Retailers should incorporate mixed reality promotions to increase sales, and keep it simple for the best results, according to new consumer research by Dr Elisa Schweiger with co-researchers at the University of Bath.

Research carried out in a large grocery store in Sweden, published in the Journal of Retailing, found that product holograms and video projections to enliven end-of-aisle or ‘endcap’ shelves are effective at capturing attention and increase sales by up to 62 per cent relative to a regular endcap display.

The researchers tested simple mixed reality projections – images of pasta and a pot of sauce, with a moving price tag, projected on to the endcap – and then a more vivid, involved scenario where a picnic rug appeared to unroll on the shop floor and the ingredients were shown cooking, ready to eat.

While the more vivid images better captured people’s attention; noticed by 31 per cent of shoppers versus the 26 per cent of shoppers who noticed the simpler approach, this advantage did not translate into additional sales. The researchers also found that while adding a sizzling sound to the endcap display further enhanced sales by over 80%, the addition of scent (to mimic cooking aromas) did not have a measurable impact.