Case Study: Nestlé De-Risks a Beverage Launch with EyeSee’s Virtual Shelf
By EyeSee
- case study
- Shopper Research
- Pack testing
- Packaging Research
The Nestlé R&D Accelerator operates as a start-up unit within Nestlé, tasked with taking new product concepts from idea to shelf in six months. When evaluating a new beverage innovation for a competitive retail aisle, the team needed to conduct in-store shop testing to assess shopper behaviour and commercial potential. However, brick-and-mortar testing was ruled out due to the sensitivity of the intellectual property involved, leaving no viable path to gather real-world consumer data through conventional means.
EyeSee conducted a three-phase, full-funnel virtual research study completed in under a month. Phase one used a virtual shopping simulation to establish baseline shopper behaviour on a digital shelf. Phase two introduced a leaflet to simulate advertising exposure, followed by eye tracking to measure visual engagement, a second virtual shopping exercise to capture behavioural shifts, and a findability task. Phase three applied standalone eye tracking, click-based likes and dislikes, an Implicit Association Test, and a survey to assess consumer perception and emotional response.
The new beverage stood out on the shelf in a crowded aisle, confirmed by heatmap analysis, and generated strong shopper engagement. It was found to be incremental to the brand, attracting new buyers without cannibalising existing ones. Between two design variants, the Benefit-led version demonstrated stronger consumer relevance, clearer functional benefits, and better portfolio differentiation, and was recommended for launch with minor optimisations including highlighting a second benefit on-pack to improve message clarity and purchase likelihood.
Read the full version of this case study on the EyeSee website here.
