For further information contact:
Matthew Tullman
President & CEO
Merchant Mechanics, LLC
603-643-5454
mtullman@merchantmechanics.com
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.
Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA - March 3, 2003 - Groundbreaking in-store research
conducted by Merchant Mechanics, utilizing its proprietary research service,
known as Retail Forensics®, will be highlighted at the upcoming "Day Of Design"
conference to be held on Saturday, March 15, 2003 as part of the GlobalShop
Expo in Chicago. The featured discussion, entitled "Lights On, Sales Up", will
spotlight results from a recent quantitative investigation on the effectiveness
of end-cap display illumination in retail storefronts as well as the industry's
continuing need for in-store lighting research.
The current research, an analysis of the shopping behaviors of over 13,500 consumers,
was commissioned by Hera Lighting, a Norcross (GA) based manufacturer of store
fixture and display lighting systems, with the co-operation of General Nutrition
Centers (GNC). Panelists for the session include Matthew Tullman, president
& co-founder of Merchant Mechanics; Christian Bollrath, president of Hera Lighting;
Art McSorley, vice president of retail construction & cost containment at GNC
and Brad Stewart, director of sales at Hera Lighting. Session attendees will
include store planners, retailers and fixture manufacturers.
The Hera Lighting Study, as it has come to be known, is the first of its kind
and represents a new mode of thinking among leaders in the retail industry.
"Until now, quantified research on retail illumination as it relates directly
to customer behavior has been extremely scarce," stated Mr. Bollrath. "Hera
Lighting is excited by the results and sees the retail industry poised to take
advantage of research quantifying the influence retail illumination has on the
actions of shoppers. With this data, Hera is able to complement the creativity
and instinct of the store planner or retailer with the confidence of tested
results. This study proves that display lighting is a moneymaker and not just
an additional cost factor in retail stores. It's probably the design element
with the shortest return of investment."
The questions answered by the research uncover many vital relationships between
display illumination, customer attention, browsing behavior and purchasing.
"While it should not be very surprising that lighting can be an important means
to increasing store traffic, attracting consumer attention and enhancing sales,"
said Mr. Tullman, "our mission here was to objectively quantify that impact
within specific retail applications." The retail industry is embracing inquiries
such as these, as it allows for more accurate assessments of the ROI for retail
lighting.
Tullman continues, "We are also very impressed that fixture manufacturers continue
to realize the importance of studying consumer behaviors related to the store
components they provide. Empirical research is perhaps the most reliable tool
the fixture manufacturer and the retailer have to identify and control the relationships
between the store and the shopper."
About Merchant Mechanics
Founded in 2000, Merchant Mechanics is a groundbreaking consumer research
firm serving retailers, retail fixture manufacturers and consumer product manufacturers
throughout North America. Merchant Mechanics is the pioneer of Retail Forensics®,
a proprietary research service used for precisely evaluating in-store customer
behavior. The company specializes in investigations of the detailed interactions
between shoppers, merchandise, and selling environments.
About Hera Lighting
Hera Lighting, L.P. is based in Norcross, GA and over the past decade has
become one of the leading cabinet, furniture and display lighting companies
in the United States. Hera comes from a European heritage of innovative lighting
design and technology. Growing out of the very company that first developed
fluorescent lighting for kitchen cabinets in the early 1960's, Hera has been
perfecting halogen cabinet lighting since the early 1980's. The company is one
of the first in the U.S. to introduce halogen cabinet lighting and practically
built the U.S. market for these products.