Planogram Testing
Optimise shelf layouts to maximise in-store impact & shopper conversion
Simulate
Real
Shelves
Test
Planograms
Virtually
Validate
Before
Launch
The Problem
Traditional planogram testing is slow, expensive, and often disconnected from real shopper behaviour. Minor layout changes can have major commercial impact, but without practical testing with real shoppers, success is far from certain. This introduces layers of cost and complexity the stakes of which get higher the more stores are involved.
The Solution
Buzz 3D tech helps you create immersive, interactive shelf environments for real shoppers to browse and buy from just like they do in the store. No physical mock-ups or painstakingly-assembled shelf-pictures required!
Build and test multiple layouts on realistic versions of in-store cabinets, embed them in your market research surveys and we’ll capture respondent behaviour data and summarise it for you.
Quickly and easily work out which shelf performs best — all before rollout.
Core Benefits
Build it fast!
Test multiple shelf layouts in parallel
Measure clicks, scrolls, dwell time, and add-to-basket rates
Predict real-world performance
92% aligned to real world shopper behaviour
Plug into your existing survey platforms
Compare layout performance by product, segment, or strategy
Use Cases
Launching a new pack or range
Rebalancing space between brands
Localising shelf layouts for regions or retailers
Validating agency planograms with hard data
Conclusion
Buzz 3D provides a virtual online solution for building and testing planograms with the real people on your survey panel quickly, cost-effectively and without the pain and risk of physical store testing. No assumptions. No delays. Just shopper-validated results that convert into real-world gains.
Try our free demo below - just mousewheel / pinch to zoom, drag to pan your view, tap a product to select, or the cart button to view what you’ve added, then go through checkout to see your metrics. Much better than a static image!
Talk About Testing?
Let’s discuss testing your planogram and finding the shelf layout that works best for your shoppers.
FAQs
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A planogram is a visual diagram used in retail to guide store managers on exactly where to place products on the shelf. Getting a planogram wrong can lead to poor sales and wasted shelf space, so it’s vital to validate new layouts before rolling them out. Planogram testing connects a proposed shelf layout to a live survey, allowing feedback from large numbers of real shoppers. This helps retailers optimise layouts, improve product visibility, and avoid costly mistakes. Buzz 3D’s interactive planogram technology goes further by letting respondents shop directly from the virtual shelf, boosting engagement and delivering results that more closely match real-world shopper behaviour.
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Getting a shelf layout wrong in one store can cause lost sales, reduced revenue, and wasted stock. Multiply that across dozens or hundreds of stores, and the financial impact becomes huge. Planogram testing eliminates this risk by providing a safe, cost-effective, and flexible way to trial different shelf layouts before rolling them out. Retailers can test multiple planograms, compare shopper responses, and choose the highest-performing design, optimising product visibility and boosting sales before making costly in-store changes.
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Planogram testing can be launched quickly — in many cases, the interactive planogram can be built in minutes, depending on the quality and completeness of the data provided. Once created, it’s published to our secure servers and ready to embed directly into your survey platform. You can run the test for as long as needed to reach your target respondent quota. As soon as the study closes, you’ll receive complete, ready-to-analyse data, giving you actionable insights in days rather than weeks.
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The cost of planogram testing with Buzz 3D starts at £500 per shelf, with a minimum order of 5 shelves (£2,500 total). For higher volumes, we offer additional per-shelf discounts, making large-scale testing even more cost-effective. By validating shelf layouts before they go in-store, planogram testing can quickly pay for itself through improved product visibility, higher sales, and reduced waste.
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Planogram testing with Buzz 3D captures a detailed set of shopper behaviour metrics and product interaction data, including:
Session details: User ID, study name, shelf type (shopping session or findability), scenario number (for tracking multiple sessions per respondent), date and time.
Product Interaction: Add-to-cart status, pick-up order, product descriptions, EAN, dwell time and respondent ID.
All results are compiled into a summary sheet for quick, easy analysis. This level of detail helps you understand not just what shoppers buy, but how they navigate and interact with your shelves - giving you actionable insights to optimise layout, product placement, and pricing.
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The maximum shelf length we can support in planogram testing is 11 metres (around 36 feet). This is more than enough for most retail planograms, allowing you to test anything from a single bay to a full aisle. For unique projects with longer aisles, please get in touch to see how we can support extended shelf lengths.
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Yes. As part of planogram testing, you can run product findability tests by instructing respondents to locate specific items on the shelf. This allows you to measure how easily shoppers can spot key products, test the effectiveness of packaging, and compare different shelf layouts for visibility. The results help you optimise product placement and ensure priority lines stand out in real-world retail settings.
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Yes. Our interactive planogram testing includes a fully interactive shelf where respondents can:
Zoom in or out
Pan around the display
View realistic price tags
Select products
Add or remove items from their basket
Every interaction is tracked, from basket changes to dwell time, ensuring Buzz 3D captures natural shopper behaviour with exceptional accuracy.
This rich behavioural data ensures your shelf layouts are tested in a way that closely mirrors real-world retail shopping.
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Yes. Our interactive planogram testing supports realistic price tags that display list price, sale price, and a detailed product description. This ensures respondents see the same pricing cues they would in-store, allowing you to test how pricing strategies, promotions, and product information impact shopper choices.
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Absolutely. Simulating a real-world virtual shelf and capturing how consumers interact with the products on it is a core feature of our interactive planogram testing. Respondents can pick up products, add them to their basket, and even remove items at any time during their session, just as they would in-store. This realistic interaction helps ensure the results closely reflect genuine shopper behaviour.
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Because Buzz 3D’s planogram testing solution is a lightweight, web-based technology, we can support hundreds of respondents in a single study without performance issues. For most clients, a sample size of around 100–150 respondents per planogram provides enough data for reliable results while allowing for outliers. Larger studies are also supported for projects that require additional statistical confidence.
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Respondent revisits are included in the initial cost of our planogram testing. Participants can be sent back to the same shelf as many times as needed, with every interaction recorded. Each revisit is timestamped and logged, allowing you to track behavioural changes over time and compare results across different viewing scenarios, all delivered in a single, easy-to-analyse dataset at the end of the study.
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Buzz 3D’s planogram testing technology has been trusted by some of the world’s largest brands, consistently correlating with their historical sales data. Independent academic studies conducted years ago (using earlier, less advanced shelf simulation tools) demonstrated a 92% alignment between online shelf testing and real-world shopper behaviour. These findings remain highly relevant today, and Buzz 3D’s advanced, automated platform builds on this foundation by producing shelves faster, more cost-effectively, and with less human intervention than any other solution on the market.
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For ad hoc clients purchasing our minimum 5-shelf planogram testing package, we provide ready-to-use generic templates. Subscription clients who purchase larger volume packages receive additional benefits, including:
Automated template population from existing planogram back-end systems
Access to our live, secure drop folder where individual respondent data records are posted in real time
This real-time data feed enables survey branching as respondents select target products, allowing you to capture richer behavioural insights and adapt the respondent journey dynamically.