In today’s fast-moving world, consumers don’t follow linear shopping journeys. They discover products on TikTok, read reviews on Amazon, hunt for discounts across multiple retailers, and might still buy in-store after comparing prices online. This winding purchase path makes it harder than ever to understand what truly influences a buyer’s final decision.

Path-to-purchase research is critical because it captures the story behind each sale – helping businesses understand not just what people bought, but why and how they got there. With retail environments constantly shifting and promotional strategies evolving, real-time insights into how customers behave across platforms and channels can give companies a major edge.

What businesses can learn from path-to-purchase studies

When done well, these studies can help you:

• Pinpoint which touchpoints actually drive action – from social ads to in-store displays
• Understand how pricing, promotions, and availability impact buying decisions
• See where consumers drop off or switch brands during the shopping process
• Identify key differences across consumer segments, geographies, or retail channels

Platforms like Numerator have made it easier to access this kind of intelligence, especially through omnichannel tracking and verified purchase data. But to reap the full benefits, it's critical to know how to structure these studies clearly around business questions – and interpret the answers in ways that lead to smarter decisions.

Consumer expectations continue to rise

Whether you’re a startup launching a new product or a legacy brand fine-tuning your pricing strategy, understanding the path to purchase is essential for connecting with modern shoppers. Consumers expect increasingly personalized experiences, quicker service, and better value – and they have more options than ever. Businesses that fail to meet those expectations risk customer churn and missed revenue opportunities.

That’s why many teams are leaning into smarter research approaches – combining real-time purchase behavior with shopper attitudes and motivations. By blending behavioral and emotional insights, companies can not only see what worked but also understand why it worked.

In short, path-to-purchase insights have evolved from “nice-to-have” to “need-to-know.” But leveraging these tools effectively isn’t always straightforward – especially when using DIY platforms like Numerator without expert guidance. That brings us to the next crucial topic: the challenges businesses often encounter when going it alone.

Numerator offers powerful capabilities for capturing real-world purchase behavior and shopper feedback. Its unique blend of verified receipt data, custom surveys, and retail analytics makes it an appealing option for businesses aiming to understand their customers better. However, like many DIY research tools, using Numerator effectively requires more than just logging in and launching a survey.

Top hurdles with Numerator and other DIY platforms

While these tools streamline access to consumer data, many users hit roadblocks when it comes to execution and interpretation:

• Unclear study design: Without a strong research foundation, teams may build surveys that don’t actually map well to business objectives, leading to unclear or irrelevant results.
• Gaps across touchpoints: When attempting to map retail journeys, some teams struggle to connect data across online and offline behaviors, missing key transitions in the buying process.
• Lack of contextual insights: Platforms like Numerator tell you what happened, but not always why. Without layering in human insights, data can feel shallow or incomplete.
• Resource constraints: Insights teams may not have the bandwidth or the specialized expertise to fully analyze complex data sets or cross-tabulate findings for different retail segments.
• Tool over-reliance: Relying too heavily on DIY capabilities can lead to a checkbox approach, where speed and cost-efficiency overshadow data quality, interpretation, and strategic relevance.

These challenges aren’t unique to Numerator – they’re common across the growing field of DIY research tools. As businesses aim to move faster and stretch smaller budgets, many research teams adopt self-service tools while reducing long-term agency partnerships or internal headcount. While this shift empowers teams to collect more data, it can also create blind spots and missteps if not handled carefully.

Where On Demand Talent makes a difference

When used strategically, tools like Numerator can absolutely deliver powerful consumer insights – but only when paired with the right human expertise. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent comes in. These seasoned professionals plug into your team quickly and bring the knowledge needed to get the most out of your tools and your study design.

Unlike freelancers or one-size-fits-all consultants, On Demand Talent are deeply experienced insight experts who know how to:

• Design studies around clear, business-relevant questions
• Interpret behaviors within the full retail ecosystem
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into actionable stories
• Teach your team how to use Numerator more strategically for the long term

Whether your team is missing a key skill set or simply needs temporary bandwidth, On Demand Talent allows you to flex your research capability without hiring full-time or waiting months to onboard new staff. These professionals help you avoid costly missteps, iterate quickly, and maximize the value of every dollar spent on DIY tools.

By solving common DIY research challenges before they slow down your team, On Demand Talent helps transform path-to-purchase studies into practical, strategic assets. Next, let’s explore how to structure better path-to-purchase research using Numerator – with expert input in mind.

One of the most common challenges in path to purchase research is connecting the many steps a shopper takes before converting. From discovering a product on social media to encountering a promotion in-store or online, consumers make countless small decisions along the way. While platforms like Numerator provide robust data points across this journey, many teams struggle with stitching these pieces together into a clear, cohesive narrative.

This is especially true when DIY research tools are involved. It's easy to get lost in dashboards, metrics, and filters but still miss the consumer story underneath. Without deeper context or structured frameworks, insights into channel decision, promo influence, or message impact can become fragmented and hard to act on.

