Eye-Tracking Research: Driving Henkel’s PLR Strategy

Henkel, the manufacturer of GE sealants, aimed to increase Home Depot facings and displace comparable competitor products within the Kitchen & Bath category. To achieve this, we needed to prove to the retailer that a new bay configuration and updated GE packaging would drive better shopper outcomes. Instead of relying on traditional surveys, we used eye-tracking research to capture subconscious shopper behaviors and reveal exactly what drives decisions at the shelf.

← BACK TO OUR WORK

The Challenge: Breaking Through Shelf Confusion

The existing sealants bay presented a confusing shopping experience. Pros often bought on autopilot (relying on visual memory rather than exploring new products) while DIYers felt overwhelmed by the lack of clear guidance.

We identified several critical barriers:

Ineffective Signage

Shoppers routinely ignored overhead navigation signs.

Experience Over Clarity

The current bay setup relied heavily on a shopper's past experience rather than clear product communication, putting DIYers at a severe disadvantage.

Competitor Dominance

Competitors maintained a strong hold on the shelf, and fully removing them presented a perceived risk of alienating loyal Pro customers.

The Solution: Using Eye-Tracking to Reveal Decision Patterns

We designed a comprehensive in-person eye-tracking study involving 30 50-minute interviews with a mix of Pros, Heavy DIYers, and Light DIYers. We set up three mock Home Depot bays to test fully stocked configurations:

Set A
The existing Home Depot set.
Set B
A test set featuring new GE Sealants packaging.
Set C
A complete GE Sealants takeover set.

Participants wore eye-tracking hardware while completing a relevant shopping task. We analyzed the qualitative data and eye-tracking analytics to see exactly where shoppers looked, what they ignored, and how long it took them to make a confident decision.

What We Learned: Where Shoppers Really Look

The eye-tracking data shattered several category assumptions and provided a clear roadmap for the PLR strategy.

Packaging Over Signage

Shoppers do not use overhead signage to find what they need. Navigation happens almost entirely at the shelf and packaging level. Even when shoppers noticed header signs, they engaged with them late in the process.

Clarity Drives Confidence

Set C produced the most disciplined attention patterns and the highest post-selection confidence across all segments. By organizing products clearly, cognitive load dropped significantly.

Premium Growth Levers

The new product line attracted disproportionate attention. Pros showed a 75% attention rate for the premium tier, proving that value is about avoiding rework, not saving money. As one Pro noted, “I’m charging $15 for caulk on a job. The price doesn’t matter to me.” A DIYer echoed this sentiment: “I don’t want to buy something cheaper and then have to replace it every month.”

The "Good, Better, Best" Framework

This structure works exceptionally well cognitively but requires strong, standardized shelf-level signaling. Key claims like “Paintable” and “100% Silicone” act as primary decision gates and must be heavily featured on packaging.

The Conclusion

Authentic shopper data transforms retail strategy. The eye-tracking insights proved that a clearer, well-structured bay increases perceived value more than lower prices.
To mitigate the risk of fully removing competitor products while still achieving Henkel’s goals, we recommended a hybrid execution. The final PLR strategy leveraged the high-clarity configuration of the takeover set but kept competitor products on the shelf at the lower end. This approach alleviates customer concerns about brand consolidation while prominently featuring premium GE sealants. Ultimately, this data-driven strategy should empower shoppers to make more confident decisions, drive trade-up potential, and secure a crucial share of shelf for GE.