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In the always-evolving landscape of consumer behavior, understanding the perceptions around how people feel about your brand, the reasons why they choose it and the context for how they use it can unlock future growth opportunities. For instance:
A proven consumer research methodology that stands out for gaining this type of foundational learning is the Attitude and Usage (A&U) study.
What is an Attitude and Usage study?
You can think of an Attitude and Usage study as delving deeply into the “who, what, where, why, when” of your brand and category. More specifically, this is a comprehensive research approach that often combines qualitative and quantitative techniques to uncover perceptions, preferences, motivations, and usage patterns of your (and your competitors’) consumer base. Because of the breadth it covers, the data collected, and insights gained become a foundational reference for Insights, R&D, and Marketing teams for many months or years afterward.
Attitude and Usage studies answer Key Objectives about:
Category Users: This involves understanding the basic demographic details of the users in your category (age, gender, income, etc.) alongside psychographic factors like values, beliefs, and lifestyle choices.
Consumer attitudes: You can fully understand consumer perceptions about the category, your brand, competitors, and the overall market. This helps you explain your market share, by gauging your brand’s “share of mind.” It reveals how your brand stacks up in consumers’ minds on important factors such as product quality, customer service, and other unique benefits, relative to the competition.
Usage Patterns: You can examine how consumers interact with your product or service, including frequency of use, when and where it is used, purchase motivations and delights/pain points. This context reveals insights that inspire ideas to improve the usage experience.
Trend Analysis: Although an A&U research study analyzes products or services at a point in time, it can be re-fielded at regular intervals so you can track changes in consumer attitudes and behaviors over time, to identify market shifts or emerging trends in the category. This is particularly useful in dynamic categories where there are always new competitors entering the market.
Benefits of an A&U for the Marketing and R&D Teams
Focused efforts on the “purchase funnel”: You will discover the percentage of your consumer target that is aware, has tried, is a repeat purchaser or is already loyal to your brand. Understanding this, relative to your competition, will help marketers decide where and how to spend their marketing support budget to drive sales effectively and efficiently.
Innovation and renovation ideas: Insights from A&U studies can fuel product improvements, innovations, and new launches that resonate with consumer desires, address usage pain points, and deliver on unmet needs.
Create a Competitive Advantage: Knowing where your products and services stand in comparison to the competition allows you to capitalize on your strengths and unique benefits by emphasizing via packaging claims and marketing messages. Identifying and addressing any shortcomings allows the team to close critical gaps that may be keeping you from gaining market share.
Long-Term Growth: Ongoing A&U research, in waves at regular intervals (depending on the level of activity in your industry or category) provides a pulse on evolving consumer and competitive trends, ensuring that your team can stay agile and responsive to changing market dynamics. This helps to foster and maintain growth over time.
Onboarding new employees: A bonus to having a comprehensive picture of the market dynamics and how your brand performs within the market is that it provides a great basis for onboarding new employees into your organization. It also paints a picture to get all employees aligned on growth strategies that are rooted in foundational market and consumer insights.
Your Partner for Actionable Consumer Insights
At SIVO, Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients develop and utilize Attitude and Usage research to gain actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making and foster meaningful connections with consumers. By investing in A&U research, you and your team can navigate the complexities of the market with confidence and clarity, ultimately paving the way for long-term growth.
For more DIY approaches, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how an experienced, fractional Consumer Insights Generalist can be also an asset for your A&U research needs.
Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call!
Today I am sharing useful tips for successfully executing virtual consumer conversations. They center around being human: acting in a genuine, respectful way and establishing trust.
Include criteria for having a stable Wi-Fi connection and familiarity with the tech platform being used. If the platform is new to participants, ensure you build in time for set up and practice before the interview to increase their comfort level.
If your study involves thoughtful writing exercise(s), make sure recruiting criteria have a written articulation component so they are not surprised by the type of communication that is expected of them.
Tip #2: Set Clear Expectations So There are No Surprises
The more participants know ahead of time, the more comfortable they will feel entering the discussion and the more open they tend to be. In addition to the basics, make sure:
Participants know what will happen during the interview. For example, is it a one-on-one conversation, or will others observe? Will you be sitting stationary in front of the camera or taking a ‘field trip’ to their pantry or garage?
What should they wear? (most ask…encourage comfort unless it is part of the research). Should their phone be on silent? (yes). Is it ok to have water or coffee? (yes, you want them to be comfortable), but please no meals unless it is an eating experience! Do they need to make arrangements for kids and pets so they are not distracted? (yes, unless they are part of the conversation). For mobile missions, no driving while participating (yes, this has happened!).
For online consumer behavior research to be most effective, participants are advised to log on five minutes before the scheduled interview time, so no time is wasted in setting up.
