In-store endcap projections and their effect on sales

Retailers increasingly use digital displays and projections to enhance traditional endcaps. With two field experiments, the authors investigate how the vividness of an endcap projection affects shoppers. The results indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship between the vividness of an endcap projection and sales, such that endcaps with moderately vivid projections (cf. traditional endcaps and highly vivid projection endcaps) result in higher sales. Attention and mental involvement serially mediate these effects on sales. By adding audio and scent to the moderately vivid endcap projection, the authors also find that the addition of audio increases sales, whereas the addition of a scent does not. This article concludes with a discussion of managerial implications related to the uses of endcaps.