2x Boost: How a Global Brand Doubled Shopper Engagement

Panos Moutafis, Ph.D.
Feb 5
3 min read

In the wholesale retail environment, brands are often fighting a war for attention on two fronts: against competitors sharing the floor, and against the layout of the store itself.

For a major global lifestyle brand, the question wasn't about the quality of the product, but the quality of the presentation. They launched a pilot program using Zenus Ethical Facial Analysis to answer a critical question: Which display format actually makes the shopper stop?

Two people shop in a clothing store; one holds a neon green jacket, another holds pink shoes. A cashier, focused, assists them. Smiles abound. — Global Lifestyle Brand Store

The Visibility Gap

When selling through retail partners (wholesale), brands often lose access to data. They know how much inventory was shipped and how much was sold, but they miss the "middle metrics" - the shopper journey.

Did the customer see the product and walk away?
Did the floor stand block traffic or invite interaction?
Is the brand pulling its weight compared to the store's private labels?

The Experiment: Wall vs. Floor

The brand utilized Zenus AI sensors to conduct a rigorous A/B test across several high-volume retail locations. The focus was comparing two standard fixture types:

The Perimeter Wall: Large, shelving-based displays on the edges of the department.
The Floor Pedestal: Freestanding island displays placed in walkways.

Silhouettes of people viewing watches on a green perimeter wall and pink floor pedestals. Text reads "1 The Perimeter Wall" and "2 The Floor Pedestal." — The Perimeter Wall & The Floor Pedestal Graphic

The Results: Intent Matters

The behavioral data painted a stark picture of how shoppers navigate space.

Dwell Time Dominance: The wall displays generated an average dwell time of 50 seconds, compared to just 25 seconds for floor pedestals.
Stopping Power: The "Stop Rate" (percentage of traffic that engages) for walls was nearly double that of the pedestals.

Silhouettes of three people facing a display of watches. Text reads "60% Stop Rate" and "50 sec Dwell Time" with icons. — Stop Rate and Dwell Time at the Perimeter Wall

Three figures view shoes on pedestals. Text: "32% Stop Rate," "25 sec Dwell Time." Background: silhouettes, stopwatch icon, people graphic. — Stop Rate and Dwell Time at the Floor Pedestal

This data suggests that while pedestals are good for "interrupting" a walk, they don't encourage deep consideration. The wall, however, acts as a destination. When a shopper commits to walking to the wall, their intent to purchase is higher, leading to longer engagement.

Brand Strength vs. Location

The study also benchmarked the brand against generic non-branded displays in the same zones.

The Efficiency Ratio: Even when the brand's section had lower overall foot traffic than the main thoroughfare, it converted passersby into visitors at a rate of 20%, compared to just 11.5% for the generic displays.
Conclusion: A strong brand pulls customers out of the traffic flow. The brand doesn't need the busiest spot on the floor; it needs the best spot for dwelling (the wall).

Ethical Insights

Crucially, this data was gathered without compromising shopper privacy. The brand utilized Zenus’s non-PII (Personally Identifiable Information) approach, which analyzes sentiment and movement without recording faces or tracking individuals. This allowed the brand to optimize their layout responsibly.

Device scans avatars (1), converts data to binary (2), displays analytics on tablet (3). White background, modern tech theme. — Zenus 3-Step Privacy Graphic

What This Means for Retail Strategy

The brand is now using this data to renegotiate floor plans with their retail partners. Instead of fighting for "front of store" placement which has high traffic but low dwell time, they are prioritizing "high intent" zones where they can deploy wall units that are proven to double customer engagement.