A new partnership between shopper marketing specialists, TorchMedia, and media research company, Hoop Group, has revealed some findings in a recent study on shopper behaviours.

The objective of the study was to better understand how people view, engage and respond to in-store advertising formats throughout their shopping experience.

Using eye tracking software, 52 people were examined by Hoop Group researchers, during their typical grocery shop. The study was carried out during regular shopping, over two advertising periods for a total of four days.

This kind of research enables a greater level of analytical feedback from agency to client, and offers new substantive benefits to the advertising industry. Kirsty Dollisson, GM at TorchMedia emphasised the importance of understanding customer psychology.

“The ability to quantify things like views, sign posting, and customer instinct is an invaluable asset for shopper marketers,” Dollisson explained. “In our industry, the more specific we can be in expressing format attributes to our clients, and connecting trends to sales, the more successful we will be.”

The initial purpose of using eye tracking was to quantify the number and duration of actual Fin exposures seen by shoppers. However, it was also observed that customers showed a natural visual matching instinct, whereby the eye travelled between the advertising and product subconsciously, as if by reflex. “This matching instinct was most evident when the colours and graphics of the advertising were in line with that of the product” said Liz Farquharson from Hoop Group. “The clear message here for advertisers is to ensure that there is visual synergy between their creative and the product being promoted”.

“We noted that all Fins averaged a similar number of views per person, regardless of which aisle they were in; however people tended to spend more time exploring their options in the fridge and freezer sections resulting in a longer dwell and exposure time on the formats in these aisles,” Farquharson said.