People are able to have a quiet place to conduct the interview to avoid potential inside or outside distractions.
When part of an online consumer research panel, it's important to “introduce” yourself via email and provide a picture so participants know whom to expect on the other end of the screen. Communicate how excited you are for the conversation, so they feel their input is valued before you even begin.
Log in early so you are there before the participant, smiling and welcoming as they enter the interview.
Minimize your own distractions such as only having exactly what you need for the conversation open on your laptop (the worst is hearing the constant email ‘ding’ as you are leading a conversation…trust me).
Have and communicate a back-up plan should tech issues arise (they will) so the interview isn’t a bust.
Energy! The last interview of the day should feel like the first one. Build in enough mental breaks and move from behind your screen to get some fresh air. Coffee helps too.
Life happens. Allow for tech issues, dogs barking, doorbells ringing and kids interrupting because these things WILL happen. Be forgiving and empathetic. Explain it happens to the best of us and that you will be patient while they figure it out.
If it becomes too much or too long of a distraction, ask if participants need to reschedule for a time that may be better for them. A stressed person is not an open or insightful person.
Observing is still just as important as listening in producing those insightful golden nuggets. I recently led a one-on-one video interview with a man wearing an “Own the Moment” t-shirt. I thought it was relevant to our topic and used it as a way into the discussion. It led to some really insightful personal truths and informed the learning in a way that might not have if it wasn’t pursued.
Like every research method, there are benefits and trade-offs, but I am really enjoying and finding great success with virtual research, applying familiar principles with a human-inspired tech-twist. Please contact the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss your research needs and if virtual may be the right approach for your needs!
What if you could gain access to the high-quality insights you need to uncover new opportunities and propel your team toward success?
SIVO collaborates with you to understand your most critical needs, then designs and executes best-in-class custom market research using modern research capabilities. We provide actionable consumer insights that align with your business goals.
SIVO also specializes in Organizational Intelligence, Market Intelligence, and On Demand Talent. Individually and collectively, we use our qualitative, quantitative, and facilitation capabilities to deliver actionable learning.
By Kerry Juhl
The Responsibility & Privilege of Serving Customers
“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”
– Mahatma Gandhi, 1890
This quote is more than 100-years old, but it is still true today. The opportunity to serve customers is a privilege. The responsibility of that privilege is ensuring the customer’s voice is heard and understood. Brand teams need to know what their customers need and what they value, as decisions about products and services are made on the customers’ behalf.
Defining Customer Value
Understanding customer value can be a differentiator for companies in today’s challenging market. Simplistically, if a brand team has $1 to invest – or needs to cut $1 in spending – knowledge about what customers’ value must guide these business decisions to stay competitive.
So let’s talk about customer value…In everyday conversations, value has many meanings including price, worth, or even benefits. It is imperative for organizations to operate with a common understanding of customer value. From a marketing and branding perspective, it helps to think about customer value as an equation:
Customer Value equals Benefits minus Cost (CV=B-C).
Benefits include the advantages of quality, service, image, brand, experience, and the functionality one gets or emotions one feels when using the product or service. Cost is not only price – which we think of as cash, credit, interest, even service fees - but it can also include non-price terms such as time, effort, energy, and convenience.*
When teams define their Customer Value Equation, they can clearly identify growth opportunities by emphasizing or improving aspects of an offering that customers value (where to invest) and they can identify cost savings by eliminating aspects of the offering that customers do not value (where to cut).
Developing the Customer Value Equation
SIVO employs a 5-Step Process to develop your Customer Value Equation. In partnership with our client teams, we Mine, Explore and Quantify the customer value drivers leveraging Functional, Emotional, Life-Changing and Social Impact values. Note that the Quantify Step can be qualitative consumer learning, a quantitative survey or ideally, a combination of both. The design of this step is dependent on how much past learning that the team already has in hand.
Four Categories of Customer Value
We then partner with teams to Develop & Refine the Customer Value Equation. Lastly, we help teams Apply their equation by assessing where their products/services are over/under-delivering and facilitate them through the generation of ideas to improve the customer experience.
The result of our process is rich with discoveries. These insights provide a unifying understanding of the target customers’ purchase drivers, must-haves and nice-to-haves regarding a product or service – giving teams confidence and clarity on what to do with $1 more or $1 less.
Our Offer to You
SIVO is interested in sharing our Customer Value Equation experience and case studies with you and your insights team! Our “CVE Download” can easily be part of an in-person or virtual “Lunch & Learn” or your next team meeting.
If you can answer “yes” to at least one of the following three questions, please reach out to SIVO.
To learn more, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com.
