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Shopper research solutions

Shopper research solutions

Providing a seamless shopping experience

It can be difficult to understand why shoppers make certain decisions in-store, especially without understanding consumer attention. By exploring the attention patterns of your consumers while they shop, we empower you to make design decisions that enhance the customer journey and increase conversion.

Uncovering the moments that influence purchase

Eye tracking reveals the subtle shifts in attention and decision-making that shape how shoppers navigate, evaluate, and choose in real-world retail environments.

  • 76% 

    of purchase decisions are made in-store
    or on the spot, yet shopper attention
    is rarely measured.

  • 68%

    of marketing spend is wasted on
    content that doesn’t get noticed.

  • 62%

    of shopper insights rely on recall-based
    surveys, which can be biased or incomplete.

What is shopper research?

Shopper research is the process of understanding how consumers behave in a shopping environment, whether in‑store or online. Unlike traditional surveys that rely on memory, methods like eye tracking capture real shopper behavior, showing what people notice, engage with, and act on in the moment decisions are made.

Watch the demo video to learn more.

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Benefits of eye tracking in consumer research

Eye tracking reveals what truly captures shopper attention, helping brands optimize layouts, packaging, and messaging to influence buying decisions more effectively.

  • Retail analytics

    Go beyond surface‑level sales data to uncover deeper insights into retail performance and shopper behavior.

  • Shelf impact & packaging

    Use collected data to improve shelf visibility and package design by revealing what attracts shopper attention and which visual elements are ignored in‑store.

  • Store layouts & navigation

    Eye tracking data reveals how shoppers navigate your store, helping you optimize the in‑store experience and improve shopper journeys.

  • Path-to-Purchase

    Optimize the path‑to‑purchase to increase conversion rates and grow basket size using data‑driven shopper insights.

  • Consumer Decision Tree

    Eye tracking reveals how shoppers make decisions, which choices matter most, and why certain product attributes drive purchase decisions.

Shopper research is evolving

While traditional methods are still common, eye tracking shows what shoppers actually notice and how they make decisions in the moment.

Contact us to get started

Traditional shopper research methods

  • Recall‑based feedback

    Relies on surveys, interviews, or focus groups after the shopping experience.

  • Artificial test environments

    Uses mock shelves, static images, or lab settings that don’t fully reflect real behavior.

  • Limited visibility into attention

    Hard to know what shoppers actually notice versus what they remember seeing.

  • Assumed decision paths

    Purchase decisions are inferred rather than directly observed.

  • Delayed insights

    Findings are analyzed after the study, slowing optimization and iteration.

  • Small behavioral sample sizes

    In‑depth observation is time‑consuming and difficult to scale.

Shopper research with Tobii eye tracking

  • Objective attention data

    Measures exactly what shoppers look at, for how long, and in what order.

  • Real‑world context

    Captures behavior in real stores and aisles, not simulated environments.

  • Clear visibility into shelf interaction

    Shows which products, prices, and messages attract, or miss attention.

  • Decision‑making insight

    Reveals how shoppers compare options, navigate shelves, and make choices.

  • Faster, actionable insights

    Enables quicker iteration on packaging, layout, and messaging.

  • Scalable behavioral understanding

    Collects rich behavioral data across more shoppers without interrupting the experience.

Our products and services for shopper research

Wearable eye tracking

Eye tracking lets you see through your consumers’ eyes, offering a unique perspective into what encourages them to convert. Use these insights to optimize the path to purchase, and make sure the product they purchase is yours.

Our wearable eye trackers enhance shopper research by capturing real-time gaze data in natural retail environments, revealing exactly what draws attention, what’s ignored, and how decisions unfold.

Wearable eye trackers
Wearable eye tracking

Research consultancy

Our research consultancy service has the tools and resources to help you conduct a shopper research study and capture authentic data on the behavior of your consumers in real life environments. We offer a swift turnaround from insights to impact, acting as an agile research partner for every phase of the process. This is an ideal option for those hoping to conduct in-store studies and assess the impact of their retail design.

Tobii Insight Services
Research consultancy

Trusted by the top companies and brands

Toyota showroom shopper research case study using eye tracking
Unilever packaging research case study using eye tracking
Ipsos shopper research case study using eye tracking
L'Oreal packaging research case study using eye tracking
Proctor and Gamble packaging research case study using eye tracking
Carlsberg advertising research case study using eye tracking
H and L shelf visibility case study using eye tracking
Neilsen shopper research case study using eye tracking
“Eye tracking as an implicit research method is just unique. With footage from the recordings, we can show brands and retailers the real customer experience and give them evidence if their measures perform or not.

Florian Reinhard

SENIOR RESEARCH MANAGER AT GIM RESEARCH

GIM logo
“Tobii provides the best-in-class eye tracker for laptops. We evaluated several screen-based eye trackers for NielsenIQ BASES and quickly reached a conclusion that Tobii is distinctly better in terms of accuracy, compact size, and easy-to-setup and integrate with our software.

Karthik

NIQ BASES

“Using eye tracking gives you the opportunity to look through the consumer’s eyes, so instead of only listening to an opinion we now see the analysis.

Jeroen van der Kallen

Customer Insight and Innovation Manager Europe, Unilever

Customer logo
“Eye tracking as an implicit research method is just unique. With footage from the recordings, we can show brands and retailers the real customer experience and give them evidence if their measures perform or not.

Florian Reinhard

SENIOR RESEARCH MANAGER AT GIM RESEARCH

GIM logo
“Tobii provides the best-in-class eye tracker for laptops. We evaluated several screen-based eye trackers for NielsenIQ BASES and quickly reached a conclusion that Tobii is distinctly better in terms of accuracy, compact size, and easy-to-setup and integrate with our software.

Karthik

NIQ BASES

“Using eye tracking gives you the opportunity to look through the consumer’s eyes, so instead of only listening to an opinion we now see the analysis.

Jeroen van der Kallen

Customer Insight and Innovation Manager Europe, Unilever

Customer logo
13

Uncover the insights of consumer behavior

Examining buyer behavior in a car showroom for Toyota
Company logo
“In this an all-or-nothing high-stakes sales environment, it is critical that automotive marketers understand which features influence shoppers to buy and how the showroom can be optimized to make them commit. Through eye tracking, we objectively determined what registered with potential buyers, both young and old.

Examining buyer behavior in a car showroom for Toyota

Read the story
Analyzing the visibility of Earth Corporation’s products at the shelf
A human-centric analysis of hair products using eye tracking
How HL Display improved on-shelf messaging and visibility
The danger of relying on opinion—uncover the truth with eye tracking
15
The search for 'Why'?

The search for 'Why'?


Your guide to understanding consumer behavior with eye tracking

  • How to better understand and influence the path-to-purchase

  • How you can improve ROI at every stage - whether it’s attracting attention, streamlining shopper reasoning, or influencing decision-making.

  • The ways you can stay ahead in the ever-changing, competitive world of retail...and much more.

Download the report

Frequently asked questions about shopper research

Contact us

Our team are experienced in applying technology and research expertise for effective shopper insight studies.

Let’s talk about how your study might look.

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