Nielsen launches Smartstore in Malaysia

Nielsen has launched Nielsen SmartStore, an “immersive reality” shopper solution that helps retailers and manufacturers better understand shopper behaviour and measure how shoppers react at the moment of truth in any store format. 

SmartStore, which has been designed to radically transform how the industry conducts shopper research today, creates a remarkably realistic and immersive simulation of a 3D, 360 degree total store environment.

Immersive store testing within a virtual environment eliminates the unnecessary risk of trial-and-error execution, allowing companies to perfect aisles and point-of-sale materials before implementing physical changes in stores.

The solution also gives Nielsen’s clients the flexibility to test future scenarios quickly, away from competitors’ eyes and without disrupting the store’s operations.

Dolly Jitani, Nielsen Global Shopper Leader, says this solution has been put together using the latest gamification and virtual reality technology available and adapted to create a unique, fully immersive shopper research and merchandising solution.  

Malaysia is the third market in South East Asia to offer its clients the Nielsen SmartStore technology and capabilities.

Now, Malaysian retailers and manufacturers can measure, evaluate and optimise a range of retail concepts on sales and shopper metrics, based on how target shoppers react at the moment of truth, in any store format, aisle, category or shelf.

 It also helps advertisers measure the effectiveness of point-of-sale merchandise based on what shoppers “see, think and do”, while media agencies can test what marketing messages resonate in different test environments and will this cause brand uplift.

“The challenging market environment has spurred changes to consumer shopping mindset and behaviour,” says Anil Antony, Executive Director of Consumer Insights, Nielsen Malaysia.

“With shoppers increasingly rationalising their spend, in-store execution and shopper activation take centre stage. It is essential that brands understand in-store shopper behaviour and their priorities in order to attract shoppers with the right offering.”