Research with Rob: How Do Your Customers Make Purchase Decisions?

The following is a post by Rob Beachy, Axiom's Market Research Expert. Research with Rob is a weekly series of posts about the role of social media and technology in market research.

Today’s smart phones can find the cheapest gas and direct you there, or provide a network of opinions and facts previously unavailable except at point of sale. The social media on the internet is a lifeline and treasure trove of consumer satisfaction and purchase decisions.

How does your company research these purchase decisions? A focus group? An online survey? And where in that process do I need to focus my marketing communications, advertising or education to increase awareness and sales?

David C. Edelman’s article Branding in the Digital Age rethinks the traditional “consumer decision journey” and provides good insight into the impact of the internet and social media on marketing.

Where should you be focusing your marketing dollars? At the point in the decision process where it is most effective and economical.

Finding that point is where research comes in. Automobiles are different from major appliances, or personal care products, or hand tools or housewares. Only through market research can you clearly identify the decision process paths to effectively place your message and promote your brand.

The most effective way is an ethnographic approach finding out, over an extended period, the nuance of the purchase decision paths by product type. A specialized yet simple to complete Ethnolytix™ questionnaire is emailed to each participant. It takes 2 or more (depending on the product of service) weeks to track their decision paths, document and verify their paths and all for a lot less than the cost of focus groups. The key issue and variable is “time,” to ensure completeness and factual feedback. Unlike a focus group or on line survey, we do not force the decision but allow the customer time to discover the decision paths they actually use. For more information call us at 612-861-6171.

Research with Rob: Skyping for Depth

The following is a post by Rob Beachy, Axiom's Market Research Expert. Research with Rob is a weekly series of posts about the role of social media and technology in market research.

Smart phones have revolutionized the way we keep in contact with one another, but through video chat services like Skype, smart phones have changed the landscape of research as well.

For instance, I discussed panels vs. focus groups last week, but sometimes group interaction is not critical to the research process. This is where depth interviews (one-on-one interviews) come in, since they provide a great deal of information.

Being in-person is often difficult and time-consuming, so video chat alleviates the expenses associated with one-on-one interviews. We're constantly developing the role of social media technologies like Skype in our market research. Social media tools make depth interviews easier and faster to implement, while avoiding the time and financial cost of traveling.

The keys to an effective Depth Interview are:

• Qualify and Probe – Can you elaborate, explain, etc
• Unbiased - Explain but never sell
• Counter Question Technique – How much should it cost, weigh, etc.
• Common basis for comparison
• Flexibility to change and manage time

Depth interviews should be a strategic source of market research in every company and everyone involved in product development from marketing to technology should be trained and involved.

It is often as easy as scripting your questions and calling.

Research with Rob: When is a Panel Better Than a Focus Group?

The following is a post by Rob Beachy, Axiom's Market Research Expert. This is the first "Research with Rob" post, which will be a weekly series of posts about different issues involved with market research.

What is your goal with market research? If you have a product or service that has or could have a diverse demographic, and you want more than a two hour snapshot, then panels are the best alternative to long term market success.

Panels come in all sizes and types from in-person to online but it is imperative to understand the benefits of a panel.

1. Panels provide insight over a longer span of time providing the end-user more time to understand the product or service, its features and benefits, as well as providing the ability of the participant for more detailed likes, dislikes and new ways to use and improve your product or service.
2. They are a living conduit of information and feedback from quality to maintenance, warranty and service information.
3. They allow the marketing and technical teams more “time” to ask questions, potentially observe their product or service in use, and make changes or adjustments in the product or service to measure the end-user reactions.
4. They can provide all the qualitative benefits of a focus group and more.
5. Provides a larger, more diverse and often statistically significant sample to make better marketing and business decisions.

Costs per respondent are often the same a focus groups, but the value is much greater. If you are serious about gaining more insight into the use of your product or service, email or call us at (952) 224-2939.