StoreLab Research

See whether the pack works where the buying decision actually happens: on shelf, surrounded by competitors, price tickets and other variants. Test new artwork, pack architecture, formats, claims, sizes, variants and shelf-ready packaging before committing to production.

Because the pack is tested in realistic context, you can separate what looks good in isolation from what actually helps shoppers notice, understand and choose the product.

Put early-stage products and concepts into the category before they physically exist. New packs, variants, propositions and innovation can be tested against the competitive set, at realistic scale and in the retailer context shoppers would actually encounter.

This gives teams evidence earlier in the development process while there is still time to refine the idea, positioning, pack or shelf strategy before launch investment is locked in.

Test how range and shelf structure influence the way shoppers shop the category. Compare facings, brand blocking, segmentation, range additions or deletions and alternative planograms using real shopping behaviour rather than preference alone.

StoreLab can measure what shoppers choose, what they substitute when products are unavailable, how quickly they navigate the shelf and how different layouts affect the category as a whole.

Understand the journey shoppers take to reach the category, locate a need and make a choice. Test navigation cues, category headers, segmentation, beacon brands, product grouping and the visual signals shoppers rely on when they are searching.

Rather than asking people what they think helps them navigate, the study can observe the actual path, search behaviour and moments of hesitation inside the environment.

Evaluate whether signage and communication are seen, understood and useful at the point of decision. Test shelf communication, category signage, claims, educational messaging, promotional POS and off-location executions before anything is printed or installed.

Different messages and executions can be compared in the same controlled environment, helping identify not only what shoppers say they prefer, but what actually cuts through while they shop.

Bring promotions and activation ideas to life before rollout. Compare secondary displays, feature ends, off-location placements, promotional mechanics, theatre and campaign executions in realistic stores without disrupting a live retailer.

This allows marketing and sales teams to understand whether an activation changes behaviour, encourages trial or simply looks impressive in a presentation.

Test the effect of where products and categories sit, not just what they look like. Compare shelf height, eye-level presence, neighbouring brands, adjacent categories, cross-merchandising and category flow to understand how location changes visibility and choice.

Because scenarios can be rebuilt quickly, teams can isolate placement effects that are difficult and expensive to separate in a live store.

Understand what genuinely captures attention during the shopping journey. Behavioural measures show what shoppers approach, inspect and choose; when the brief requires it, VR eye-tracking adds fixation, gaze-path and heatmap evidence to show what was seen and what was missed.

Used together with post-shop questioning or qualitative interviews, attention data helps explain whether weak performance is caused by visibility, comprehension, navigation or the proposition itself.

Move beyond an individual bay and test how the wider store shapes shopping behaviour. Explore macro-space allocation, category location, aisle flow, adjacent categories, destination zones and whole-store changes in a realistic environment.

This is particularly useful when the question involves major space decisions that would be costly, disruptive or impractical to trial repeatedly in physical stores.

Research ideas that do not yet exist in market. Build future formats, new fixtures, service concepts, Perfect Store standards, technology and category-disrupting innovation so shoppers can experience and respond to the idea before capital is committed.

The environment makes an abstract future concept tangible, allowing teams to test acceptance, usability and shopper response while the design is still flexible enough to change.

Put alternative ideas head-to-head under controlled conditions. Compare a current state with one or more test scenarios, changing only the elements that matter, so the recommendation is based on shopper behaviour and response rather than stakeholder opinion.

A/B or multi-cell testing can be applied to packs, planograms, signage, displays, range, layouts or complete concepts, with the winning direction explored further through surveys, interviews or focus groups.