News & Media Archive

Latest Press Releases

February 2, 2010 - Merchant Mechanics, Inc in collaboration with Dartmouth College and Manhattan College Publish Groundbreaking Research Into Factors Governing Individual Preference for Artworks.

May 22, 2009 - Merchant Mechanics to sponsor "green" research initiative for US second largest food cooperative.

Publications by Merchant Mechanics

May 31, 2009 - "Holistic Consumer Research: Integrating Attitudinal, Behavior and Neuromarketing methods (Part 1)"
Merchant Mechanics Director of Integrated Research, Dr. Cyrus H. McCandless, explores and explains the nuances and benefits of hybrid consumer research programs that blend traditional research techniques with cutting edge methods. This white paper identifies contextual opportunities for multi-method research application, methodological strengths and limitations of several current research techniques and addresses how applying multiple methods from a variety of research disciplines leverages combinatorial research strengths. Please contact us for more information and to receive a copy of this paper.

April 10, 2009 - "Green Is The Color of Money"
Dr. Cyrus H. McCandless, Merchant Mechanics' Director of Integrated Research, shares cutting edge thinking on the hot topic of "green retailing". This white paper addresses the growing need for end-to-end sustainability solutions in retail environments as related to the continued development of a green economy, and details three ways consumer research can maximize consumer generated ROI while supporting retail-centric environmental missions. Please contact us for more information and to receive a copy of this paper.

November 10, 2008 - "Daring To Be Different at Dairy"
Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman, and chief research officer, Dr. Kimberly R. Clark explain the current state of dairy merchandising in the grocery channel and provide data driven insights into the impact of inter- and intra-category signage and messaging systems. Please contact us for more information and to receive a copy of this paper.

July 1, 2004 - "Revitalizing Visual Merchandising"
Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman, and VP of research, Kimberly R. Clark, share insight in their article "Revitalizing Visual Merchandising" in this month's issue of Chain Store Age Magazine. This cover story explains limitations of today's shoppers' visual sense and explores options retailers may wish to consider before implementing their next visual merchandising campaign.

June 16, 2004 - "Dynamic Digital Signage - Beyond The Pilot"
Dynamic Digital Signage (DDS) has garnered much interest in today's retail industry. We are pleased to announce the publication of Dynamic Digital Signage - Beyond The Pilot, "an informative analysis of a market which has just begun to reach its potential." Authored by Merchant Mechanics' co-founder: and president, Matthew Tullman, this article is published in the June 2004 issue of Systems Contractor News.

October 20, 2003 - A Vision for RFID: In-Store Consumer Observational Research
Much interest has been generated within the retail industry over Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a tiny device with huge potential. RFID is currently being explored by many retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies for its use in supply chain management, compliance and inventory control. One application for RFID that has not been highlighted, or thoroughly investigated, is its use in augmenting in-store consumer observational research. However, it should not be surprising to posit that this technology could represent a major advancement for in-store consumer behavior research.
Read this article at: RFID NEWS.org. The article is also available here on our web site: RFID Commentary (.pdf)

March 22, 2000 - Chromatic Illumination & Shopping Behavior
White Paper detailing the impact on customer behavior of using color, light and motion in retail environments. Published by the Yaffe Center for Persuasive Communications at the University of Michigan. Check out the article (.pdf).

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Press Release Archive

February 2, 2010 - Merchant Mechanics, Inc in collaboration with Dartmouth College and Manhattan College Publish Groundbreaking Research Into Factors Governing Individual Preference for Artworks.

May 22, 2009 - Merchant Mechanics to sponsor "green" research initiative for US second largest food cooperative.

April 20, 2008 - Merchant Mechanics presents original research at Society for Cognitive Neuroscience annual conference.

August 31, 2007 - Merchant Mechanics announces recipient of first Retail Forensics scholarship.

June 20, 2007 - Merchant Mechanics announces establishment Retail Forensics scholarship for collegiate studies in consumer research.

October 1, 2003 - Merchant Mechanics announces groundbreaking collaborative research initiative for commercial audio industry.

May 5, 2003 - Partners For The Future - Merchant Mechanics Announces The Joining of David Levy as Partner in Charge of Strategy and Business Development.

