Taking surveys in stores is tough. "Excuse me, do you have a moment?" is something most people don't want to hear.

WWF Japan (an environmental NGO) and Japanese creative agency The Breakthrough Company GO came up with a clever way to passively gain shoppers' opinions. Mirai, a supermarket co-op in Tokyo, wanted customer feedback on whether they should pursue certain environmentally-friendly practices, or whether these practices would irritate the consumer. The solution was this Shopping Basket Voting system:

The idea is that a yes/no question is posted above the basket return area, which has been divided in two.

Sample questions:

"Should we switch our meat to tray-less packaging?"

"Should we set up a dedicated stand for environmentally friendly products?"

"Is it okay if we turn off the beverage section lighting during daylight hours?"

Shoppers then vote not with their dollars, but with where they place their basket. This is low-hassle—they have to put their baskets back anyway—and encourages an honest knee-jerk reaction, since most shoppers don't want to dawdle and debate.

The experiment was considered a success, and new store practices were implemented as a direct result. Non-tray-packaged chicken is now offered, as is a dedicated eco-friendly products section. And the bright beverage section lighting is now turned off between 11am and 4pm.

Shopping Basket Voting was awarded a Good Design Award.