Why the Path Isn’t Linear – and Why That Matters

Modern purchase behavior is complex. A consumer might:

• See a product in a TikTok video (discovery)
• Compare prices on retailer websites (evaluation)
• Use a digital coupon via email (promotion)
• Make the purchase in-store (conversion)

Mapping retail touchpoints using Numerator can show when and where these interactions happen – but understanding why they mattered requires human interpretation. For example, was the coupon what ultimately tipped the sale? Or was that consumer already planning to buy? These kinds of questions are where strategic analysis is essential.

Recommendations for Optimizing Path-to-Purchase Research

To better connect the dots across touchpoints, consider:

1. Structuring data with clear stages: Define discovery, evaluation, and purchase clearly across your custom Numerator study to isolate where actions are happening vs. when decisions are truly made.

2. Clarifying promotional timing: Map promo exposure relative to purchase behavior. Did users clip or interact with an offer days prior? Or at the point of purchase?

3. Identifying behavior patterns across segments: Different segments may respond to different triggers. Families may respond to BOGO deals, while single-person households may prioritize convenience or brand messaging.

4. Building towards dynamic journey models: Use available data to uncover non-linear decision pathways, recurring behaviors, and key inflection points in different audiences.

Done strategically, Numerator studies can become powerful tools for understanding actual consumer journeys – not just purchase outcomes. But pulling those pieces together requires time, skill, and training. That’s where deeper expertise can provide an edge.

As powerful as DIY research tools like Numerator can be, they're only as good as the people using them. With tight timelines, lean teams, and growing pressure to deliver fast, digestible insights, even experienced research teams can hit roadblocks – especially when trying to tackle a high-stakes study around purchase behavior or retail analytics.

SIVO’s On Demand Talent offers a solution built for this reality. These are experienced consumer insights professionals who understand both the technology and the human side of research. They help organizations close critical skill gaps, interpret tricky data sets, and get more out of the tools they've already invested in.

What Makes On Demand Talent Different?

Unlike freelance platforms or traditional consultants, our On Demand Talent are not one-size-fits-all. We match you with seasoned experts who align with your business needs, tools, and timelines – often ready to jump in within days, not weeks or months.

They can support you in areas like:

• Structuring DIY research to meet business goals – ensuring survey designs and data pulls are aligned with strategic decisions
• Solving common challenges in Numerator data analysis – like interpreting promo performance, channel influence, or shopping missions
• Synthesizing fragmented consumer data – helping you turn tactical data points into strong, cohesive stories
• Building your internal team’s capabilities long-term – through mentorship, training, and tool optimization strategies

Many clients come to us after starting a project using DIY platforms, only to realize they need extra horsepower to bring clarity and strategic direction.

Better Tools, Smarter Execution

Technology like Numerator has made gathering data easier – but understanding behavior and shaping smart business action still requires experience. It’s not about having more dashboards or bigger sample sizes. It’s about knowing what to look for, how to ask the right questions, and how to draw meaning from complexity.

By leveraging On Demand Talent, you get tailored market research help exactly when you need it – without the lengthy hiring process or budget strings of full-time headcount. It’s a flexible, high-impact way to ensure your research doesn’t just run – it delivers clarity and ROI.

Having the right data is only the first step in uncovering strong consumer insights. The real value comes from turning that data into decisions. When it comes to purchase behavior, the stakes are high: product placement, pricing, channel distribution, and promotional strategy all depend on accurately understanding the buyer's journey.

Platforms like Numerator provide a wealth of behavioral data, from receipt scanning to promo tracking and trip motivations. But the common challenge lies in translating these observations into clear business strategies. This is especially tricky for resource-constrained teams managing DIY tools on their own.

From Fragmented Data to Strategic Direction

Many path-to-purchase studies are underutilized simply because insight teams lack the time or experience to unpack what the data means. For example, you may know when shoppers are purchasing or what triggered the purchase – but not how to translate that info into promotional planning or channel strategy.

Here’s where the combination of strong data and expert support makes all the difference.

Let’s say a fictional company sees their campaign drove 20% more add-to-carts after a mid-week email promo. On the surface, it appears the email worked – but it’s the expert analysis that reveals deeper patterns: older households were most influenced, the offer skewed in-store, and shoppers were cherry-picking sale items instead of discovering new products. Now the team can refine messaging, optimize timing, and adjust product bundling to better fit their audience.

How On Demand Talent Helps Turn Insights into Action

Our On Demand professionals don’t just look at what happened – they help you understand why it happened and what to do next.

They’re skilled in:

• Storytelling with data – distilling complex behavior into simple, executive-ready summaries that drive decision-making
• Identifying what moves the needle – focusing on KPIs and touchpoints that have the greatest impact on purchase lift
• Bridging the gap between insights and execution – turning raw data from retail analytics tools into roadmap-ready recommendations

Ultimately, it’s not about adding more layers of data – it’s about making better decisions with what you have. With the support of expert insight professionals, research becomes not just informative, but transformative.