Retail Learning Labs

Real-World In-Store Insights

Our Retail Learning Labs – in partnership with Lowes Foods, WestRock, Inmar and Bellomy Research – provide real-time, real-world in-store insights on shopper behavior.

The Learning Labs are set up inside 10 Lowes Foods stores across North Carolina. State-of-the-art technology detects smartphone signals and tracks shoppers’ movements through the store, noting where they stop and think over a purchase, as well as which merchandising and promotions catch their attention and spark a purchase. Because it can also link up with the store’s loyalty card, the Retail Learning Labs can offer critical data about how in-store stimuli change purchase behavior, as well as a number of other important analytics never before captured in a live store environment.

The Retail Learning Labs aren’t just an opportunity to identify shopper traffic patterns through the store, but also a new way for Wake Forest students and faculty to research behavior, gather real-time data and analyze the results to provide actionable consumer insights.

“At Lowes Foods, we have embarked on an exciting journey of re-branding our stores to create a differentiated grocery shopping experience. Hosting the Retail Learning Labs and utilizing new technology to augment our guest insights will help us more completely understand how we can best serve and delight our guests.”

– Michael Moore, Lowes Foods Chief Marketing Officer

“Having this real-time data for our students and faculty makes this a huge win. They will gain current, real-world insights from their data analysis which gives the students hands-on experience before they graduate, and provides faculty with new research opportunities.”

– Roger Beahm, Director, Retail Learning Labs