For further information contact:
Matthew Tullman
President & CEO
Merchant Mechanics, LLC
603-643-5454
mtullman@merchantmechanics.com
Chicago, IL, USA — Global Shop 2001— March 23, 2001 — Merchant Mechanics LLC, a groundbreaking behavioral research and consulting firm, unveils today a new research service for benchmarking the effectiveness of point-of-purchase displays and fixtures used in retail environments. The new service provides retail fixture and point-of-purchase display manufacturers with real-time objective information crucial for accurately evaluating the impact their fixtures and displays have on consumer behaviors and impressions. The company combines empirical data, unobtrusively collected on-site, with expert knowledge of consumer perceptions, preferences and behaviors to produce unmatched benchmarking accuracy and cutting-edge market intelligence. Merchant Mechanics’ insights allow its clients to improve product marketing and develop superior next generation concepts.
In contrast to subjective and indirect benchmarking services like interviews and focus groups, Merchant Mechanics offers objective real-time observation of customer actions resulting from exposure to various retail elements. Many in the retail fixture and display manufacturing industry see this unsurpassed level of insight as long overdue. In a business where new fixtures and display concepts often rely on new technology, manufacturers see empirical research as proof in marketing that their products are enhancing retail experiences at their clients’ stores and ultimately selling more products.
“The proof is in the pudding,” said Kathy Pattison, Vice President of Marketing at Color Kinetics, the Massachusetts based pioneer and manufacturer of full spectrum digital lighting. “Our retail clients love the availability of detailed information about how our lighting affects consumer behavior. When we pitch our technology to retail outfits, having the empirical third-party information of the sort that Merchant Mechanics provides really pays off. With that kind of information, we are able to ensure that our clients understand the technology as well as how they can expect to benefit from it. Our clients show a clear appreciation for the results and are eager to use our products in their designs to capture the documented benefits.”
Merchant Mechanics’ research also enables manufacturers to more accurately identify and successfully accentuate product elements that work well to entice shoppers, and redefine elements that do not. “Point-of-purchase displays and retail fixtures are key elements affecting a shopper’s perceptions of the store and their decisions to make purchases,” said Matt Tullman, President and CEO of Merchant Mechanics. “Empirically documenting the values or shortcomings of those powerful intermediary elements and leveraging those findings is what Merchant Mechanics is all about. We anticipate wonderfully informative results for our retail fixture and display manufacturing clients. With our help they will be able to create, and more effectively market, products that exhibit increased tendencies for shoppers to become buyers.”
Using video recording, and other proprietary methods, Merchant Mechanics quickly paints an accurate picture of the interactions between consumers, displays, the overall retail space. “We provide insight and solutions for improving the relationship between consumers, the retail environment and the product,” said K. Rose Clark, Vice President of Research at Merchant Mechanics. “By objectively revealing the habits of consumers as they interact with the retail environment we learn how to use existing elements more effectively and develop selling experiences that are more attractive and memorable to consumers, which is more profitable for retailers.”