Product catalog optimization for Oriflame

Oriflame sells beauty products and cosmetics in 60 countries around the world through a network of close to 3 million people who make direct sales to customers. The Oriflame product catalog is a key sales tool for presenting products and their benefit in an engaging format. The company does not have a presence in physical stores which is why the catalog is a key component of consumer engagement.

The question  

Oriflame wanted to know how people engage with its product catalog, in particular; how it’s read, what elements attract the most attention, and what parts are potentially overlooked. The catalog does more than just list products, it visually illustrates them and provides suggestions for use and application. Because consumers absorb it without the input of an in-store sales consultant or the presence of the physical products, the catalog must be able to solicit a similar shopping experience to the one consumers would get at a beauty counter in-store. 

The method

Tobii Insight planned and ran an eye tracking study which examined consumers’ visual engagement with the catalog. Using a screen-based eye tracker we were able to see how shoppers interacted with visual elements and how they processed written information contained in the catalog to get a better understanding of what features were effective at driving consumer engagement and ultimately sales as there is a direct correlation between attention and purchase intent.

The conclusion

By using eye tracking to measure visual attention, we were able to make key recommendations on the layout and design of the catalog. This included things such as the placement of text, information ‘bubbles’, graphics, CTAs, and much more. Our findings prompted improvements to the catalog and the development of new guidelines and training material for the team creating them.