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The Wall Street Journal features a story this week about the growing use of virtual stores and eye tracking technology among major CPGs to speed products to market and improve their shopper marketing efforts. Turns out that many of the traditional research methods like focus groups aren't very reliable. The consumers generally want to please or impress the moderator and tend to overestimate their interest in a particular brand or product.

With the eye tracking technology, brands are combining three-dimensional computer simulations of product designs and store layouts with eye-tracking technology. Kimberly-Clark used the technology when testing the newest packaging for its Viva paper towels in 2009, says Kim Greenwood, senior manager in the company's Virtual Reality Group. Her goal was to find which designs got noticed in the first 10 seconds a shopper looked at a shelf — a crucial window when products are recognized and placed in the shopping cart. They also wanted to know if the preferences held up on different count packages, from single rolls to multipacks.

Looking to bring a new product to market and need an agency to get you there? Contact Jim Cusson at shopper marketing agency Birdsong Gregory 704-332-2299.