Effectiveness of In-Store Displays in a Virtual Store Environment

This article examines in-store display effectiveness in an online grocery store and concentrates on two main issues. First, considering the more artificial and functional virtual store environment, we examine whether online in-store displays (ISD) produce a similar boost in sales as they do in offline stores. Second, we examine the moderating effect of display characteristics by comparing the effects of different display types. The results show that (1) online ISD can substantially increase brand sales and (2) ISD that preempt competition through a first-order and isolated position outperform ISD that attempt to make the product stand out in the shopping zone.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights▶ In-store displays (ISD) can increase brand sales in online grocery stores. ▶ ISD stimulate brand switching rather than category expansion. ▶ Not all display types are equally effective in increasing brand sales. ▶ ISD that preempt competition outperform ISD that target buyers in the shopping zone. ▶ High degree of consistency in the results across ten categories.