The merchandising of spirits is inefficient and confusing to shoppers, claims new research.

Shoppers spend far longer in the BWS section than other aisles before starting the decision-making process - an average of 52 seconds, compared with 23 seconds in the bread aisle and 11 seconds in confectionery.

"This suggests consumers are confused, and retailers and brand owners need to rethink the way fixtures are categorised," says Natasha Laming, consumer and market insight manager at Beam Global Spirits & Wine, which commissioned the research.

"Use of camcorders fixed to shoppers' eye lines revealed the eye moved horizontally rather than vertically when scanning shelves," she said. "We also found that the natural gaze of a shopper is lower than that of perceived wisdom, so key brands should be moved down a shelf to make the most of this."

The research, conducted by ID Magasin, also revealed that just one in ten consumers thought price was the most influential factor when buying spirits, and that just 1% of consumer visual activity was on price.

"Brands and packaging are far more important to consumers shopping the spirits section than price promotion," added Laming.

The results identified three core shopper groups: Comfort Zoners, who are reluctant to stray away from their favourite brands; Connoisseurs, who are knowledgeable and keen to broaden their repertoire; and Dabblers, who are the least knowledgeable and look for in-store guidance. This final group provides the biggest opportunity for retailers, representing 35% of visits to the BWS aisle but just 18% of purchases made.

"We recommend retailers look at making the aisle easier to navigate, using key brands as signposts. Consider ways of engaging consumers using mechanics other than price - occasion, for example, or relevant information," said Laming.