The Effect of Displaying Products in Their Usage Context - A Field Experimental Investigation -

The widespread use of self-service concepts in retailing has resulted in increased attention to the design of retail environments and to stimuli operating at the point of sale. One such merchandising technique, the "bundled presentation", i.e., related products are presented in close proximity to each other, is widely used by retailers but has rarely been investigated by academic consumer researchers. This study presents the results of a field experiment into the effects of presenting products in their usage context. Customers' attitudes towards the same product displayed in different ways are compared with each other. The results show that related products, i.e., products that are used together, should be presented in a coordinated display. Furthermore, the bundled presentation enhanced consumers' attitudes of the product when they saw it first in a bundled presentation and then evaluated it in front of a traditional presentation.