KEY POINTS:
The next time you dawdle over the frozen food section or browse through the wine racks in your local supermarket, beware - the body watchers may have you under surveillance.
The body language of supermarket shoppers is being studied by marketing firms researching new ways of packing customers into aisles and they are scrutinising buyers' habits to build personality profiles.
Psychological factors are the latest trend in selling food, according to a new survey by the Nielsen Company.
It says consumers fit into one of four modes during grocery shopping - the Auto-Pilot Mode, the Buzz Mode, the Variety Mode or the Bargain-Hunter Mode.
Nielsen New Zealand managing director Steve Mitchell said shoppers in Auto-Pilot Mode were often full-time workers with not enough time to worry about shopping.
"They don't waste energy on everyday decisions. To simplify their lives, they often shop in grab-and-go mode, reaching for the brands they usually buy without reading the label or checking the price."
At the other end of the scale these shoppers also tended to be elderly people "set in their ways".
"Age may play a part but it can be a variety of things. For example, a 60-year-old who is still working is going to have different habits than a 65-year-old who is retired. You have to think about what stage in their life they are at. No one would be in Auto-Pilot Mode their whole life."
The key to breaking through to shoppers stuck on Auto-Pilot, according to the study, is knowing when and how the mode is disrupted, such as changes in the shopper's lifestyle.
Buzz Mode shoppers typically buy energy drinks, chocolate and ready-to-drink tea and yoghurt drinks.
"Marketers of Buzz categories need to generate constant buzz through exciting advertising, new introductions and innovative packaging that leaps off the shelves to grab the consumer's interest and attention," Mr Mitchell said.
He said these people could be teenagers living at home who do not regularly grocery shop.
"They haven't got into a routine, they don't know what they like yet so they're open to new things. However, once you get them interested in something it's harder to keep them."
New tastes appeal to Variety Mode shoppers. They either get bored with the same choices or are seeking approval in their role as the household chef.
"They could be moving up in their career so they have a bit of extra money and they can afford different types of food. Or they could have just come from overseas so they're used to various foods."
Shoppers in Bargain-Hunter Mode are driven purely by price comparison and promotions. These may include parents with lots of children buying canned vegetables and fruit as opposed to fresh food, Mr Mitchell said.
Rob Chemaly, general manager strategy and new ventures for Foodstuffs Auckland, is skeptical of the study.
"Given the large numbers of people that are attracted to our stores each week it would be almost impossible for store staff to be looking at body language of everyone who walked into the store to determine what mode they might just be in and does that mode change as they go through the store? And then finally, what they might be able to sell."
