The context: Partnership between Retail VR and Enov

Presentation of the company : Enov

Enov is a "human centered" marketing and innovation research institute. The Enov team consists of 90 experts in Paris and Lyon. They support major advertisers in various sectors in France and abroad. More specifically, they work on marketing and sales issues (understanding targets and markets, innovation, customer experience, communication...), whatever their target (BtoC, BtoB, BtoBtoC).

Their mission: "Putting your customers at the heart of your decisions and your organizations."

Presentation of the interviewee : Lambert Lagrevol

Lambert Lagrevol is the managing director of Enov. He has been working for 20 years with FMCG accounts and retailers on the marketing and sales issues of brands and chains.

Enov's missions

1. Observe, dialogue and collaborate with consumers
2. Transforming insights and data into "actionable" information
3. Engage your brands and your teams around the customer

The issues of the studies: Partnership between Retail VR and Enov

What are your clients' motivations for conducting these studies?

Whatever their sector, our clients want to optimize the performance of the brand mix on the shelf and, more broadly, to build a categorical vision that impacts the "first moment of truth", in front of the shelf. Ultimately, this contributes to enhancing the shopper experience.

Two types of clients turn to us to conduct these studies:

- Retailers: To test a store concept, a corner or POS advertising for example

- Brands : For a merchandising test, a test pack or an innovation launch

What benefits did you perceive on the client side?

For Retailers

Get to know shoppers better and understand their experience (or expectations!): Analyze how shoppers work to offer them a product layout (in-store or online) that is in line with their logic.

Test a new merchandising implementation, a new point of sale concept: Increase the attractiveness of the department or the point of sale and the performance of the brands while facilitating the choice of shoppers and offering them a seamless experience.

For Brands

Reinforce the category discourse : Build a merchandising vision inspired by shoppers' opinions and address this argument to retailers. Maintain/challenge the role of category captain on our client's key families.

Evaluate/optimize the performance of the product/range mix on the shelf by testing different packaging options.

Measure the performance of a new product/range before launchby modeling choice shares/sales volume

The Virtual Shopper eXperience responds to these challenges: an innovative 3D reconstruction solution without headphones, for virtual shopper testing at home, accessible via a simple link.

The main goal: Immerse consumers in a realistic and ultra-agile experience!

The added value of our partner Enov

What defines Enov's approach? How do you differentiate yourself?

We work differently. In this changing world, we believe in working together and differently with our clients, with consumers and with our teams.

Our quest? More agility, more interaction, more co-creation, thanks to hybrid, customized research systems.

The Virtual Shopper eXperience is a perfect example of our belief!

What is the contribution of virtual reality to shopper research?

The goal is to use VR to offer immersive research experiences to shoppers, in order to provide more reliable and predictive answers to our clients.

We immerse our shoppers in an ultra-realistic environment, as close to real life as possible, to collect more behavioral data (and go beyond what our consumers say).

Our Virtual Shopper eXperience tool was born thanks to the partnership

- of the best of insight: ENOV

- of the best of Retail tech: Retail VR

What benefits did you perceive on the client side?

The first benefit is RELIABILITY. The results of our virtual fields are consistent with the real performances in the category.

The second benefit mentioned is SPEED. In a few weeks, the client has a clear and well argued go/no-go for his distributors. In addition, he has an operational recommendation on the optimizations to be made on the pack or on the implementation.

The third asset is undeniably AGILITY. Virtual reality gives you the possibility to test numerous tracks (pack or layout), to modify them at the last minute or to add an additional track a few days before the launch of the field.

The fourth asset is ITERATIVE. This technology makes it possible to easily and quickly repeat & improve "point of sale" tests, notably by co-developing new paths with the employees concerned

News : Partnership between Retail VR and Enov

Our Virtual Shopper eXperience is an award-winning innovation at the 8th Night of Connected Commerce 2021, with a Gold Trophy received in the category "Most Innovative Solution in Retail."

Retail VR and Enov regularly speak about virtual shopper journeys, as at Marketing Week, POPAI, Digital Retail Days, etc.

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