Family Dollar launches ShopperGauge at 20 stores to allow company, its suppliers to test designs, displays, promotions with customers

Cindy Allen

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina , September 13, 2011 (Marketwire) – RockTenn and BVI Networks, Inc., announce the opening of the first large format ShopperGauge® Retail Learning Lab at Family Dollar Stores. The goal is to provide a state-of-the-art "learning laboratory" in a set of real stores where Family Dollar and its suppliers can test designs, displays and promotions with customers, ultimately improving the in-store shopper experience. The 20-store testing environment is the first of its kind in the retail industry, making Family Dollar a leader in utilizing advanced shopper analytics technology and bringing the opportunity to use the technology to the company's supplier community.

The ShopperGauge® in-store behavior monitoring system utilizes video and advanced analytics to automate the process of collecting and analyzing shopper behavior in real-time as shoppers move about the store, naturally interacting with brand messaging and displays. The system then generates quantifiable metrics showing how many shoppers visited each location and which brands were most effective in engaging and converting them to purchase. This granularity of data has never before been available on the scale that ShopperGauge® technology now allows. Suppliers can have visibility into the in-store behaviors of thousands of shoppers a day in real Family Dollar stores.

"Family Dollar is committed to providing the best in-store shopping environment to our customers," said Don Hamblen, Family Dollar SVP, Customer Marketing. "We are always looking for ways to better understand how to meet their needs, and design our stores accordingly. The ShopperGauge® Learning Lab will provide us with instant access to shopper insights, allowing us to incorporate the voice of the customer into our in-store merchandise and marketing decisions. In addition, our supplier partners can work with us to measure the impact of their merchandising with the Family Dollar shopper," stated Hamblen. "We can help our participating suppliers be more efficient and effective with their shopper marketing and promotional programming, ultimately bringing better value to the Family Dollar shopper."

The ShopperGauge® system was introduced in 2010 and has been live tested in several retailers to prove its viability to generate accurate data. Major blue chip consumer products brands have participated in the testing and have lauded the results.

According to Jon Kramer, ShopperGauge® Managing Director, "The ShopperGauge® insights system is unlocking answers to many of the most critical questions in retail and shopper marketing. For the first time, we are learning what shoppers really respond to and how to activate their behavior in store. The advanced video analytics-based technology at the core of the ShopperGauge® system allows instant visibility into the exact numbers of shoppers visiting, dwelling, engaging and purchasing at any pre-identified point, cooler or fixture in the Family Dollar stores. We are excited to partner with Family Dollar to bring true innovation to the company's business and its suppliers."

About Family Dollar:

For more than 50 years, Family Dollar has been providing value and convenience to customers in easy-to-shop neighborhood locations. Family Dollar's mix of name brands and quality, private-brand merchandise, appeals to shoppers in nearly 7,000 stores in rural and urban settings across 44 states. Helping families save on the items they need with everyday low prices creates a strong bond with customers who refer to their neighborhood store as "My Family Dollar." Headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte, Family Dollar is a Fortune 300 publicly held company with common stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FDO. For more information, please visit www.familydollar.com or contact Joshua Braverman, Public Relations Manager, jbraverman@familydollar.com.

About the ShopperGauge® System:

ShopperGauge® is the result of a strategic relationship between two industry-leading companies: RockTenn Merchandising Displays and its technology partner, BVI Networks. With the BVI advanced in-store business intelligence platform integrated with RockTenn best-in-class displays, ShopperGauge® systems provide the industry's only in-store shopper behavior insights solution proven to deliver clear, actionable information and measurable ROI. For more information visit www.shoppergauge.com.

About RockTenn
RockTenn (NYSE: RKT) is one of North America's leading integrated manufacturers of corrugated and consumer packaging and recycling solutions, with net sales of $10 billion. RockTenn's 26,000 employees are committed to exceeding their customers' expectations - every time. The Company operates locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and China. For more information, visit www.rocktenn.com.

About BVI Networks
BVI Networks is the leader in Real-Time In-Store Monitoring. Its RetailNEXT product was designed and purpose built as a highly scalable system that enables retailers and manufacturers to collect, analyze and visualize data about what happens inside their stores. RetailNEXT uses best-in-class video analytics, on-shelf sensors along with data from point of sale and other business systems to automatically tell retailers how many people walk into the store, where they go, what they look at, where they stop, and what they buy or don't buy. It automatically integrates with promotional calendars, staffing systems and weather services to analyze how internal and external factors impact customer shopping patterns. For more information, visit www.bvinetworks.com.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.