Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Use of Observational Technology to Study In-Store Behavior: Consumer Choice, Video Surveillance, and Retail Analytics

  • BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
  • Published:
The Behavior Analyst Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The store is the main laboratory for in-store experimental analysis. This article provides an introduction to a research program aimed at improving research practices in this laboratory, particularly emphasizing the importance of behavioral data and the new opportunities that technology offers. This complex modern-day Skinner box has sets of well-studied stimuli-behavior interactions that constantly adapt to the latest economic environment and as such constantly stretch the boundaries of behavioral analytic theory. However, the retail setting is highly important to applied behavior analysis for such issues as health, debt, environmental conservation, animal welfare, self-control, and consumer protection in general. This article presents a research strategy that emphasizes key environmental touch points throughout the customer journey in grocery retailing. We highlight the latest development by examining a particular research case and discussing the need for behavioral economic understanding of the start of the grocery journey, that is, the consumer choice of in-store product carrying equipment (e.g., cart, basket, or nothing). The conceptual system consists of a molecular four-term contingency framework as well as a more molar approach with conversion-rate modeling, where actual choice behavior is detected through video surveillance. The data are analyzed using a Shopper Flow© Tracking System in which software is designed to provide automatic data on shopper behavior and to assist human observers in tracking individual shopping trips. We discuss behavioral classifications, methodology, and implications related to the data from consumer tracking efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam, A., & Jensen, J. D. (2016). What is the effectiveness of obesity related interventions at retail grocery stores and supermarkets?—A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1247–1264.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, S., & Xavier, M. J. (2015). Innovations in consumer science: applications of neuro-scientific research tools. In Adoption of innovation (pp. 25–42). Springer International Publishing.

  • Angell, R., Megicks, P., Memery, J., Heffernan, T., & Howell, K. (2012). Understanding the older shopper: a behavioural typology. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 19(2), 259–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aylott, R., & Mitchell, V. W. (1998). An exploratory study of grocery shopping stressors. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 26(9), 362–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M. (2005). Understanding behaviorism: behavior, culture and evolution (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M. (2015). Driven by consequences: the multiscale molar view of choice. Managerial and Decision Economics, 37, 239–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergh, B. V., Schmitt, J., & Warlop. (2011). Embodied myopia. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(6), 1033–1044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catania, A. C. (1998). Learning (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catania, A. C., & Reynolds, G. S. (1968). A quantitative analysis of the responding maintained by interval schedules of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 11(3S2), 327–383.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Coase, R. (1998). The new institutional economics. American Economic Review, 88, 72–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coase, R. H. (1937). The nature of the firm. Economica, 4(16), 386–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochoy, F. (2008). Calculation, qualculation, calqulation: shopping cart arithmetic, equipped cognition and the clustered consumer. Marketing Theory, 8(1), 15–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochoy, F. (2009). Driving a shopping cart from STS to business, and the other way round: on the introduction of shopping carts in American grocery stores (1936–1959). Organization, 16(1), 31–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Critchfield, T. S. (2011). Translational contributions of the experimental analysis of behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 34(1), 3–17.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Curry, B., Foxall, G., & Sigurdsson, V. (2010). On the tautology of the matching law in consumer behavior analysis. Behavioural Processes, 84, 390–399.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dallery, J., Kurti, A., & Erb, P. (2015). A new frontier: integrating behavioral and digital technology to promote health behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 38(1), 19–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dallery, J., Raiff, B. R., & Grabinski, M. J. (2013). Internet based contingency management to promote smoking cessation: a randomized controlled study. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 46(4), 750–764.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • de Groot, J. I. M., Abrahamse, W., & Jones, K. (2013). Persuasive normative messages: the influence of injunctive and personal norms on using free plastic bags. Sustainability, 5(5), 1829–1844.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deighton, J., Rizley, R., & Keane, S. (2012). Research priorities of the Marketing Science Institute: 2012–2014. Marketing Science, 31(6), 873–877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiClemente, D. F., & Hantula, D. A. (2003). Applied behavioral economics and consumer choice. Journal of Economic Psychology, 24, 589–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dulsrud, A., & Jacobsen, E. (2009). In-store marketing as a mode of discipline. Journal of Consumer Policy, 32(3), 203–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagerstrøm, A., & Arntzen, E. (2016). Motivating operations and consumer choice. In G. R. Foxall (Ed.), The Routledge companion to consumer behavior analysis (p. 296). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fagerstrøm, A., Arntzen, E., & Foxall, G. R. (2009). Use of MediaLab™ in experimental behavioral research: the case of consumer decision making. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 10(2), 203–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagerstrøm, A., & Hantula, D. A. (2013). Buy it now and pay for it later: an experimental study of student credit card use. The Psychological Record, 63(2), 323–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagerstrøm, A., Stratton, J. P., & Foxall, G. R. (2015). The impact of corporate social responsibility activities on the consumer purchasing situation. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 35(3–4), 184–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fasig, L. B. (2009). At Procter & Gamble’s village, a peek into shopper behavior, Cincinnati Business Courier, bizjournals.com, published online March 30, 2009.

