For further information contact:
Matthew Tullman
President & CEO
Merchant Mechanics, LLC
603-643-5454
mtullman@merchantmechanics.com
Lawrence, MA, USA - May 16, 2001 - In a quiet suburb just outside of Boston's hustle, Matthew Tullman is solving a murder. "This is an interesting case to solve, because the evidence is so abundant, if you know how to really analyze the crime scene," said Mr. Tullman, President, CEO and founder of Merchant Mechanics LLC. The crime is the slaying of retail sales, a harsh reality faced by retail stores each day. The usual suspects all have a similar M.O. "Neglected advertisements, poor customer service, confusing product placement and congested isles are among the chief culprits," continues Mr. Tullman. "Unfortunately, retail establishments often lack the know-how to track down the cause of dying sales, and eventually fall victim."
Enter Merchant Mechanics; a behavioral research and consulting firm that specializes in optimizing retail environments. Tullman's team of researchers brings together expert knowledge of human behavior, perception and the psychology of decision-making. They have pooled their expertise to pioneer Retail Forensics™, a hotly sought after product in this unstable economy. Retail Forensics™ is the science we use to objectively determine a store's strengths and weaknesses," said K. Rose Clark, Vice President of Research. "We discretely videotape the retail space and then analyze those tapes for problem areas." In addition, the firm's specially trained "secret agents" go on-site to collect field data, which they then pair with video observation to give retail executives detailed vital statistics about their selling environment.
Currently, most retailers utilize survey studies to evaluate their store's weak points. These surveys are typically given to customers after they've shopped. Unfortunately, these shoppers give the interviewer "eyewitness testimony," biased responses which have been shown to be full of unintentional errors. Customers usually offer an overly positive judgment of a store or its products in these sorts of surveys because, on an subconscious level, they want the surveyor to like them. Ms. Clark continues by stating "this behavior is extremely typical in psychological studies. We take that burden off of the customer's shoulders by watching their behaviors objectively and in real time, through the video."
Retail Forensics™ is an innovative and intelligent approach to saving retail sales. It just may be that the biggest crime committed by any merchant is not using it.