DS Smith to track shoppers in RRP trial

DS Smith Packaging has signed an agreement with Eyetracker to carry out pioneering research into how retail-ready packaging (RRP) can help brands sell more by helping shoppers find products in store and improving on-shelf availability.

Eyetracker is a European research company, and will work with DS Smith to look at a brands’ RRP “through the eyes of the shopper” to achieve a better understanding of how shoppers react with the fixture.

Pilot tests have shown that shoppers found their first choice products from a shopping list more than 10 percent quicker when those products were displayed in RRP. All shoppers in the trial were wearing Eyetracker’s wireless HD glasses, which track eye movements and record the results for analysis.

The pilot was run at DS Smith Packaging’s impact and innovation center in Ely, and consisted of participants shopping using two fixtures, each of which was dressed with and without RRP.

The ultimate aim of the study is to help DS Smith Packaging’s customers understand how to make the best use of RRP in order to make products stand out against competitors on the supermarket shelf, enabling them to sell more whilst reducing cost and waste.

Alan Potts, insight director at DS Smith Packaging, said: ‘It is still early days, but being able to look at RRP through the eyes of the shopper is giving us some surprising results.

‘The early signs are encouraging; we did demonstrate that RRP can help products stand out on the shelf during the increasingly complex shopper journey.’

Iain Janes, managing director at Eyetracker, added: ‘We have been developing our packaging  research methodologies for the last four years and have been helping many of today’s biggest companies add to their bottom line in this highly competitive retail environment, where getting a product seen can make the difference between success or failure.

‘Over the coming months we will help DS Smith Packaging’s customers find more value than ever from their RRP campaigns.’

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