March 3, 2003 - Lighting Up Retail Sales - Merchant Mechanics Collaborates With Industry Leaders to Present Research Results on Storefront Illumination at First Annual "Day Of Design" Conference During 2003 GlobalShop Show

August 21, 2001 - The Color of Retail Sales - Retail Forensics® Research Findings Get Spotlight at Upcoming International Retail Design Conference

May 16, 2001 - Murder In Local Mall: Retail Forensics® Takes On The Case

March 23, 2001 - Merchant Mechanics Announces New Availability of Product Category Research and Consulting Services

March 23, 2001 - Merchant Mechanics Unveils Benchmarking Services for Retail Fixture and Point-Of-Purchase Manufacturers

March 22, 2001 - Merchant Mechanics Unveiled at Global Shop

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Event Archive

April 6, 2008 - Merchant Mechanics chief research officer, Dr. Kimberly R. Clark will present original research findings at the Society for Cognitive Neuroscience Annual Meeting. The research, a collaboration between the University of Reno and the Retail Forensics Institute, investigated the impact of brand logo familiarity on depth of cognitive processing and provides insight into how consumer decisions may be influenced by brand logo familiarity.

March 9, 2008 - Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman will deliver an interactive presentation at the upcoming 2008 SPECS Show at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX. The interactive presentation is entitled "Translating Consumer Information into Good Design" and will address the question: "What do you do with consumer research and information to make a real impact on the store environment to help drive purchases and consumer loyalty?" This session will take a closer look at available research resources, design elements and post implementation of consumer testing and provide attendees with valuable insights on in-store consumer behavior and how attitudinal and behavioral data impact the design process. This year marks Merchant Mechanics' 4th year presenting at SPECS, a 44 year old event attended by retail executives involved in the planning, design and construction of retail chain stores nationwide and produced exclusively by Chain Store Age magazine. Click here for more info.

February 28, 2006 - Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman and Lilia Flores, Vice President of Research & Strategic Planning at DRAFT Worldwide jointly presented an interactive insight session at the 2006 SPECS event (Store Planning, Equipment, Construction Services) at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The interactive presentation entitled "Dumping Data Into Design" addressed the question: "How much do we think about the consumer when designing stores?" This session provided attendees with valuable insights on in-store consumer behavior and how behavioral data can impact the design process. Discussion topics included determining when to seek new research and how to implement value-add benchmarking practices. Click here for more info.

October 18, 2005 - Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman, will present the firm's latest kiosk research findings at the Fall 2005 edition of The Kiosk Show. The Kiosk Show will be held at the South San Francisco Conference Center October 17-18, 2005. This seminar will focus on empirical field research that has shed light on issues of kiosk placement, customer instruction & way-finding, ergonomics & interface, POP graphics & promotion, and new technologies. Further details can be found at KioskShow.com.

February 22, 2005 - Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew Tullman, will present the firm's latest kiosk research findings at the Spring 2005 edition of The Kiosk Show. This event will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL on February 22, 2005.

February 2, 2005 - Merchant Mechanics VP, David Levy is scheduled to speak at the upcoming Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) "Independents Day" conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The seminar, entitled "Drawing Retail Traffic: Merchandising to All the Senses" will be held on Tuesday, February 1 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Mr. Levy will discuss the current state of today's visual overload in retail, and solutions relating to the optimal sensory ratios of in-store communications. This presentation will further educate attendees on how to reduce a store's "visual liability" through objective analysis of existing mix of POP messaging media.

June 16, 2004 - 2004 NeoCon World Trade Fair - Chicago, IL - Merchant Mechanics President, Matthew Tullman, will be teaming up with Jerry Gelsomino, principal of Prospect, the Santa Monica based retail insight firm, to present a new seminar entitled "Truths & Myths About Retail Consumers" at this year's NeoCon World Trade Fair in Chicago.

March 2, 2004 - 2004 SPECS Show - Kissemee, FL - Merchant Mechanics President, Matthew Tullman, has been confirmed as a featured speaker at the 2004 SPECS Conference in Orlando, FL.

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Media Archive

August 18, 2004 - "Making a Case for Quality Sound"
Chain Store Age Magazine provides pre-research coverage of Merchant Mechanics collaboration with Stiernberg Consulting in the upcoming In-Store audio study. Click here to read the article.

