GSK Shopper Science Lab opens in Singapore

A new GSK Shopper Science Lab opened in Singapore will help drive business growth across Asia-Pacific, the company says.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare describes the research centre as a “cutting edge facility” which will deliver unique shopper insights and collaborations with retailers.

“The Shopper Science Lab is a world-class shopper insight facility, equipped with state-of-the-art digital technology. With virtual reality, eye-tracking, facial biometrics, and data visualisation as some of the tools employed in-house, GSK will invite its trade partners, internal business teams and researchers to use the Lab to recreate retail environments; evaluate shoppers’ responses to online and in-store initiatives; and identify winning strategies and initiatives to enhance the shopping experience,” the company said in a statement.

“As more shoppers join the global middle class, there is an increased demand for trusted, global brands particularly in the emerging markets. The GSK Shopper Science Lab has close proximity to large emerging markets like India and China, enabling GSK and its retail partners to study diverse emerging shoppers closely, with local data collected on the ground.”

The GSK Shopper Science Lab consists of three labs integrated seamlessly:

• A 1215 sqft Retail Lab, an immersive retail environment that allows the re-creation of modern and traditional retail environments such as a pharmacy or supermarket, allowing GSK and its partners to quickly test and evaluate shopper responses.
• A Digital Lab which is a collaborative space which has the ability to test stimuli such as pack designs, point-of-sale materials, brand assets, TVCs, or content across all platforms.
• A Collaboration Room, which provides a space to convene key decision makers, enabling them to embark on virtual and fully interactive simulations that include relevant data for faster and more informed decision making.

“Traditional market research is often time-consuming and expensive,” explained Sidharth Singh, VP of commercial excellence, GSK Consumer Healthcare Asia, Middle East and Africa. “By leveraging the latest advances in virtual reality and biometric technology, we are now able to gather insights more efficiently and effectively.”

An example of such technology is eye-tracking glasses which can be transported to various cities to provide researchers with an indication of how shoppers shop locally. Technology such as virtual reality, tracking sensors and software that can decode the hotspots, can help analyse this highly localised data to understand shopper behaviour in diverse markets.