Lea Ben-Akiva and Erin Russeck discuss how real-time, in-store shopper research captures purchase decisions at the shelf, delivering faster, more accurate insights than traditional recall surveys.
Lea: Hey everyone and welcome back to the AMC Global Solutions podcast! I’m Lea Ben-Akiva, and with me is Erin Russeck. Today, we’re going to discuss another way to understand real-time shopper decisions—those moments right at the shelf when people decide, “Yeah, I’ll buy that.” It’s honestly such a different thing from getting feedback weeks after purchase, isn’t it Erin?
Erin: Oh absolutely, Lea. You know, I remember—well, ages ago now, right?—it all used to be about recall surveys. We’d wait until people were back home, maybe a week after a shopping trip, and then try to piece together why they bought something. And let’s be real, memory is, uh, not always reliable! People reconstruct their stories, or they just plain forget the small little triggers that led to a purchase in the first place.
Lea: Exactly. And that’s the gap that AMC Global’s First Moment Mobile is designed to fill. What makes it unique is this mobile-based methodology—basically, capturing shopper feedback while they’ve literally just made a purchase decision, I mean, you can’t get much fresher than that.
Erin: Right, and I love how it’s not just about technology—it’s really about bridging that gap between intent and action as it’s happening. We aren’t sitting around waiting for people to remember what they think motivated them. We’re catching those moments live.
Lea: And that in-the-moment data is just so much more accurate. When you see someone’s honest, instant reaction at shelf, you learn things you’d never pick up from a traditional survey. So, let’s talk about what that process actually looks like, and how to make sure to reach shoppers at exactly the right time.
Erin: Yeah, Lea, let’s walk through it. First, we start by recruiting category shoppers—so we’re targeting real, in-market consumers. And then, if they agree to participate, we send them an immediate survey to their phone—literally as they’re in the store making their purchase.
Lea: That timing is so crucial, so what we capture is authentic. Nothing’s been filtered by time or second-guessing. But also—let’s not gloss over the backend a bit—I mean, the technology behind mobile intercepts is kind of the unsung hero here. It’s not just about pinging someone’s phone, there’s a whole structure in place to ensure we get quality responses. Things like location confirmations, timestamps—all of that helps keep the data clean and high integrity.
Erin: And while they’re in the store, we can gather images at shelf of the product placement and get feedback about positioning in the environment itself. We can also ask the respondent about competitive products that are right in front of them.
Lea: With this step-by-step, in-the-moment approach, you’re not only getting richer insights, you’re getting them way faster. And honestly, I feel like that’s what brands want now—they don’t have time to sit around and wait for a slow research cycle.
Erin: For sure. The speed is a game changer, but so is the accuracy. It’s, well—I guess you could say the data reflects real-life, not some memory approximation. And, Lea, I don’t know if you’ve found this, but sometimes the reasons people make decisions are totally different from what they think later on.
Lea: Absolutely, Erin. What shoppers verbalize after-the-fact often doesn’t match what we see when we catch them live. Which really just underlines why this approach matters so much.
Lea: So let’s bring this back to what it means for brands. The results we see with First Moment Mobile are, honestly, pretty impressive—across different categories, too. Often, we’ll learn that what drives purchase decisions isn’t just price or promotion, but sometimes tiny factors: package color, shelf placement, even whether a product catches the shopper’s eye for half a second.
Erin: That’s right. And the really cool part is that brands can actually take this feedback and act on it fast. We’ve seen clients make quick optimizations to campaigns, or adjust messaging and even update line-ups—sometimes within days, not weeks or months. The immediacy of the insights makes it possible to tweak and test without those usual delays.
Lea: And that can be such a huge advantage—almost like having an early-warning radar for new trends. Because you’re close to the consumer, you’re literally staying a step ahead of the competition. I mean, I guess I’m a little biased, but it really does help brands understand shifts as they’re happening, not just after they’ve missed an opportunity.
Erin: And it’s not just about individual products—it’s for brand portfolios, too. When companies get a read on what’s working and what’s not on the shelf, they can decide in real time what to push, what to change, and even if something needs to be pulled back.
Lea: Couldn’t agree more. Fast, actionable feedback isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a whole new way of doing business. And, well, for any brand out there that wants to actually stay relevant, you kind of need a tool like this.
Erin: Yeah, and if your competitor is getting those live insights and you’re still relying on post-purchase surveys, you’re just always a little late to the party.
Lea: Exactly. All right, before we wrap things up—Erin, anything else on your mind about real-time shopper research?
Erin: Just that it’s exciting to see how the industry keeps evolving. If any of our listeners are curious or want to know more about First Moment Mobile, definitely reach out. There’s always more to talk about, right?
Lea: Oh, for sure. Lots more coming up in future episodes! Thanks for joining us, everyone. Erin, always great talking shop with you.
Erin: Always a pleasure, Lea. Thanks, all! See you next time.
