
Sig. differences noted using 95% confidence
A: Total Mass;; E: Grocery
Shopper Trip Planning: Store Footprint
Over time a trend towards reduced exploration in the store has occurred

9. • 75% of Shopper’s time is spent on the perimeter-POPAI
• 1/10 Shoppers visited 2 or less center store aisle-POPAI
• Grocery Retailer center of store sales down -3.4% since 2008-Nielsen 2013
Our Opportunity to Capture Attention is Narrowing
Research Shows:
Solutions:
• Wegmans: Moved towards using center
store to sell upscale non-food items
• Trader Joe’s: Shifted to an “all-store”
format while limiting the assortment in
the store
• Whole Foods: Fresh Food Format,
typically with smaller store and no real
center-of-store

11. EXPAND THE PATH

12. Shopping Path Trends
• The most focused shopping
path was associated with
significantly less unplanned
purchases in the last 20% of the
store trip
• Meanwhile, stores with the least
focused shopping paths had
significantly more unplanned
purchases during the last 20% of
the trip No Clear
Pathway
Pathways along
Grocery
Pathways to
Grocery
Alter the Flow of Traffic To Encourage Exploration

13. AVOID
OBSTACLES

14. Keep the Traffic Flow Free of Impediments
Prevent Shopper Path Obstacles
•Through eyetracking we see that restrictions in aisles
limit shopper viewing
•We also note that shoppers avoid congestion
•Keep aisles open and crowds out of the aisles

15. Prevent Shopper Path Obstacles

16. Do Obstacles Exist In Tradeshows?

17. OUR AUDIENCE
IS EVOLVING

18. …unless we connect with them on all levels.
We No Longer Have Their Complete Attention
•People rely upon their devices for input and guidance
•In 2012, 15% of shoppers used their phones in store
•In 2014, 31% of shoppers used their phones in store
•This creates great opportunities to further connect with our
audience, but we must seize the opportunity
•Provide apps to support their efforts
•Identify their presence to tune messages

19. CHANGING PRIME
VIEWING AREAS

20. Traditional Thinking Was Items Needed To Be At Eye Level
Shoppers Are Not Looking Where We Thought
• We now know Shoppers naturally look slightly to 25 degrees below eye level
• When the same type of products are distributed across multiple heights of a
shelving unit, the products located in the middle shelves tend to receive most
attention
Bread-Packaged

21. CREATE
ENGAGEMENT

22. Shoppers Want An Experience
• Today shoppers not only want an experience but they want to interact with products:
• POPAI’s 2012 Grocery Channel Research found that 66% of all products held were
purchased
• POPAI’s 2014 Mass Merchant Channel Research found that 56% of the time when
product was a held a product in the category was purchased

23. Hellmann’s Mayo

24. • Research From Center For Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) explored preferred
attendee interactions on trade floors
• Attendees want immersive experiences
• Primary Goal to Understand the Products Showcased
• Interaction trumps traditional trade show floors as attendees want to engage and
experiment
Interactive Marshmallow
Stand at Expo
Trade Show Attendees Want An
Experience
Voting at Booth

25. BE UNUSUAL TO
ATTRACT SHOPPERS

26. Displays capture attention, as do shelves that are not “perfect”
26
• The more colorful or odd shaped, the more
attention and fixations, potential leading to a
purchase
• Fully faced shelves can become a “wall” of
product, while spaces that have been shopped
catch the eye of the shopper
Shopper Notice Things Out of the Ordinary

27. Colorful Display

28. Depletion Theory

29. KEY
TAKEAWAYS

30. 30
Key Takeaways
So What Comparisons and Conclusions Can We Draw?
• Shoppers finalize decisions at the last moment
• We must draw them to all areas of our facility
• Obstacles can distract from offerings of potential interest
• Creating paths can expand our opportunities
• Prime viewing areas have changed, but can be influenced
• We need to engage the people we are targeting
• Humans notice unordinary situations

31. 31
Key Takeaways
So What Comparisons and Conclusions Can We Draw?
• There is much more to learn

32. Thank you!
Richard Winter
President of POPAI Global
rwinter@popai.com
I’m happy to answer any
questions