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What is hold time, and what does it tell you?
Hold time measures how long a product stays in a shopper's hand after it is picked up. It is the closest thing a store has to time on page.
Definition
Hold time is how long a product stays in a shopper's hand after a pickup. It measures attention to the product itself, not how long someone stood in the aisle. GoTrack reports it per product, colour, zone and store.
How to read it
| Pattern | What it can suggest |
|---|---|
| Short hold, then put back | A quick look: the product did not hold attention once in hand |
| Long hold, then put back | Serious consideration that stopped at something: price, size, fit or a comparison |
| Long hold, product leaves the shelf | Interest that turned into a decision at the shelf |
| Longer holds after new screen content | The content may be keeping attention on the product; compare with the same period before |
Using it well
- Compare like with like. A coat is held longer than a T-shirt; compare a product with itself over time and with similar products.
- Prefer the median. A few very long holds pull an average up; the median shows the typical shopper.
- Read it with put-backs. Hold time says how much attention a product got; the put-back rate says how often that attention ended with the product going back.
- Content performance. With screens, GoTrack shows which content goes with longer holds of the product it shows.
Its limits
- Hold time is not a purchase. A long hold can end on the shelf; join the exports with sales data to relate the two.
- The product must be in view. A camera has to see the product in the shopper's hand.
Questions
Can GoTrack tell marketing which products are examined, and for how long?
Yes. It reports pickups per product and variant, average hold time, put-back rate, products compared together and never-touched products. It measures how long a product is held, not how long someone stands in front of it.
How do GoTrack screens decide what to show?
When a shopper holds a product, the screen linked to that area shows that product's content, and keeps showing it while the product is held. When no one is holding anything, the screen plays its playlist. The screens do not need to be touchscreens.
Can GoTrack show whether sales went up?
Not on its own. GoTrack measures what happens at the shelf — pickups, hold time and put-backs — and does not read POS data. To relate interest to sales, join GoTrack's CSV exports or webhook events with your own sales data.
See hold times for your products.
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or write to info@gotonom.com