Blog
The Buzz from the QRCA 2023 Conference
We had a great time at QRCA’s annual conference in Charlotte. Six things stood out to us, including the qual industry’s reaction to AI, Gen Z & Alpha’s attitudes about data privacy and the reason empathy is more important than ever.
Your Employees Have Feelings Too
Asking how employees feel about your brand is important, but it puts the brand at the center of the conversation. Asking employees how your company makes them feel is a different question – and it can uncover opportunities for improvements in everything from retention and recruitment to internal communication and HR processes.
5 Questions We Ask at the Start of Every Project
Here are five questions that you can expect us to ask at the start of a project.
3 Times When a Survey’s Not Enough
Often surveys are the first thing that comes to mind when “customer insights” or “employee research” are mentioned. But surveys are not always the best tool for the job. An experienced research partner can help determine the right approach based on the specific questions you need to answer.
Quali-Quant: The Best of Both Worlds (and Very Fun to Say!)
Part qualitative, part quantitative. A quali-quant approach takes the best of each methodology and integrates them, producing results that are truly greater than the sum of its parts.
How to Approach Your 2023 Research Budget
‘Tis the season when we all set our sights on the possibilities of the year to come. The new year is an opportunity to assess our accomplishments, set new goals and focus on new challenges. And now is when you should be earmarking part of next year’s budget for consumer research.
4 Places Where Qualitative Research Can Make You A Better Marketer
Qualitative research (collecting and analyzing non-numerical data to understand how people think, feel or behave) can help marketers answer key questions about brand, product, loyalty and digital touchpoints.
Can’t I Just Do My Own Stakeholder Interviews?
Partnering with experts for stakeholder interviews will reduce bias, bolster credibility, produce better data, save you time and ill set you up for more successful results.
The Power of “I Don’t Know”
It is so easy to let emotions take over when faced with a new or unfamiliar situation. But what if we put aside all of the emotion and ego and simply responded with the truth?
When Qualitative Research Is the Best Choice
Qualitative research works especially well when trying to innovate, moving into a new space (where you don’t have much historical knowledge) or seeking to understand your audience’s unmet needs.
Don’t Get Caught on Mount Stupid
If you are not actively learning about your customers, you risk approaching your business problems from a place of false security. Armed with ongoing insights, you will be able to make better decisions for your brand and avoid getting stuck on Mount Stupid.
Does anyone still do in-person focus groups?
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people used to leave their homes and gather in nondescript rooms around large tables to participate in face-to-face conversations with strangers…
It might sound like a fairytale, but for decades, researchers would travel from market to market, facilitating in-person, group conversations aimed at learning what people thought about a company, brand or product. What I’m describing are focus groups.
5 Times You (Really) Need Consumer Research
Talking to customers is always a good idea, but for many business leaders, it can be hard to know when to make the investment. Here are just a few signs that it’s time to do consumer research…
Employee Engagement Results Are In: Now What?
Too often, organizations conduct an employee engagement survey but then leave digging deeper into the data and determining how to best affect change up to individual leaders. Employee engagement focus groups help leaders more efficiently create an action plan by identifying the wins and opportunities that are most important to the team and effective ways to solve key issues.
4 Ways to Cultivate Your Brand’s Curiosity
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of doing so here are four ways to intentionally cultivate curiosity.
Exploration vs. Validation (and why you need to know the difference)
Learning how to bake bread is different than deciding which kind of bread is your favorite. Researching destinations for your next vacation is different than trying to find the cheapest airfare to get you there. In each scenario, you have different questions and need different answers.
Same goes for custom research. “We’re losing market share and need to innovate ASAP!” makes for a drastically different project than “We need to know which design best resonates with our target audience.”
Don’t Let Data Destroy Your Sense of Curiosity
We are surrounded by more data than we can ever dream of consuming, yet the seemingly endless supply of information actually threatens curiosity.
Refocus Your Team on the Now Times Customer
Picture yourself in December 2019.
Then in April 2020.
And now think about what your life is like today.
No surprise: it’s different. The pandemic has accelerated change in every aspect of our lives and as a result, a lot of our perceptions and behaviors have changed. And yet…we talk to clients all the time who are still operating from a pre-pandemic understanding of their customers.
Your Next Big Idea Might Come from Your Customers
Trend reports, market predictions and the latest technology are important when you’re trying to generate new ideas. In fact, most innovation teams feast on these inputs, as they offer inspiration at the highest level. Unfortunately, these same teams often overlook the more tangible, virtually bottomless well of inspiration standing in front of them: their customers.
Going Beyond Net Promoter Score
The promise of Net Promoter Score (NPS) is great: A single metric that can both evaluate the success of your brand AND predict growth! It's no wonder that so many brands use it.