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, today announces the availability of a new service for evaluating and enhancing consumer interactions with specific product categories in retail environments. The new service provides product manufacturers with real-time objective information essential to the evaluation of in-store product marketing tactics. Merchant Mechanics combines empirical observation of shoppers obtained in retail environments with expert knowledge of consumer perceptions, preferences and behaviors. The result is practical and actionable consulting that enhances product manufacturers’ ability to market products more effectively.
In contrast to traditional marketing research and category management services such as interviews and focus groups, which are subjective and indirect measurements of consumer preferences and behavior, Merchant Mechanics offers non-invasive observation of customer behaviors as they happen in their original settings. This service is seen as a necessary and natural compliment to subjective research as it enables manufacturers to more accurately identify and successfully accentuate elements in their displays and packaging that are working well and redefine elements that are not.
“Product packaging and display design greatly affect the consumer’s purchasing decisions,” said Matt Tullman, President and CEO of Merchant Mechanics. “Improving the relationship between a consumer and a product at the point of purchase increases the chance that the product will be purchased. We are extremely excited to offer cutting-edge research and insight that will allow our product manufacturing clients to convey their products and advertising to consumers more effectively, resulting in an increased tendency for shoppers to become buyers.”
Using state-of-the-art video recording, and other proprietary observational methods, Merchant Mechanics quickly paints an accurate picture of the interactions between consumers, products and the retail environment. The company goes farther than other marketing research firms by linking the observational data to expert knowledge about shopping behavior. “We are interested in uncovering the nuances of how consumers shop various categories of products,” said K. Rose Clark, Vice President of Research at Merchant Mechanics. “By revealing the natural tendencies of consumers as they shop for a particular type of item, we help our clients develop merchandising materials and strategies that make it that much easier for a consumer to say ‘I want to buy this.’”