Exhibit 15.1 GSK’s ‘Shopper Science’ lab GSK’s Shopper Science lab (Source: pope.wainwright, GSK project).
As a result of technological advancements and
decreasing costs, the use of biometrics in marketing has experienced significant growth
since the turn of the century. Biometric devices that can unobtrusively track consumers’
responses are providing valuable insights in various fields such as advertising, digital
marketing, packaging, product development, and retailing.
Leading market research agencies like Ipsos, GfK, Millward Brown, and
Nielsen, along with many startups and technology firms, have either acquired or developed
expertise in biometrics. Manufacturers are also using biometrics in-house to better
understand their consumers. For example, GSK has set up labs in the UK (Exhibit 15.1)
and Singapore with various biometric technologies to help them understand consumer preferences
and gain insights into shopping behaviours.
While the term “biometrics” was previously narrowly defined, in this text, it
is used as a generic descriptor for technologies used to observe consumers’ physiological and
behavioural characteristics. This chapter focuses on the techniques that have gained traction
with marketing practitioners, including EEG (electroencephalogram) and GSR (galvanic skin
response), which are increasingly used by analysts to observe consumers' physiological
characteristics, as well as techniques like eye tracking and facial coding, which are used to
observe behavioural characteristics. It discusses the relevant technologies, devices, metrics,
and applications of these techniques.
It should be noted that since the essential nature of biometrics is the
observation and measurement of behaviour and physiology, it falls under the domain of both
qualitative and quantitative research.
