Ahold tests virtual supermarket
“We’re able to manage tests more effectively in a controlled environment,” Sheedy said in a presentation Wednesday at the Shopper Marketing Conference & Expo in Minneapolis.
The Internet-based 3D interactive tool from InContext Solutions lets retailers and manufacturers visualize a concept without dedicating the manual time and labor of physically setting it up.
Users can view the entire store, down to individual items seen from all angles. The technology includes heat mapping of products sets to find the most productive layouts.
Sheedy admits he was was reluctant about the idea at first. “But then I started to see the potential of what we could do with a virtual supermarket,” he said.
The application can be used across a number of operational areas, including store planning, advertising, and category management and merchandising, he said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