  • Foster, G. D., Karpyn, A., Wojtanowski, A. C., Davis, E., Weiss, S., Brensinger, C., Tierney, A., Guo, W., Brown, J., Spross, C., Leuchten, D., Burns, P. J., & Glanz, K. (2014). Placement and promotion strategies to increase sales of healthier products in supermarkets in low-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods: a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(6), 1359–1368.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (1998). Radical behaviorist interpretation: generating and evaluating an account of consumer behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 21(2), 321–354.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (1999). The marketing firm. Journal of Economic Psychology, 20(2), 207–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (2007). Explaining consumer choice. London and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (Ed.). (2015). The Routledge companion to consumer behavior analysis. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (2016). Addiction as consumer choice: exploring the cognitive dimension. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R. (2017). Advanced introduction to consumer behavior analysis. Cheltenham, Glos. And Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

  • Foxall, G. R., & James, V. K. (2001). The behavioral basis of consumer choice: a preliminary analysis. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2(2), 209–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R., & James, V. K. (2003). The behavioral economics of brand choice: how and what do consumers maximize? Psychology and Marketing, 20(9), 811–836.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R., Oliveira-Castro, J. M., James, V. K., Yani-de-Soriano, M. M., & Sigurdsson, V. (2006). Consumer behavior analysis and social marketing: the case of environmental conservation. Behavior and Social Issues, 15(1), 101–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R., Oliveira-Castro, J. M., & Schrezenmaier, T. C. (2004). The behavioral economics of consumer brand choice: patterns of reinforcement and utility maximization. Behavioural Processes, 66(3), 235–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R., & Sigurdsson, V. (2011). Drug use as consumer behavior. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 34(6), 313–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foxall, G. R., & Sigurdsson, V. (2013). When loss rewards: the near-miss effect in slot machine gambling. Analysis of Gambling Behavior, 6(1), 5–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geuens, M., Brengman, M., & S’Jegers, R. (2003). Food retailing, now and in the future: a consumer perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 10(4), 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gidlöf, K., Wallin, A., Dewhurst, R., & Holmqvist, K. (2013). Using eye tracking to trace a cognitive process: gaze behaviour during decision making in a natural environment. Journal of Eye Movement Research, 6(1), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil, J., Tobari, E., Lemlij, M., Rose, A., & Penn, A. R. (2009). The differentiating behaviour of shoppers: clustering of individual movement traces in a supermarket. In: Koch, D., Marcus, L., & Steen, J. (eds.). Proceedings of the 7th International Space Syntax Symposium. Stockholm, Sweden: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).

