Customer

Interpublic Group

IPG Shopper Sciences focuses on the key influence factors in shoppers’ journey from undecided to decided. The consulting group is launching a new service to measure shoppers' emotional responses using Affectiva technology.

Challenge

Shopper Sciences is part of the Interpublic Group’s global advertising and marketing solution agencies. Its clients include the world's most recognizable brands whose executives regularly decide where to invest millions of dollars to drive sales and customer loyalty.

Shopper Sciences pinpoints factors that move shoppers from indecision to decision or keeps them from buying, so its clients can make investment decisions effectively.

A key challenge is gathering objective shopper-response data. Shoppers often answer surveys differently than they behave in a store. In-store observation can provide insights but lacks quantitative data. Neuroscience technology can provide quantitative data about shoppers' experiences, but most solutions require headsets and cameras that make people feel awkward.

Key Activities

In October 2010, Shopper Sciences is launching its first project using Affectiva Q Sensors. The sensors are small, wearable devices that measure electro-dermal activity (EDA), also known as skin conductance, plus temperature and motion. The sensors also work with video cameras that capture participants, facial expressions.

As part of the project, 40 participants in groups of two will wear the sensors and be video-taped while they interact with in-store signage and a smart-phone shopping application while shopping for consumer electronics. The technology will identify discreet "emotional kickers" in the messaging, including confusion or frustration about distinctions while trying to make choices in the often cluttered and confusing consumer electronics retail environment.

The key advantage is the ability to gather objective data on shoppers' emotional responses without interfering with participants' shopping experience.

Ross expects that the data will 1) help validate existing insights, 2) provide discreet new insights and 3) collect emotional responses more effectively than other methods.

This will allow the creative talent to iterate and retest the messaging to reduce frustration and positively influence purchase decisions based on direct consumer experience.

Bottom Line

IPG Shopper Sciences uses Affectiva to gather objective, scientific data on shoppers' response to messaging at the point of purchase. The Q Sensor is a small, light and comfortable device and the video analysis is unobtrusive. The result is the ability to measure shoppers' in-store experience and reduce frustration or confusion.

Future

Shopper Science is looking to use Affectiva to test more complex media  such as marketing videos and banner ads viewed on a computer.

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