Advanced Research to Win Hearts and Minds
Merchant Mechanics is an award-winning research firm specializing in shopper behavior and consumer neuroscience. We investigate both conscious and non-conscious drivers of brand affinity and consumer decision making.
The Consumer Neuroscience Advantage
System 1 thinking operates below conscious awareness. Decisions in this mode are spontaneous, fast, effortless, and intuitive. System 1 methods reveal thoughts, feelings, and motives that we are not consciously aware of, yet have profound effects on decision making.
The Retail Forensics® Approach
We integrate traditional market research techniques with proven methods from behavioral and neural sciences to reveal the true connections between emotions, motivations, and decisions.
Retail Forensics analyzes all four dimensions of the consumer response—what they think, feel, say, and do.
Proven Track Record
Since 2000, Merchant Mechanics has assisted hundreds of household brands, including numerous Fortune 500 companies, cultural & social institutions, and government agencies.
Research Solutions

SHOPPER
Optimize signage, shelf, layout, and display to create a context that promotes engagement and drives conversion

PRODUCT
Identify winning sensory profiles and determine which product characteristics optimize non-conscious response

BRAND
Fortify and expand customer loyalty by strengthening emotional connection to your brand

PACKAGING
Sharpen conscious awareness and stimulate emotional impact of packaging characteristics

INTERACTIVE
Captivate web and mobile users by aligning interface, structure, and design to intensify engagement and enhance shopability

AD & MEDIA
Ensure television, print, and online advertising connect both on a conscious and non-conscious level

ATMOSPHERICS
Leverage ambient factors like temperature, color, lighting, and sound to affect shopper mood and mindset

CUSTOM
Craft a solution specially designed to meet a specific need
Technology
CUTTING EDGE METHODS
We employ state-of-the-art psychological and neuroscientific tools to collect behavioral, attitudinal, biometric, and neurocognitive data.
By integrating implicit measures of System 1 with explicit measures of System 2, we improve the explanatory and predictive power of research.
LITTLE BIG DATA
Data captured from multiple methods is analyzed and integrated via a process we call “Little Big Data”.
“Little” because the populations queried are typically small compared to Big Data approaches. “Big” because the data sets collected from these populations are large, intricate, and multidimensional.