Getting Close to Your Consumer

A thorough understanding of your consumer and how they interact with your product can offer a glimpse at struggles, unmet needs and areas of possible improvement. But how do you get close enough to the consumer and their habits to see these things?

Product Insights conducts traditional ethnographies that allow research teams to go into consumer’s homes to watch them in action. However, these “in person” interviews might not be right for your particular project.

One alternative is to allow the consumer to interact with your product on their own, without any team members present. In the past, we’ve set up cameras on mirrors, or had respondents wear “button cams” that allow us a glimpse of what they are looking at. The narrative the consumer provides during these experiences is often unfiltered and provides the opportunity for rich learning. These types of home-use studies can also employ a digital or traditional paper diary for respondents to jot down experiences and emotions. Today’s Smart Phones also offer the option of recording interactions; capturing video and audio all times of the day whether at home or in a store viewing product options on a shelf.

Our company is always on the look-out for the latest technologies that will bring us closer to the consumer. Our current blogging tool allows respondents to easily upload video and pictures of products and their usage of them, while offering the opportunity to answer questions or tell us a little more about what they are showing us and why. It’s a fun, innovative way to get closer to your consumer.

What happens if, after viewing the online pictures, video and responses, we determine that it might be of interest to visit the respondent in their home? Oftentimes we find a more welcoming respondent and experience a more relaxed and richer conversation, as they’ve had a chance to get to know us prior to the home visit.

All these types of research can get us as close to the consumer as possible (if we were to get any closer, we might have to move in with them!)

Contact us today to discuss ways that we might help you get closer to your consumer. We love brainstorming new ideas and techniques that will lead to quality research!