  • Gottlieb, J., Hayhoe, M., Hikosaka, O., & Rangel, A. (2014). Attention, reward, and information seeking. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15497–15504.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Graham-Rowe, E., Jessop, D. C., & Sparks, P. (2014). Identifying motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 84, 15–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2007). Retailing research: past, present, and future. Journal of Retailing, 83(4), 447–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, M., Sobal, J., & Lyson, T. A. (2009). An analysis of a community food waste stream. Agriculture and Human Values, 26(1–2), 67–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackenberg, T. D. (2009). Token reinforcement: a review and analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 91(2), 257–286.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, G. A., & Lattal, K. A. (1999). Reward density and variable-interval schedule performance in an open economy. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 72(3), 341–354.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hantula, D. A. (2012). Consumers are foragers, not rational actors: towards a behavioral ecology of consumer choice. In V. Wells & G. R. Foxall (Eds.), Handbook of developments in consumer behaviour (pp. 549–577). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hantula, D. A. (2015). Editorial: a very special issue. The Behavior Analyst, 39(1), 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1961). Relative and absolute strength of response as a function of frequency of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 4(3), 267–272.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1970). On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13(2), 243–266.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1997). The matching law. In H. Rachlin & D. Laibson (Eds.), Papers in psychology and economics. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, A. S., Estabrooks, P. A., Davis, G. C., & Serrano, E. L. (2012). Effect of a grocery store intervention on sales of nutritious foods to youth and their families. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(6), 897–901.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hui, S. K., Bradlow, E. T., & Fader, P. S. (2009). Testing behavioral hypotheses using an integrated model of grocery store shopping path and purchase behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(3), 478–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hui, S. K., Inman, J. J., Huang, Y., & Suher, J. (2013). The effect of in-store travel distance on unplanned spending: applications to mobile promotion strategies. Journal of Marketing, 77(2), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R. (1978). The economics of daily consumption controlling food-and-water-reinforced responding. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 29(3), 475–491.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R. (1980). Economic concepts for the analysis of behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 34(2), 219–238.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R. (1984). Behavioral economics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42(3), 435–452.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R. (1991). Behavioral economics of drug self-administration and drug abuse policy. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56(2), 377–393.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R., Madden, G. J., Spiga, R., DeLeon, I. G., & Francisco, M. T. (2013). The translational utility of behavioral economics: the experimental analysis of consumption and choice. In G. J. Madden, W. V. Dube, T. D. Hackenberg, G. P. Hanley, & K. A. Lattal (Eds.), APA handbook of behavior analysis: translating principles into practice (pp. 191–224). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, S. R., & Silberberg, A. (2008). Economic demand and essential value. Psychological Review, 115(1), 186–198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inman, J. J., Winer, R. S., & Ferraro, R. (2009). The interplay among category characteristics, customer characteristics, and customer activities on in-store decision making. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 19–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, J. M., & Pennypacker, H. S. (1993). Strategies and tactics of behavioral research (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagel, J. H., Battalio, R. C., Rachlin, H., & Green, L. (1981). Demand curves for animal consumers. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 96(1), 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohijoki, A. M. (2011). The effect of aging on consumer disadvantage in grocery retail services among the Finnish elderly. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18(4), 370–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunkel, J. H. (1987). The future of JABA: a comment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20(4), 329–333.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kwong, E. W., Lai, C. K., Spicciolato, E., & Wong, M. (2010). Views of adults on shopping trolleys: implications for the development of a shopping trolley. Ergonomics Open Journal, 3, 32–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laraway, S., Snycerski, S., Michael, J., & Poling, A. (2003). Motivating operations and terms to describe them: some further refinements. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36(3), 407–414.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, N. M., & Sigurdsson, V. (2016). Video surveillance research brings new insight to retailers: any ethical issues? In A. C. Burns, A. F. Veeck, & R. F. Bush (Eds.), Marketing Research (8th ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, J. S., Bradlow, E. T., & Fader, P. S. (2005). An exploratory look at supermarket shopping paths. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 22(4), 395–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lea, S. E., Tarpy, R. M., & Webley, P. (1987). The individual in the economy: a textbook of economic psychology. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leighton, C., & Seaman, C. E. A. (1997). The elderly food consumer: disadvantaged? Journal of Consumer Studies & Home Economics, 21(4), 363–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Gu, Y., & Kamijo, S. (2016). Customer behavior classification using surveillance camera for marketing. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 1–28.

  • Logue, A. W. (2002). The living legacy of the Harvard Pigeon Lab: quantitative analysis in the wide world. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 77(3), 357–366.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: an applied approach. In 3rd European edition. Harlow, England: FT Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazur, J. E. (2010). Editorial: translational research in JEAB. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 93(3), 291–292.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, J. (1960). Basic marketing: a managerial approach. Homewood: Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meneely, L., Burns, A., & Strugnell, C. (2008). Food retailers’ perceptions of older consumers in Northern Ireland. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 32(4), 341–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meneely, L., Strugnell, C., & Burns, A. (2009). Elderly consumers and their food store experiences. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 16(6), 458–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menon, R. V., Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., Fagerstrøm, A., & Foxall, G. R. (2016). Consumer attention to price in social commerce: eye tracking patterns in retail clothing. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 5008–5013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, C., & Schwager, A. (2007). Understanding customer experience. Harvard Business Review, February, 1–11.

  • Michael, J. (1982). Distinguishing between discriminative and motivational functions of stimuli. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 37(1), 149–155.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, J. (1993). Establishing operations. The Behavior Analyst, 16(2), 191–206.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mileti, A., Guido, G., & Prete, M. I. (2016). Nanomarketing: a new frontier for neuromarketing. Psychology & Marketing, 33(8), 664–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moutinho, L., & Hutcheson, G. D. (2007). Store choice and patronage: a predictive modelling approach. International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 1(3), 233–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Normand, M. P., & Kohn, C. S. (2013). Don’t wag the dog: extending the reach of applied behavior analysis. The Behavior Analyst, 36(1), 109–122.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira-Castro, J. M., Cavalcanti, P. R., & Foxall, G. R. (2015). What consumers maximize: brand choice as a function of utilitarian and informational reinforcement. Managerial and Decision Economics, 37, 360–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey, J., & Darla, A. M. (2012). A study on the influence of store level services on store loyalty of shoppers in organized retail stores. International Journal of Management Research and Review, 2(4), 600–622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parry, M. L., Morrison, L. G. L., Chalmers, D. J., & Wright, C. S. (2002). Shopping trolley related injuries to children in New Zealand, 1988–97. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 38(1), 51–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, S., Mizerski, K., & Donovan, R. (2005). The three “big issues” for older supermarket shoppers. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22(6), 306–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, A. R., & Monroe, K. B. (1988). The moderating effect of prior knowledge on cue utilization in product evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 253–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, V. R. (1984). Pricing research in marketing: the state of the art. Journal of Business, 57(1), 39–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakagami, T., & Lattal, K. A. (2016). The other shoe: an early operant conditioning chamber for pigeons. The Behavior Analyst, 39(1), 25–39.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Shankar, V., Inman, J. J., Mantrala, M., Kelley, E., & Rizley, R. (2011). Innovations in shopper marketing: current insights and future research issues. Journal of Retailing, 87, 29–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiv, B., Carmon, Z., & Ariely, D. (2005). Placebo effects of marketing actions: consumers may get what they pay for. Journal of Marketing Research, 42(4), 383–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sidman, M. (1960). Tactics of scientific research. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Engilbertsson, H., & Foxall, G. (2010a). The effects of a point-of-purchase display on relative sales: an in-store experimental evaluation. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30(3), 222–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Foxall, G., & Saevarsson, H. (2010b). In-store experimental approach to pricing and consumer behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30(3), 234–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Fagerstrøm, A. (2016). Behavior analysis of in-store consumer behavior. In G. R. Foxall (Ed.), The Routledge companion to consumer behavior analysis (pp. 40–50). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2011a). An in-store experimental analysis of consumers’ selection of fruits and vegetables. The Service Industries Journal, 31, 2587–2602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2011b). The behavioural economics of neutral and upward sloping demand curves in retailing. The Service Industries Journal, 31, 2543–2558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Larsen, N. M., & Gunnarsson, D. (2014). Healthy food marketing: an in-store experimental analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 151–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Menon, V., Sigurdarson, J. P., Kristjansson, J. S., & Foxall, G. R. (2013). A test of the behavioral perspective model in the context of an e-mail marketing experiment. The Psychological Record, 63, 295–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdsson, V., Saevarsson, H., & Foxall, G. (2009). Brand-placement and consumer choice: an in-store experiment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 741–744.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: an experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1976). About behaviorism. New York: Vintage Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. L., & Hantula, D. A. (2003). Pricing effects on foraging in a simulated internet shopping mall. Journal of Economic Psychology, 24(5), 653–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. A. (2006). Shopping cart–related injuries to children. Pediatrics, 118(2), 540–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. A., Dietrich, A. M., Garcia, C. T., & Shields, B. J. (1996). Injuries to children related to shopping carts. Pediatrics, 97(2), 161–165.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, V. L. (1989). Theory, experiment and economics. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 3(1), 151–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen, H. (2009). Inside the mind of the shopper: the science of shopping. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stefan, V., Van Herpen, E., Tudoran, A. A., & Lähteenmäki, L. (2013). Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: the importance of planning and shopping routines. Food Quality and Preference, 28(1), 375–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thaler, R. (2000). From Homo economicus to Homo sapiens. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(1), 133–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trinkaus, J. W. (2004). Clearing the supermarket shopping cart: an informal look. Psychological Reports, 94(3), 1442–1443.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Twyman, J. S. (2010). TerraKids: an interactive web site where kids learn about saving the environment. The Behavior Analyst, 33(2), 193–196.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Twyman, J. S. (2011). Emerging technologies and behavioral cusps: a new era for behaviour analysis? European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 12(2), 461–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Underhill, P. (2009). Why we buy: The science of shopping--updated and revised for the Internet, the global consumer, and beyond. New York: Simon and Schuster.