*Referenced article by Gautam Mahajan https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2394964320903557
By Kerry Juhl
Managing a business is non-stop, full-time leadership. Typically, 90% of a leader's workday is focused on the daily needs of employees, customers, supply chain, marketing, sales, financials... and the list goes on. However, it is also a leader's job to present their team with a vision for the future, a "north star" that provides direction and goals for the organization, allowing them to compete effectively and transform opportunities into growth.
A great step in looking toward the future is to take stock of the landscape that you operate within, especially when there are changing dynamics in the external environment. The future growth of your business requires you to have a point of view on how your business will be impacted by changing consumer behaviors and preferences, the actions of your competitive set and external partners, and possibly the impact of new technologies. In other words, you need to have a vision of what your category/industry will look like in 5+ years to remain relevant in that future state and capitalize on future growth opportunities.
Trending
Do customers want to ‘hire’ your product?
Our team at SIVO has experience with helping clients build their category vision of the future. In fact, we have developed a step-by-step process that results in a defined Future-State Category Map to inform the Category Vision and Key Strategies for growth. A Category Vision not only demonstrates category leadership and anticipates the future, but it allows clients to take control and literally create their own destiny…a future where the business can thrive.
Define Current State:
Clients need to define the space that they currently play in. For some it might be narrow, for example, Skin Care. For others it might be broad, for example, Beauty Products. (There are pros and cons for how narrow or broad your category definition is and SIVO can guide your team to get to a definition that is relevant and actionable through our consumer insights solutions).
This step requires the gathering of category, competitive and consumer intelligence from a variety of sources, to answer questions, like:
Articulate Future State:
SIVO facilitates the client team through a small series of assignments and working sessions to envision the Future State of the category and to prioritize where to “place bets” within the category to maximize growth.
Create a Vision & Strategies to build Future State:
With the future state of the category defined, SIVO facilitates client teams through the creation of a Category Vision that serves as the "North Star", and Growth Strategies that the organization can put into action to drive category and brand growth for years to come.
A solid process with proven success. Are you ready to help your business create a category vision for the future? Schedule a discovery call today or reach out at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to develop strategies and plans that not only anticipate the future but create it!
Bringing you innovative performance marketing and
real-time digital shopper insights.
SIVO strives to be on the forefront of new technology and innovations in the insights industry. That is how we discovered Pear Commerce, a brilliant technology company that is on-pace to be the largest provider of shoppable media by the end of 2022!
In 2018, Pear Commerce was founded by two talented serial tech entrepreneurs, Eric Martell and Alex Wyler, bringing their tech expertise to the world of retail.
What is Shoppable Media?
Shoppable media in retail means connecting any media (e.g. free and paid social, digital display, content, influencer, email, owned webpages, etc) to retailers with add-to-cart (ATC) functionality that is just “a click away”.
What are the benefits to Consumers?
Pear provides an industry-leading technology making shoppers online path to purchase frictionless which has been a leading reservation for consumers to shop online. Whether through a digital ad or your brand’s website, Pear uniquely gives consumers a “where to buy” choice, based on real time stock inventory checks and connects them to over 2,000 retail chains across the U.S. That is a clear point of difference.
What are the benefits to Marketing Teams?
A unique way-in to performance marketing. This revolution of advanced technology provides more data and less work for brand teams with real results. At the foundation, Pear provides full funnel click-to-conversion data which improves digital marketing performance while campaigns are in-market. They help marketers with:
What are the benefits to Insights Teams?
At this point you might be thinking, “That’s great, but isn’t SIVO an insights company?” The answer is, “Yes!” SIVO is all about understanding people and in this case, Pear’s technology helps SIVO and our clients better understand consumer preferences and consumers’ digital shopping behavior through real-time, in-market experimentation, such as:
As an example, Pear was able to help a CPG client create a data-driven approach to managing their digital marketing campaigns while also helping them to understand and optimize the plan based on shopper and retailer behavior.
The results were fantastic! Pear created custom audiences for the brand using the client’s own 1st party conversion data and saw 5x add-to-cart (ATC) rates compared to 3rd party audiences and 20x ATC rates compared to the client’s website visitor audience. During the process, Pear scanned over 2,000 retailer’s digital shelves for real-time inventory to help shoppers purchase at their retailer of choice while also helping them avoid hitting out-of-stocks. The client also received valuable digital path to purchase insights and A/B testing results on different creative options to help optimize their digital campaign along the way.
Through our partnership with Pear Commerce, SIVO can now help you achieve strong digital marketing results and new insights via performance marketing and real-time digital experimentation. To learn more about Pear Commerce and SIVO Market Intelligence solutions, please contact our SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com.
SIVO Insights brings together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence. Have a business challenge? Let's talk!
We bring together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence
