Vision Critical Upgrades Virtual Shopping Offer

Canadian-based custom panel and technology specialist Vision Critical has overhauled its ShelfsetPlus product, to enable clients to field complex virtual shopping exercises in less time, while increasing respondent engagement.

Previously available only as a custom application, ShelfsetPlus will now be offered as a standardized visualization tool for product, category and shopper marketing.

The tool, which gives shoppers the visual experience of entering and moving around a store, is available across ten different retail environments - from chains to convenience stores and restaurants. It can be enhanced with clickmaps, hot spots and advertising signage as respondents are led to the shelf, or point of purchase.

Shelfset purchase exercises have been enhanced with couponing, 2-for-1 and other discounting options, multi-sided 2D or 3D product inspection, and a shopping cart that remains visible to the shopper throughout his or her journey.

Findability of specific items and product sorting exercises are also available as alternatives or additions to a purchase exercise. Participants can zoom in and out, read product labels, compare prices, buy items or return them to the shelf.

In addition, a new interface enables respondents to move around the aisles and add items to their cart without explicit written instructions, reducing survey length and 'visual clutter'. All data is collected and integrated into Sparq - Vision Critical's online research platform.

'By productizing one of our most successful custom applications, more companies can incorporate virtual shopping technology in their research projects, adding engaging and data-rich experiences that were previously too expensive or too time-consuming to implement,' said Jason Smith, President of Product Innovation. 'ShelfsetPlus moves us one step closer to making research more engaging for respondents the world over.'

Web site: www.visioncritical.com .