  • Underhill, P. (1999). Why we buy: the science of shopping. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Ittersum, K., Wansink, B., Pennings, J. M., & Sheehan, D. (2013). Smart shopping carts: how real-time feedback influences spending. Journal of Marketing, 77(6), 21–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, U., Ebster, C., Eske, U., & Weitz, W. (2014). The influence of shopping carts on customer behavior in grocery stores. Marketing ZFP, 36(3), 165–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wertenbroch, K. (2015). From the editor: Rational choice as the foundation of behavioral research in marketing. Journal of Marketing Behavior, 1(2), 109–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wertenbroch, K. (2016). From the editor: Manipulation and marketing: the elephant in the room? Journal of Marketing Behavior, 1(3–4), 209–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. E. (1981). The economics of organization: the transaction cost approach. American Journal of Sociology, 87(3), 548–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, D. W., Miltenberger, R. G., & Carr, J. E. (2006). Introduction to the special section on clinical behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39(4), 407–411.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, Y., Pei, E., & Ranchhod, A. (2013). The shopping experience of older supermarket consumers. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 26(4), 444–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, M., & Li, X. (2012). From physical weight to psychological significance: the contribution of semantic activations. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(6), 1063–1075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Coop Nord SA in Norway and The Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS, grant no. 216011 to Valdimar Sigurdsson) for partially funding the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, UiT–The Arctic University of Norway, N-9480, Harstad, Norway

    Nils Magne Larsen & Jørgen Breivik

  2. Reykjavik University, Menntavegur 1, Nautholsvik, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland

    Valdimar Sigurdsson

Authors
  1. Nils Magne Larsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valdimar Sigurdsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jørgen Breivik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nils Magne Larsen.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Larsen, N.M., Sigurdsson, V. & Breivik, J. The Use of Observational Technology to Study In-Store Behavior: Consumer Choice, Video Surveillance, and Retail Analytics. BEHAV ANALYST 40, 343–371 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-017-0121-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-017-0121-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation