eBay tests the world’s first ‘subconscious shopping experience’
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Online shopping giant eBay and specialist retailer Saatchi Art have created and tested an experimental retail experience they claim is the world’s first subconscious shopping experience.
It merges art and technology to reveal shoppers’ subconscious desires.
For just 48 hours, the two retailers invited select guests to their personalised shopping event, The Art of Shopping. Guests were first hooked up to headsets incorporating EEG technology to monitor electrical activity in the brain. They then entered a special art gallery where the “mind-tracking” technology, supplied by MyndPlay, was able to detect when they were inspired by particular works. This information was used to create personalised shopping carts.
An algorithm to match customers with artworks was developed by behavioural psychologists and designed to be used with the billion items being sold on eBay’s virtual marketplace.
The eBay team launched the project after commissioning a report on the neuroscience of what motivates buyers. The report investigated the difference between two types of buyers – “shop-y-cats” who impulse buy to fit in with trends, and “inspired shoppers” who prefer to discover non-mainstream items. It found that inspired shoppers could browse longer and had a prolonged emotional high at checkout.
Questions & Answers
Q.What technology was used to monitor shoppers' subconscious reactions?
What technology was used to monitor shoppers' subconscious reactions?
Headsets incorporating EEG technology were used to monitor electrical activity in the brain. This 'mind-tracking' technology, supplied by MyndPlay, detected when guests were inspired by particular artworks during the experimental event.
Q.Which two types of buyers did the commissioned report identify?
Which two types of buyers did the commissioned report identify?
The report identified "shop-y-cats" who make impulse purchases to follow trends, and "inspired shoppers" who prefer to find non-mainstream items. This research informed the project's development.
Q.How did the retailers use the information gathered from the shoppers?
How did the retailers use the information gathered from the shoppers?
The information detected by the mind-tracking technology was used to create personalised shopping carts for each guest. An algorithm was also developed to match customers with artworks from eBay's marketplace.
Q.What benefit did the report find for 'inspired shoppers'?
What benefit did the report find for 'inspired shoppers'?
The report found that 'inspired shoppers' tend to browse for longer periods and experience a prolonged emotional high at the point of checkout. This suggests a deeper engagement with their purchases.
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