An empathy trek is a field research method used in consumer packaged goods (CPG) market research to explore how people experience products and make decisions in their natural environments. Unlike traditional studies conducted in focus groups or surveys, empathy treks are designed to place researchers and brand teams directly into the lives of consumers – whether that means following them on a grocery run, observing meal prep at home, or joining their weekend shopping routine.

The goal of an empathy trek is to deepen consumer empathy – an understanding of not just what people do, but why they do it. When researchers step into a consumer’s shoes and see the world from their perspective, the insights gathered are far more meaningful and actionable.

Key Elements of a CPG Empathy Trek

• In-person engagement: Visiting consumers in the places they use and shop for products (home, store, work, etc.).
• Real-time observation: Watching behaviors as they naturally unfold, rather than relying on recall or self-reporting.
• Conversational interviews: Learning context and motivations through open-ended dialogue during the activity.
• Sensory cues: Picking up on tone of voice, gestures, and emotional reactions that reveal deeper meaning.

These treks are often part of qualitative insights programs and are valued for uncovering unmet needs, pain points, or emotional triggers that may not surface in quantitative data alone. A well-executed empathy trek can lead to transformative CPG insights gathering, sparking new product ideas, more empathic messaging, or identifying whitespace opportunity areas.

Why Empathy Treks Matter in the CPG Space

In a competitive CPG landscape, where product shelves and shopper decisions are crowded, discovering how real people behave at shelf – and what influences those behaviors – gives companies an edge. Empathy treks offer a front-row seat to the habits and decisions that shape consumption patterns, allowing brands to make informed decisions with human context in mind.

This method is especially helpful for business teams looking to ground their strategy in real-world behavior. Whether you’re in innovation, marketing, or insights, understanding how to connect field research with business decision-making elevates the entire research experience.

Once your empathy trek is underway, the most important job is capturing what you see and hear in a way that's organized, unbiased, and usable. But for many researchers, especially those new to fieldwork, this can feel overwhelming. What do you pay attention to? How do you take notes without disrupting the moment? And what’s the best way to document visuals like packaging choices or shopper body language?

Let’s walk through some best practices for how to capture CPG insights during field research – from sharpening your observation skills to jotting down key insights without missing what’s unfolding right in front of you.

Practice Active, Focused Observation

Effective consumer observation goes beyond passively watching. It requires tuning in to what’s said and unsaid. Pay attention to environment, routines, workarounds, and triggers. Ask yourself: What’s influencing behavior? What barriers might exist?

Here are a few things to look for:

• Product interaction: How do they pick, hold, open, or compare products?
• Decision-making moments: When and how do they make tradeoffs (e.g., value vs. brand)?
• Emotional cues: Facial expressions, hesitations, or frustration can reveal sentiment.
• Contextual factors: Who else is present? What environmental constraints exist?

By noting these details, you begin to understand behaviors within context – a crucial element of empathy research.

Master Note-Taking in a Natural Flow

One of the biggest challenges in fieldwork is taking good notes while staying present. Your job isn’t to transcribe everything – it’s to capture patterns, quotes, and behaviors that feel meaningful. Some best practices for note-taking during consumer treks include:

Use shorthand or acronyms: Develop a simple system to capture quickly.

Capture quotes verbatim (if possible): Direct quotes are gold for insight synthesis and storytelling later on.

Log timestamps: Especially helpful if you’re using audio or video – it helps match your notes to recordings.

When and How to Use Photos and Video

Visual data can enrich learnings, but there are best practices for capturing it responsibly. If consumers have agreed, use images to show context – such as shelving layouts, product placement, or home setup. Always respect privacy and obtain proper consent.

Quick tips:

• Ask before recording, even if they’ve signed a waiver.
• Focus on action, not identity – film hands interacting with products, not faces.
• Use wide shots for environments (kitchen, fridge, shelf) and close-ups for product details.

Practicing the dos and don’ts of recording video in field research ensures trust and ethical standards are maintained.

Synthesize Observations in Real Time

Don’t wait until the trek ends to begin making sense of what you’re seeing. Take a few minutes between visits or at the end of each session to debrief with your team. Real-time synthesis during shopper research helps prevent memory loss and reveals emerging themes faster.

