Eye-tracking service helps retailers strengthen shelf presence

CHICAGO — User Centric Inc., a user research firm based in Chicago, has announced a new service, Eye Tracking for Package Design, which analyzes consumers' eye movements to help make packaging more noticeable, engaging and convincing. The service enables businesses to compare the impact of their package design against their competition, and either improve an existing design or identify the most effective one from a group of new concepts.

Strong shelf presence for consumer products is critical in a rough economy. Effective packaging increases the product's likelihood of being purchased by making it stand out among other products. But how does a company figure out what draws consumers' attention, especially before their product hits the stores?

Focus groups and interviews are important tools for gathering consumer opinions, but research and experience have revealed that consumers are often unaware of what specifically draws them to a package. In contrast, eye movements provide accurate and objective insight into the minds of the shoppers and help determine what visually attracts them.

Multiple package concepts are usually developed before one is selected. Knowing which design is more likely to attract attention can better inform the final selection that eventually appears on retail shelves. "Eye tracking is a critical tool for understanding which package designs will move product, and which will not," said Aga Bojko, User Centric's chief scientist and eye tracking expert. "First, we want to determine how noticeable the product is among other products on the shelf. Second, we want to identify which elements of that specific design attract the most attention and entice the consumer to buy, and which elements are completely missed."