July 1, 2004 - "Revitalizing Visual Merchandising"
Merchant Mechanics president, Matthew L. Tullman, and VP of research, Dr. Kimberly R. Clark, share the latest insight in their article "Revitalizing Visual Merchandising" in this month's issue of Chain Store Age Magazine. This cover story explains limitations of today's shoppers' visual sense and explores options retailers may wish to consider before implementing their next visual merchandising campaign. Click here to read the article.

June 16, 2004 - "Dynamic Digital Signage - Beyond The Pilot"
Dynamic Digital Signage (DDS) has garnered much interest in today's retail industry. We are pleased to announce the publication of Dynamic Digital Signage - Beyond The Pilot, "an informative analysis of a market which has just begun to reach its potential." Authored by Merchant Mechanics' co-founder: and president, Matthew Tullman, this article is published in the June 2004 issue of Systems Contractor News. Click here to read the article.

October 20, 2003 - Merchant Mechanics shares its vision for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Commentary by Merchant Mechanics is available now at rfidnews.org, a leading on-line source for news and information relating to RFID technology and application. Click here to view the article. This article has also been published by the In-Store Marketing Institute.

June 1, 2003 - Visual Merchandising & Store Design technical editor, Sean O'Leary, reports on Merchant Mechanics' groundbreaking in-store research practices and their implications, now and in the future, for retailers and store fixture manufacturers. Check out this informative feature in the June 2003 issue of VM+SD.

March/April, 2003 - Retail Construction Magazine covers Merchant Mechanics' latest research findings. Check out this informative article in the March/April 2003 issue. Click here for the full article.

March 4, 2003 - Display & Design Ideas Magazine writes about research conducted by Merchant Mechanics in its March "GlobalShop" issue. The feature article, by New York editor Vilma Barr, showcases groundbreaking research on retail shelf lighting commissioned by Hera Lighting with the cooperation of General Nutrition Centers (GNC). Click here for the whole article.

March 3, 2003 - Merchant Mechanics to jointly present groundbreaking research findings on retail illumination with Hera Lighting and General Nutrition Centers (GNC) at Global Shop's first annual Day Of Design conference. The presentation, to be held on Saturday, March 14, 2003, will center on results from research conducted by Merchant Mechanics for Hera and GNC and will highlight future opportunities for answering age-old questions in retail lighting. Click here for the full article.

January 13, 2003 - This week, Crain's New York Business looked to Matthew Tullman for commentary in a special report by Cara Trager on retail design trends in Manhattan's SoHo region. Mr. Tullman offered insight relating to the risks associated with the over-use "retail-tainment." Click here for the full article.

May 14, 2002 - Merchant Mechanics breaks onto primetime cable television scene! Merchant Mechanics co-founder:, president and CEO, Matthew L. Tullman, sat for an interview on the popular program Tech Live airing on Tech TV, the only 24-hour cable television network dedicated to showcasing the impact technology has on our everyday lives and the world at large.

Mr. Tullman provided commentary and expert insight on the relationships between retail stores, technology, and shopping behavior. Topics discussed included: emerging trends in technology for use in retail environments, responses by consumers to new retail technologies as observed during the shopping process, and how retailers may improve their chances of employing a winning combination of tech and tradition that attracts consumers and gets them to buy! This 30-minute program aired at 8:30pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2002.

May 1, 2002 - The International Lighting Review covers the latest research conducted by Merchant Mechanics. The story, written by Dr. Fred Oberkircher, centers on two in-store evaluations of the use of color and light to impact shopping behavior. Click here to read the full article.

January 2, 2002 - Outdoor Retailer Magazine is buzzing about Merchant Mechanics in their January 2002 issue. Read Sharon Leicham's article entitled: "Retailers Can Profit by Studying Human 'Buy-ology'" in the Minding Your Business section of the Outdoor Retailer Magazine.

November 2, 2001 - "They Spy"
Read about Merchant Mechanics and how our groundbreaking consumer research methodologies and insights are helping retailers nationwide in the November 2001 issue of VM+SD Magazine. Click here to read the article.

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