What is Flavored Water?

Coca-cola was looking for a deeper understanding of how consumers shop their flavored water (Vitamin Water, Fuze, and Smart Water) on the crowded store shelves as well as specific merchandising recommendtations to improve sales. Using  mobile eye tracking glasses, the shopping experience of a selected sample of customer were recorded. Additionally a “retrospective talk aloud” procedure helped to better understand the customer behavior and motivations. Finally, customers viewed a video of their just completed shopping experience and were questioned on the spot as to the motivation. A detailed assessment of how customers search for and select products in beverage aisles and coolers using both the customers’ narrative of their experience and state-of-the-art eye tracking data. Using a database of video clips, quotes and photos, a video demonstration of the problems surrounding the current shelf location and merchandising elements was created. This, in turn, led to specific recommendations into how in-store shelf location and merchandising should be used to provide category definition and help customers find products in a crowded and confusing segment.