Analyzing the visibility of Earth Corporation’s products at the shelf

Earth Corporation: A daily necessities manufacturer of insect repellent products, bath salts, oral care products, deodorants, air fresheners, cleaning products, sanitary products, and gardening products.  

Understanding what consumers are actually looking at

On the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores, intense competition is unfolding every day. Each manufacturer is working hard to ensure that as many products as possible are seen and selected by consumers, resulting in a fraught and competitive market.

Earth Corporation’s product Mondahmin was created in 1987 as “a mouthwash that Japanese people want to use every day” and has a strong presence on mouthwash product shelves.

Mondahmin has an eye-catching sticker on the bottle so customers can quickly identify the brand. However, during company-wide cost review activities, the necessity of eye-catching stickers has been questioned. These stickers require the cost of printing as well as the time and effort required to attach them to the product, so Earth Corporation had to be sure it was money well spent.

The marketing department wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of eye-catching stickers based on scientific and objective data in order to determine their necessity. Above all, the marketing department wanted to know what consumers were looking at and if the sticker was working. At the same time, a neuromarketing team was established within the marketing department, and they conducted a study using biometric measurements, especially gaze measurements, to find out consumers’ true feelings.

Tobii eye tracking study proves the need for eye-catching stickers

As a result of comparing and examining several gaze measurement tools, Earth Corporation decided to use Tobii eye tracking to conduct a study. The study was conducted using a marketing research firm’s facility with shelves that simulate an actual sales floor. Tobii Insight Services was responsible for designing the survey, recruiting participants, and analyzing the measurement results.

Women in their 30s and 40s who had purchased mouthwash before were recruited for the study. In the simulated sales floor environment, participants wore Tobii Pro Glasses, which allowed them to move around freely while gaze data was recorded. The participants selected products from the shelf at their own will and could inspect different products until they made the decision to purchase.

After the shopping task was completed, each participant was interviewed, with the interview results analyzed alongside the eye tracking recordings. Tobii proposed and utilized the “hidden Markov analysis” as an analysis method.

This involved clarifying where the participants were looking when they were searching for a product (exploration) and where they looked when deciding to buy the product in front of them (consideration).

As a result of the eye tracking study, Earth Corporation learned the following things:

• Mondamin’s eye-catching stickers are definitely seen by consumers.
• The stickers are especially seen at the consideration stage.
• This showed that eye-catching stickers are seen by consumers and are necessary to encouraging consideration of the product.

Based on these results, Earth Corporation decided to adapt the words on the stickers to match the market trends and make them more attractive for the shopper. Thanks to the insights they gained, Earth Corporation are continuing to improve their brand each and every day.

Use eye tracking for deeper consumer insights

Since introducing Tobii eye tracking, Earth Corporation has used it for a range of studies.

Earth Corporation has also been combining eye tracking with other biometrics, such as EEG, in order to understand the customer’s point of view through accurate data.

Earth Corporation plans to continue using Tobii eye tracking to visualize the true intentions of consumers, deepen their consumer insights, and utilize the results in marketing and product development.