In a recent retail study examining product placement effectiveness, identical organic pasta boxes were strategically positioned across twelve grocery ...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In a recent retail study examining product placement effectiveness, identical organic pasta boxes were strategically positioned across twelve grocery stores. Half of the participating stores featured the products at eye level, while the remaining stores placed them on lower shelves. After four weeks of sales analysis, the research aimed to determine whether shelf positioning influences consumer purchasing decisions for organic food products.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the hypothesis that eye-level placement increases purchase likelihood?
Stores with organic pasta on lower shelves experienced \(8\%\) higher foot traffic during the study period than stores with eye-level placement.
Customer satisfaction surveys indicated that shoppers preferred the visual appearance of lower shelf arrangements over eye-level displays.
Organic pasta sales were \(22\%\) higher in stores where the products were placed at eye level compared to stores with lower shelf placement.
Organic pasta boxes placed on lower shelves generated \(15\%\) more customer inquiries than those placed at eye level.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In a recent retail study examining product placement effectiveness, identical organic pasta boxes were strategically positioned across twelve grocery stores." |
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| "Half of the participating stores featured the products at eye level, while the remaining stores placed them on lower shelves." |
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| "After four weeks of sales analysis, the research aimed to determine whether shelf positioning influences consumer purchasing decisions for organic food products." |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A retail study tested whether placing organic pasta at eye level versus on lower shelves affects consumer purchasing decisions.
Argument Flow: The passage describes a controlled experiment where identical organic pasta was placed at different shelf heights across 12 stores to determine whether shelf positioning influences consumer buying behavior.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? Which finding would most directly support the hypothesis that eye-level placement increases purchase likelihood.
What type of answer do we need? Evidence that demonstrates eye-level placement leads to more purchases compared to lower shelf placement.
Any limiting keywords? Most directly support, eye-level placement, purchase likelihood
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
The right answer should:
- Show that eye-level placement led to more purchases or sales
- Provide a direct comparison between the eye-level and lower shelf conditions
- Focus on actual purchasing behavior
Stores with organic pasta on lower shelves experienced \(8\%\) higher foot traffic during the study period than stores with eye-level placement.
✗ Incorrect
- Higher foot traffic in lower shelf stores doesn't relate to pasta sales specifically and doesn't support the eye-level hypothesis
Customer satisfaction surveys indicated that shoppers preferred the visual appearance of lower shelf arrangements over eye-level displays.
✗ Incorrect
- Customer preference for lower shelf visual appearance would contradict the hypothesis and visual preference doesn't equal purchasing behavior
Organic pasta sales were \(22\%\) higher in stores where the products were placed at eye level compared to stores with lower shelf placement.
✓ Correct
- Shows \(22\%\) higher sales for eye-level placement, directly measuring purchasing behavior and supporting the hypothesis
Organic pasta boxes placed on lower shelves generated \(15\%\) more customer inquiries than those placed at eye level.
✗ Incorrect
- More inquiries about lower shelf pasta contradicts the hypothesis and inquiries don't equal actual purchases