Shopper Research

Own Every Inch Of The Last Mile.

Create impactful packaging design, effective merchandising strategies and engaging shopping experiences that drive sales.

Our Tech

EEG

Eye-Tracking

GSR

Facial Coding

Our Process

We uncover what drives shopper behaviour, from shelf to checkout, by mapping the visual, emotional and motivational journey consumers take during purchase decisions. Our shopper research explores how people engage with packaging, promotions, shelf layouts, in-store communications and merchandising across physical, digital and hybrid environments.

We evaluate what captures attention, what influences conversion and how your brand performs in competitive retail contexts, all with the goal of optimising visibility, engagement and sales.

Looking for in-depth, in-store shopper attention tracking? Our ShopSense™ platform brings mobile eye-tracking and neuroscience into real retail environments for advanced in-situ testing.

Each study is tailored to your commercial objectives, whether you’re testing a new pack design, planogram, POS material or shopper journey. Research can be conducted in-store, in simulated environments or online, using a mix of behavioural and biometric tools.

Depending on your needs, we combine qualitative interviews, observational research and neuroscience techniques, such as eye-tracking, GSR and facial coding to deliver a 360° view of the shopper experience.

We observe and analyse shoppers in the moment to capture what they see, feel and do as they navigate the retail environment. Our approach tracks visual attention and emotional reactions as they happen, whether in response to a product, promotion or shelf display. This moment-by-moment data offers a reliable, unbiased view of how shoppers engage, make decisions and where they disengage.

We explore both deliberate and automatic drivers of shopper behaviour, revealing key motivators, barriers to purchase and the emotional context behind decision-making. From identifying high-performing packaging and shelf locations to understanding impulse triggers and brand recall, we deliver actionable insights into what shapes customer choices at the point of sale.

You’ll receive visual attention maps, behavioural journey analyses and emotional overlays that translate into clear, commercial recommendations, including how to optimise shelf layout, enhance packaging visibility, improve POS effectiveness and increase shopper conversion. Whether you’re launching a new SKU, refining a store concept or enhancing endcaps, we help you get closer to the shopper and drive stronger retail performance.

Case Studies

Eye-Testing for Ackermans

Ackermans, a Southern African value retailer offering fashion, homeware, cellular, and financial products, conducted an in-store eye-tracking study to analyze customer engagement with the store environment. The study examined how customers interacted with products, navigated stores, and responded to point-of-sale (POS) materials.

Insights from the project enabled Ackermans to enhance the in-store experience, reduce costs by eliminating ineffective POS materials, and validate or challenge assumptions about customer behavior in their stores.

Eye-Testing for Pick 'n Pay

Pick ‘n Pay, South Africa’s second-largest supermarket chain, conducted an eye-tracking study to enhance the consumer experience in their redesigned “fresh look” stores. The study aimed to understand customer navigation, pain points, and purchasing influences by observing their in-store behaviour.

Key findings revealed that promotions heavily drove purchase decisions, while excessive product choices caused indecision, slowing down shoppers. The insights enabled Pick ‘n Pay to optimise store navigation, product placement, and the overall consumer journey, resulting in a better in-store experience, faster shopping times, and increased sales.

Eye-Testing for Kantar TNS

Neural Sense™ partnered with TNS to integrate the TNS Conversion Model and State of Mind methodologies with neuromarketing technologies, offering a comprehensive view of consumer behavior in shopping environments from both conscious and subconscious perspectives. The TNS Conversion Model provided insights into consumer choice, behaviour, and brand commitment, while State of Mind contextualised the reasons behind these preferences.

Using mobile eye-tracking glasses and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) to measure emotional engagement, the study revealed subconscious drivers of purchase decisions. This enabled clients to better understand in-store consumer experiences and brand interactions, enhancing their ability to optimise the shopping environment.

Create More Emotive, Memorable & Effective Ads

ShopSense™ provides both brands and retailers with in-depth insight into real world shopper journeys, in-store visual navigation and the resulting attention performance of packaging, promotional activity, in-store comms, merchandising & shopper marketing strategies.

Move beyond opinions. Measure real reactions that drive results

Turn real audience responses into smarter marketing decisions.