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A lot can happen in less than three seconds. In the crowded craft beer aisle, that’s all the time a packaged beer has to catch a shopper’s eye. A study from Accelerated Marketing Insights by Quad used Tobii 3 eye-tracking technology to explore exactly what drives purchase behavior — and how design plays a starring role. Conducted last fall at Ray’s Wine & Spirits in Wauwatosa, WI, the study tracked 61 participants as they browsed 474 beers across 124 brands. The choice of location was intentional — just outside Milwaukee, a city steeped in brewing history and still deeply tied to beer culture. The study found that packaging design was the third most important consideration for choosing a beer, after flavor and price. In fact, 72% of participants said the packaging made them more likely to buy a beer. That’s not surprising to Shannon Anderson, director of research, Accelerated Marketing Insights by Quad. “Craft beer buyers come in to browse. They’re curious and open to trying something new. That makes visibility and shelf presence critical. If your can doesn’t get noticed, it doesn’t get purchased.”

Amazon recently said it is investing over $1 billion in additional pay and benefits for fulfillment and transportation employees. Those employees who have been with Amazon for three years or more have, on average, seen their pay increase by 35%, per the company. Amazon said regular full- and part-time employees earn an average of $23 per hour with benefits, including health care and education programs. “We find that our seasonal roles are really popular — often filling up within minutes of being posted — because they meet different needs for so many different people,” Sandy Gordon, vice president of global operations at Amazon, said in a statement. “For some, it’s a few months of extra income to support their families during the holidays. For others, it’s the first step in building a new career path.” Amazon’s robust hiring initiatives are outpacing much of the retail industry. Target, for instance, has in recent years hired about 100,000 seasonal employees, but this year did not suggest a specific number it planned to bring on. Kohl’s likewise did not release a specific number but said it would hire seasonal workers.