Initial tests conducted by Starcom Taipei showed up the limitations of conventional advertising in determining what shoppers end up buying, as original plans were often revised by a variety of instore influences.
"It needs to be a well known brand -- advertising on TV is important -- however, they spend an average of 13 seconds looking at three brands instore," said Starcom Asia's director of consumer contact planning, Angela Feruglio. Although instore displays had some impact on what ended up in the shopping trolley, the most powerful influence proved to be staff conducting on-the-spot tastings. "They were hugely influential; much more than instore advertising," Feruglio added.
"It needs to be a well known brand -- advertising on TV is important -- however, they spend an average of 13 seconds looking at three brands instore," said Starcom Asia's director of consumer contact planning, Angela Feruglio. Although instore displays had some impact on what ended up in the shopping trolley, the most powerful influence proved to be staff conducting on-the-spot tastings. "They were hugely influential; much more than instore advertising," Feruglio added.
The original study uncovered discrepancies between the buying rationale people gave in an initial interview and the products they eventually decided to buy. "This has huge implications for marketers looking to boost their point-of-sale volume," Fergulio said.
The new technique, originally developed by Starcom's US operations together with market research company Salsoft Research, combines CCTV footage and consumer interviews to gain a deeper understanding of what drives purchase decisions.
Shoppers are also invited to keep a video diary to record and reflect on their product usage.
"By tying qualitiative and quantitative research tog-ether, Starcom was able to pinpoint shopping habits by taking an ethnographical look at consumers' relationships with a particular category, media and instore experience," Feruglio said.
The study enables Starcom to evaluate the relative importance of day, time of day and type of store in shaping the buying decisions of Asian shoppers for the first time, she noted.
Feruglio said: "We knew the instore environment was hugely influential, but that was all we knew. We didn't know enough." The first thing people look for is the freshness of the product, which can have a large impact on whether shoppers are tempted by special offers such as buy one get one free, but fewer browsers scan product labels than they admit.
Although 85 per cent of people questioned on leaving the store said they read the labels, CCTV footage showed that only 40 per cent did.
Starcom selected Taiwan for its Asian pilot because of the complexity and maturity of its retail environment.