Marketing Research Blog

Consumer Research Needs Help!

This article may not be what you’re expecting to read.

I’m not writing about how research is doomed or how AI is taking over.

What I am here to say is that the process of answering business questions with consumer research has evolved significantly. By the way, when I say “consumer” research, I’m including B2B (business to business) work as well.

As an insights professional, I will confidently state that primary research is not always the only answer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still critical to a brand’s strategic plans; product and marketing programs should be developed with the end-user in mind. We can gain tremendous insights from talking to end users. Let’s not stop doing that. It would be a big mistake.

With that said, we also need to consider data from a variety of other sources to get the full picture. Although some business questions are sufficiently answered with focus groups or an online survey, many issues are more complex and so are the markets in question. With endless amounts of data available to us, we need to leverage myriad sources to understand what consumers say when we ask them, and what they say “in the wild.”

Take brand health tracking for example. Traditional survey-based tracking still plays an important role. A large sample of consumers is asked about category usage and their awareness, consideration, usage, and perceptions of the brand in question. We also ask about the key competitors to understand the whole landscape, providing important context. With the right methodology, a representative sample, and a carefully crafted survey, this system for monitoring a brand’s health allows a company to consistently track its success over time.

However, tracking research alone doesn’t tell the whole story. We can get a much clearer, more complete picture by adding other perspectives. Here are some examples.

• Social media posts and conversations. What’s the chatter online about your brand? What are people saying about competitors? Are there up-and-coming challengers we may not have noticed yet? Often, social influencers help drive awareness of such brands.
• Online reviews. These are typically a mix of very satisfied and very unsatisfied buyers or users. Still, there is great perspective to be gained from reviews. It’s especially helpful in pinpointing reasons a brand’s share or future purchase interest is declining.
• Call center data. Similar to online reviews, conversations with call center associates often reveal problems or areas of confusion with a product. This can be leveraged to help explain shifts in consumer sentiment about a product and to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Behavioral data. Validated purchase data from scanners or even purchase panels help reconcile any gaps that exist between what consumers recall buying, and what they actually did.
• Distribution and out-of-stocks. If the tracking survey shows a decline in recent purchases, maybe it’s due to a distribution issue rather than consumer rejection.
• Pricing and promotions (your brand’s and competitors’). Did a brand’s own pricing policies help drive changes in share? Maybe a competitor was heavily promoting, which led to their gain.
• Media plans versus the buy. The media plan, or even better—the final buy—is a great point of comparison against brand tracking data. This helps us link advertising to market outcomes.

Focusing On Business Outcomes

Of course, many other types of data exist. They’re almost always useful for a thorough analysis of what’s happening in a market and what the future could look like. Taking advantage of this multi-dimensional look at a brand’s performance leads to a more balanced understanding of the business landscape. It also creates strategic advantage for brands that consider a variety of data streams and perspectives that contribute to success.

Felicia Rogers

Corporate Executive Vice President

Email Felicia

Felicia Rogers is a dynamic insights consultant who leverages decades of business and consumer research experience. She is passionate about brand strategy and improving brand health, new product development, and driving positive customer experiences. During her career, she has consulted with companies across an array of categories to tackle many important strategic issues.