Shelf Test
Will it stand out
on the shelf?
Three favourite designs. One loud voice. No data. Shelf Test ends that argument: put the options in front of the people you're designing for, and let the shelf decide.
Attention is not the same as preference
Asking "which do you like best?" gets you a considered opinion. Shoppers don't consider. They glance, and keep moving.
Shelf Test asks the question the shelf actually asks: which one catches the eye when everything is competing for it. That is the number that tells you whether the design will work in the aisle.
Built for the decisions you actually make
Packaging
Pick the one that wins the shelf
You have six finalists and one print run. Find out which design people notice first, before the order goes to print, not after it's already on the shelf.
Ads
Spend the budget on the creative that gets noticed
Eight visuals, one launch budget. See which ones catch the eye when they're all in front of the same audience, so the spend goes behind the winner instead of the favourite.
Product photos
Choose the image that gets clicked
Which picture makes a shopper stop when a row of products is on screen? Find the lead image before it's the one customers scroll past.
Nothing wins just by going first
An option shown first, or in the middle, gets an advantage nobody meant to give it. Shelf Test shuffles the grid for every respondent, so the only thing left to explain a result is the design itself.
Illustrative example: the same options, a different order for each person
One favourite, or a shortlist?
Sometimes you need the single strongest option. Sometimes you need the three that survive to the next round. Set how many a respondent can pick, and the test answers the question you actually have.
One pick: the first-glance winner
The strictest read. Respondents have to choose a single design, so the result is the one that wins outright.
A shortlist: who makes the next round
Let respondents keep several options that catch their eye. Useful when the goal is narrowing eight concepts down to three.
See which one wins, and how quickly
Every option gets its own card with a picture, its share of picks, and the average point in the sequence where people first reached for it. An option picked early and often is a different story from one picked late and only by the patient.
Illustrative example
Judge the design, not the caption
Labels are hidden from respondents by default. A visible name or price pulls attention to the words, and "which one catches your eye" turns into "which name do you like". Turn labels on when you are comparing named concepts, flavours, or price points on purpose.
What it doesn't do
A Shelf Test tells you which option gets noticed. It doesn't tell you why, and it doesn't forecast sales on its own.
Use it to find the strongest candidates, then add a follow-up question such as "What made you pick that one?" or take the shortlist into a longer study when the stakes justify it.
Who it's for
Packaging and brand designers
Settle the finalist debate before the print run is booked.
Marketers and ad creatives
Put the launch budget behind the visual people actually notice.
E-commerce and product teams
Pick the lead image before it's the one shoppers scroll past.
Explore the rest of the platform
Ready to end the debate?
Let the shelf decide.
Start a Shelf TestRunning something bigger, or buying for a team? Talk to us.