A new research academy has just been set up to study how active media in stores influences the behaviour and purchasing decisions of consumers. The aim is to assist with leading edge competence within technology, psychology and marketing, to build up a fund of knowledge that will be of use both for research and commercial purposes. 

Some of the concrete issues to which the research academy is intended to clarify are for example:  How is the consumer influenced by various messages? How is it possible to influence behaviour in a store by displaying information about different offers? Is there a difference between how women and men are influenced? Are there differences between different regions, cultural backgrounds and times when messages are shown?

This aspect of the business will operate under the name of the ZetaDisplay Retail Academy and will be supported by ZetaDisplay, one of the leading suppliers of platforms for digital active media. 

The group, which is led by Professor Ulf Johansson of the School of Economics and Management at the University of Lund, includes several leading experts in consumer behaviour and retailing (see the fact box). Their task is to initiate research projects and gather knowledge. “We have set up the research academy because this is a new medium and we are interested in how it will affect consumers. Obviously there is a commercial purpose behind it, but there are also other aspects that are important in the co-operation between companies and researchers. 



 

We researchers have a general interest in understanding the behaviour of consumers and the ways in which this can be influenced. The media can also create value for customers by engendering positive experiences in a store and making it easier to find the products they are looking for. They can also be a source of ideas in inspiration,” explains Åsa Thelander, who has a Doctorate in Media and Communications Science at the University of Lund, and is active in the research foundation.

The research project that the academy will initiate can take place within the framework of ongoing research at different universities, and also as a project with retailing chains and brand name suppliers.

 

The first project associated with the research academy is already in progress, with two master’s theses on this theme being undertaken at the School of Economics and Management at the University of Lund. Professor Ulf Johansson of the School has commented on the new research academy as follows: “An increasing amount of advertising and information is being presented via active media on displays in stores. The trade and its suppliers are investing heavily in the messages and campaigns in order to obtain an effect in stores that helps consumers to come to the best purchasing decisions. However, at the same time, very little is known about how different media and messages influence consumer behaviour and other factors such as sales and customer loyalty. This makes active media an interesting area, in both research and commercial terms, which also is expected to grow rapidly in the near future.

The commercial interest lies, among other things, in the creation of positive experiences and a lengthening of the period spent by the customer in the store, which we already know has a strong influence on sales,” he adds. 


 

The role of ZetaDisplay will be to finance the work done at the research academy and to propose questions and projects in the area. ZetaDisplay also wants to be able to assess its own product development in order to quickly adopt important ideas and viewpoints.

”It has from the start of ZetaDisplay’s business been a cornerstone to try to increase the value for the consumer, brand name suppliers and retail chains by the use of active media on displays in stores. We are therefore very happy now to be able to bring such notable research competence to the ZetaDisplay Retail Academy.

 

With our financial support for the research, we hope to be able to contribute to an increase in knowledge concerning this new media channel, but also to stimulate interest in the specific solutions that we as a company can offer,” says Leif Liljebrunn, Deputy MD of ZetaDisplay.