Our Approach

No store is completely immune to under-performing fixtures, user unfriendly displays, or P.O.P. elements with little or no impact. Nearly every aspect of a retail environment, when properly evaluated, represents an opportunity to increase sales. The emotional state of the consumer is best leveraged with an understanding of how emotions affect motivation, and in turn, how both affect shopping behavior at-retail. We determine which store elements are motivating consumers to purchase, which consumer segments are responding best, which ones are not, and most importantly, WHY.

On-Site Experts: Our field research techniques include the latest technology in on-site, eye-tracking and multiplexed digital video capture as well as on-site behavioral observation through our team of trained research staff.

Merchant Mechanics' field team is composed solely of experienced professionals who conduct interviews and assessments in a respectful and unobtrusive manner.

Our firm's entire data collection process is designed to minimize impact on store operations and consumers. We employ a strict "Leave No Trace" policy, which ensures that our projects never interfere with day-to-day operations, and that we leave retail test spaces exactly the way we found them.

Study Design: Merchant Mechanics' studies are most effective when conducted in a controlled, "before-and-after" research design in order to quickly develop and test prototype store plan-o-grams, and in-store marketing and merchandising elements. This process allows our clients to make the most educated planning decisions based on evidence-based empirical information, not exclusively on customer self report or intuition.

Data Analysis: Our results are the most precise and actionable available. We analyze data meaningfully and objectively, using advanced multivariate statistics. This approach yields robust, simultaneous evaluations of the interrelationships among co-existing marketing and merchandising elements. These analyses are focused on uncovering critical "spheres of influence" over consumer actions as well as opportunities to innovate beyond common practices.

Experience: Our in-house expertise in consumer cognition, behavioral psychology and neuroscience provides additional guidance for understanding why observed consumer behaviors occur and a means for implementing inexpensive adjustments to achieve optimized results. Our answers to questions of "Why?" go deeper than any of our competitors. Click here to learn more about our "Wiser 'Why?'s". (pdf)

Merchant Mechanics: Because buying is a measurable process.