Try these quick methods:

• Sticky note clustering to group behaviors or quotes by theme
• A “Three Things We Heard” check-in after each stop
• A running google doc or app-based journal for the team

Ultimately, how to document consumer insights in the field comes down to preparation, awareness, and communication. With practice, your team will know when to step in with questions – and when to step back and simply observe.

One of the most important aspects of field research is capturing observations as they unfold — without getting distracted by your notebook or device. During a CPG empathy trek, the goal is to stay present with the consumer while also documenting the nuances that could lead to breakthrough qualitative insights later.

Balance Observing and Recording

Focus on being present first. Let the consumer’s behavior, decisions, and reactions take center stage. Watch how they interact with products in-store, how they talk about their needs at home, or what they prioritize during decision-making. Once you've observed a key moment, capture quick notes using shorthand or voice memos to keep the flow going without disrupting the experience.

Tips for Effective Field Note-Taking

• Use trigger words: Instead of full sentences, use keywords that will jog your memory for later synthesis. For example, "confused at shelf," "compares nutrition labels," or "mentions price first."
• Focus on feelings and context: Write down not just what they do, but how they react. Did they smile, hesitate, express surprise?
• Sketch scenes if needed: A quick layout of a store shelf or product arrangement can be helpful later.
• Record immediate impressions: Capture what stood out to you and why — even a gut reaction can be an insight catalyst.

Visual documentation adds powerful context to empathy-based research. A single photo can preserve a store layout, product placement, or consumer behavior moment that written notes may overlook. However, capturing media responsibly is essential to both ethical practice and legal compliance in CPG market research.

Always Secure Consent First

Before any video or photo is taken, always ask for permission. Whether you’re documenting a consumer’s home environment, shopping behavior, or facial expressions, transparency is not only respectful — it's required. Explain why you're capturing visuals, how they'll be used, and who will see them.

Written consent forms or verbal agreements (recorded with permission) are best practice. This builds trust and upholds the human connection central to empathy research.

What to Capture — and What to Avoid

Not all visuals are created equal. Aim to document context and environments rather than identities, unless specifically agreed.

• Valuable to capture: A cluttered pantry that reveals habits, the placement of private label vs. branded items on shelves, or a consumer comparing two packages in-store.
• Avoid capturing without consent: Children, other shoppers, or identifying background elements like addresses or license plates.

These details not only keep your research compliant but respectful toward participants who are generously opening their lives to you.

Best Practices for Visual Tools in the Field

If you're wondering what tools to use, simple smartphones, GoPros (with permission), or lightweight handheld cameras work well. Many researchers also rely on photo organization tools post-fieldwork to tag images with themes and timestamps.

When used ethically, photos and videos can dramatically enhance your empathy trek findings — by bringing vivid clarity to stakeholder debriefs and illuminating consumer behaviors that may have gone unnoticed.

While collecting data is important, synthesizing insights in real time is what transforms empathy treks from interesting experiences into strategic business value. Instead of waiting days (or weeks) to understand what just happened in the field, real-time synthesis allows CPG researchers and marketers to spot patterns quickly and course-correct as needed.

Why Synthesize on the Spot?

Empathy research is rich with emotion, environment, and subtle cues. But memory fades fast. By making sense of your notes, photos, and impressions immediately after (or even during) a session, you can:

• Uncover early patterns across different consumer interviews
• Capture emotional tone while it’s still fresh
• Prioritize follow-up questions for upcoming participants
• Keep the team aligned on emerging insights

For example, if multiple participants mention confusion over shelf layout or consistently mention a specific product benefit, that could point toward a packaging or merchandising opportunity worth digging into further — even from day one.

How to Synthesize Qualitative Insights in Real Time

Start by organizing your thoughts immediately after a session. Gather your notes, videos, and photos, and ask within your team:

Guiding Questions for Quick Debriefing

• What did we learn that we didn’t expect?
• What emotional moments stood out?
• Are there behaviors or phrases we’re hearing more than once?
• How does this compare to what we saw earlier?

Use a shared digital workspace like Miro, Google Slides, or Airtable to tag observations around themes. Even a simple grid with emerging themes can guide your field team’s focus for the next consumer visit.

Real-time insight synthesis during shopper research helps keep your project agile, adjusting for richer discovery and better final outcomes. It bridges the gap between raw observations and confident decision-making — a must-have in fast-paced CPG insights gathering.