Increase CPG Pack Performance with Visual Impact Testing.

Are you absolutely sure of your product’s visual impact against competitors? Do you truly know how consumers will perceive your brand during the crucial few seconds when they pause to scan the shelf? 

If you’re like most CPG brands, the answer is probably no. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Through the right visual impact testing, you can better understand exactly how shoppers experience your products (or don’t) at shelf. Then, you can use those findings to make informed design decisions to grow your presence. 

Here’s a look at why visual impact testing matters — and a deep-dive into the technology that’s removing subjectivity from the packaging design process once and for all. 

5 reasons visual impact testing matters for CPG brands. 

Visual impact testing lets you see your product through the consumers eyes. It compares your product’s visibility to competitors and provides probability scores to show which areas draw the most attention. This data helps you optimize packaging design and shelf placement, ultimately improving your product’s chances of being noticed and chosen by consumers.

1. First impressions matter.  

For many CPG brands, the first — and often only — time a consumer is introduced to your product is at the shelf. And since you have mere seconds to capture a consumer’s attention and convey your product’s value proposition, knowing how your product stands out (or doesn’t) can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

2. Shelf competition is fierce.

Too often, package design decisions are made in a vacuum. These decisions are usually based on the preferences of designers, marketers, and brand leaders — not consumers. 

Visual impact testing analyzes your package in the context of the competition to see if there are certain colors, shapes, or design elements that are more attention-grabbing than others. This in turn gives you empirical insights into which design choices will work best in your category. 

3. Your package needs to deliver measurable ROI.

Whether you’re refreshing your rebuilding brand, changing your CPG pack is costly — and risky.

You can’t afford to make changes without understanding which aspects of your current packaging are performing well and which elements need improvement. Visual impact testing gives you real data that enables you to mitigate the risk of rebranding and deliver the ROI your company is counting on. 

4. You want brand block effectiveness.

Chances are you don’t have just one product on the shelf. If that’s true, understanding how your products perform as a group can help you create a more impactful brand block and increase overall brand recognition.

5. Your assumptions need to be validated (or challenged).

It’s common for CPG brands to have assumptions about how their product performs on the shelf. But assumptions should not be the basis of your marketing strategy.

Visual impact analysis provides objective data to either validate your beliefs or challenge them, which in turn will enable you to make more informed and lucrative decisions.

How SmashBrand’s AI Visual Impact Simulator helps you win at shelf.

On-shelf testing has always been part of SmashBrand’s data-driven approach to packaging design. But now, conducting that testing and elevating actionable insights is faster and more cost-effective than ever.

Our AI-powered Visual Impact Simulator is an advanced, scientifically-validated testing tool that analyzes and predicts consumer attention patterns on retail shelves. The AI model was developed by top neuroscientists and cognitive scientists, using hundreds of thousands of data points from both academic and CPG eye-tracking studies. 

By using synthetic data to replicate the experience of human visual processing, the simulator conducts a comprehensive shelf visual impact test that offers fast insights into your brand’s shelf performance. 

Here’s a look at how our visual impact test works.

Simulates human vision. 

Using a sophisticated AI model, the tool mimics the first 3-5 seconds of human visual processing, known as pre-attentive processing or “first-glance” vision, with 92% accuracy. This initial phase of vision is universal across humans — regardless of demographics or cultural background — because it’s the innate way the human brain processes visual information.

Analyzes key visual design elements.

Decades of research have revealed five visual elements that typically capture human attention:

• Edges
• Intensity
• Red/green color contrast
• Blue/yellow color contrast
• Faces

Our simulator measures the efficacy of these design choices while also taking the natural order in which consumers view products into consideration. Shelf-set influencers include vertical positioning, horizontal placement, product clustering, and eye-level impact. 

Taken together, the result is a realistic look at where consumers will focus their attention at the shelf.

Conducts probability mapping.

Next, the AI Visual Impact Simulator generates a heat map of your shelf set, highlighting the most likely to attract consumer attention. From there, each area is assigned a probability score, indicating the likelihood of your product being noticed within those crucial first 3-5 seconds.

Provides comparative analysis.

Since your product doesn’t exist as a standalone entity, our tool looks at your design in the context of the entire shelf and lets you see how it performs relative to competitors and other visual elements in the same space. 

This includes:

• Assessing your product’s visibility within the competitive set
• Identifying which packaging elements capture attention first 
• Analyzing how your brand performs in the context of the entire category
• Informing design strategies to improve shelf standout

As a result, you’ll see the true strengths and weaknesses of your current packaging design so you can create a package to outperform the competition.

How visual impact testing works at the shelf: A case study

How does SmashBrand’s Visual Impact Simulator work in practice? Let’s take a look at the deodorant category since its visual elements are particularly crucial to capturing attention on a crowded shelf.

Visual heatmapping

First, the Visual Impact Simulator generates a heatmap that identifies four primary areas garnering the highest levels of consumer focus.

1. Top shelf, blue packaging (74% probability). 

The light blue packaging of Tom’s captured the highest attention on the top shelf. The soft, calming blue created a striking visual contrast against the otherwise bold and darker colors surrounding it.

This unique hue proves that differentiation through color can be just as effective as high-intensity, bold designs. Combined with its favorable eye-level placement, the light blue packaging attracted attention by breaking the visual pattern of the shelf set, showcasing the power of subtle yet distinctive color choices.

2. Middle shelf, red and white packaging (60% probability).

In this section, the Old Spice line stood out by combining bright red packaging with high-contrast white elements and dynamic wavy lines. These visual features made the packaging not only bold but visually engaging, with wavy lines creating a sense of movement and energy.

The strong contrast between red and white paired with the wavy design  drew the eye and helped Old Spice products dominate attention on the mid-shelf, making it a visually compelling section for consumers.

3. Lower shelf visibility (59% probability).

Surprisingly, blue packaging on the bottom shelf scored nearly as well as the mid-shelf products. This again highlights how distinctive colors can offset less favorable shelf positioning. The bright blue hue created a focal point despite its lower placement, showing the power of color contrast to cut through typical gaze patterns.

4. Price tag impact (41% probability).

The bright yellow price tags on the lower-left section demonstrate that vibrant colors in price or promotional tags also draw attention. Again this emphasizes that even in less prominent locations, a carefully chosen color can effectively redirect consumer focus.

Gaze analysis testing.

After initial heatmapping, the Visual Impact Simulator conducted a gaze analysis test, which indicated that consumers would follow a top-to-bottom, center-out gaze pattern, aligning with general retail behavior.

Notably, the strong brand blocking and color contrast from the top and mid-shelves helped capture and guide attention. This flow challenges the idea that lower shelves are overlooked and again elevates a key insight that goes contrary to widely held assumptions: Distinctive visuals can break traditional gaze patterns.

Overall, AI-powered visual impact testing revealed:

• Color contrast is key. Distinctive and bold color contrasts are essential for grabbing attention, even on mid and lower shelves.
• Design consistency is paramount. Brand blocking and cohesive design elements enhance visibility, especially when combined with vibrant colors.
• Use color strategically. Price tags or promotional elements with bold colors, like yellow, can effectively draw consumer attention even in less optimal shelf positions.

Get your CPG pack analyzed by SmashBrand — for free.

We love showing CPG brands the power of data-driven package design. That’s why we’re offering you the opportunity to put your package to the test at no cost.

The goal is to replicate a consumer’s actual view of the shelf as closely as possible. This will provide the most accurate analysis of how your product competes for attention in a real retail environment.

To get our complete analysis, simply use the form below to request your free Visual Impact Test. You’ll receive instructions for uploading imagery and have your results emailed to you within three business days.