Automated Visual Impact Prediction Is Reshaping Trade Marketing. Redefining POSM Evaluation

In a retail environment defined by visual clutter and split-second decisions, trade marketing can no longer rely on intuition or post hoc learning. Most wobblers, stoppers, displays, shelf cards and other POS materials are produced and deployed without any pre-testing. When evaluation does occur it is often slow, expensive and limited to small eye tracking studies. PROSPECT, an AI powered cognitive visual analytics platform, changes this. By forecasting the real impact of in store materials before they are printed and placed in stores, PROSPECT brings speed, objectivity, and scale to a domain that has often struggled to determine shoppers’ true motivations.

Power of Amazon Web Services Solutions.

PROSPECT is built on cloud native architecture and leverages AWS functionality for secure and scalable computing. Unlike traditional solutions PROSPECT is able, by combining model training and inference with the elasticity of cloud resources, to deliver analysis in minutes rather than weeks. This makes regular pre testing possible for almost every POS decision, rather than only flagship campaigns. The platform offers a predictable pipeline: upload designs and receive predictive heatmaps, performance scores and optimization guidance with enterprise grade reliability, security, and compliance baked in.

From Image to Insight. Insight to Decision.

PROSPECT is designed for the early development stage. It requires nothing but simple, 2D images of your desired POS materials. The platform is able to translate this visual input into simple yet powerful KPIs that reflect how shoppers actually process information at POS. The platform simulates both low level perception (color, contrast, shape) and higher order cognition (branding, offers, faces), producing four decision ready metrics:

• Impact – visibility and attention capture in a noisy retail context.

• Alignment – fit to brand and category conventions; does the visual signal feel “on code” and credible?

• Clarity – how unambiguously the message and messaging hierarchy come through.

• Engagement – the persuasiveness and emotional pull of the design.

These indicators complement traditional commercial measures, giving trade teams a sensitive diagnostic lens to distinguish strong concepts from weak ones. Instead of relying on guesswork, marketers are able to select the design with the highest demonstrated potential to stand out and make shopper choose the product.

Predictive AI enhanced by Human Cognitive Knowledge.

PROSPECT’s cognitive engine is trained on eye tracking and informed by established principles of human perception and attention. Gestalt grouping, saliency, figure-ground separation and continuity are not purely academic ideas. Rather, they are the concrete universal rules that shoppers unconsciously follow. By embedding these laws of visual cognition into predictive models, the platform anticipates where attention will land, which cues will be decoded first and how effectively a design guides the gaze through material communication, brand, and CTA (call to action). PROSPECT’s academic foundation is what makes insights repeatable and scalable across both categories and markets.

Speed, Scale, and ROI.

PROSPECT delivers analysis in minutes, enabling rapid iteration cycles that work within retail timelines. Because computation happens in the cloud, teams can evaluate any number of materials and variants across markets, languages and seasonal refreshes, without the usual physical or logistical costs of lab studies. This agility goes hand in hand with standardization: PROSPECT scoring ensures consistent evaluation and eliminates subjective bias, so brands can make informed, data-driven decisions and invest in POSm with proven impact, thereby increasing campaign ROI.

One Solution for the Retail and Media Mix.

The platform is designed for the full spectrum of visual decisions:

• POSM and sales materials: Optimize wobblers, displays, shelf stoppers and signage before going to print.

• Digital advertising and e-commerce: Pre test banners, layouts and product detail pages to maximize attention and conversion.

• OOH and transit: Evaluate billboards and digital screens against urban visual noise.

Because PROSPECT allows you to predict before you spend, it shifts evaluation from being a post-hoc discipline to being a proactive one. This de-risks innovation and creative choices and compresses timelines, ultimately amplifying the impact of every trade investment.

Machine Power. Human truths.

Automation does the heavy lifting - processing images, simulating attention and scoring performance - so humans can focus on crafting better ideas and sharper campaigns. Insight teams are relieved of the burdens of physical-world evaluation and time-consuming subjective debates, instead being able to focus on key decisions, such as selecting winning variants, reworking message hierarchy and aligning design language with brand codes. PROSPECT pairs AI precision with human creative judgment, ensuring the best possible recommendations land in the real world of shoppers, stores, and sales.

PROSPECT is the starting point for a more intelligent, responsive and cost effective approach to POSM evaluation. In a marketplace where attention is currency, it helps brands invest wisely, turning visual assets into measurable growth. As organizations compete in increasingly dynamic retail settings, solutions like PROSPECT will define the future of in-store effectiveness: combining cognitive science, predictive modelling and cloud scalability to transform guesswork into informed and repeatable decisions.