Digital Marketing / April 06, 2023

As a marketer, understanding your consumer base is crucial for creating successful marketing campaigns. 

You may be wondering what kind of information about your potential consumers you need to market effectively, or where to even begin looking for the insights you need.

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Look no further than this ultimate guide to consumer insight research methods, where we’ll break down what information you need, where to find it, and what to do with it once found!

Let’s get into it.

What are Consumer Insights? 

First of all, what exactly is meant by “consumer insights”? Simply put, they’re the information businesses gather about their consumers to understand their needs, behaviors, preferences and ultimately their purchasing decisions. This information can then be used to create more tailored marketing strategies and campaigns, more on that later. 

There are several different ways and platforms to gather consumer insights, and most of them consist of a compiled blend of a few types of data. 

What are the different types of data?

There are two primary types of data sources that are used in creating consumer insights: primary and secondary data. If you know a thing or two about researching, chances are you’ve heard these classifications at some point.

Primary data

Primary data is information that is collected directly from the consumers themselves. This can include data from surveys and focus groups. This type of data is typically regarded as the most valuable source of information because it is gathered directly from the consumer and it is the researcher who does the questioning themselves which allows for very specific, niche queries to be answered.

Secondary Data

Secondary data is information that has been previously collected by someone else. This can include data from sources like Google Analytics, Gartner, Statista, and Google Trends. Meta and Google also share a lot of industry insights on their platforms. 

Secondary data sources can be used in many helpful ways to collect information on consumers. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that not every secondary source is trustworthy, and it’s always advisable to check the credibility of any information obtained from another source. Therefore, if using secondary data, make sure that your sources are as reliable as possible.

How do you collect consumer insights?

There are many ways to collect information about your customers’ interests, preferences and behaviors. Here are some of them.

Surveys

Primary data collection methods like surveys are typically used when there is a need to gather new and specific information that is not readily available through existing sources: exploring a new topic, product or service, or when there are gaps in existing research that need to be addressed. In such cases, survey and primary data can provide valuable insights and information that can inform decision-making.

Surveys can be conducted online, through email, or in person, and can be used to gather information about a wide range of topics, such as customer satisfaction, product usage, and demographics.

One of the downsides of surveys is that they rely on self-reported data, which means that customers may not always accurately report their behaviour or may not fully understand why they behave in a certain way. Additionally, surveys may not capture the nuances of the user experience or provide detailed information on how users navigate a website or app.

When it comes to sending surveys to clients, there are several methods that businesses can use. One common approach is to send surveys via email, either as a standalone email or as part of a larger communication, such as a newsletter. Another option is to include a survey link in the order confirmation or delivery confirmation email after a purchase.

Alternatively, NPS, or Net Promoter Score, is a popular method for measuring customer satisfaction. It involves asking customers how likely they are to recommend the product or service to others, on a scale of 0 to 10. The responses are then used to calculate a score, with higher scores indicating higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Focus Groups

A focus group is a qualitative research method in which a small group of people are brought together to discuss a particular product or service in-depth. The discussion is usually moderated by a facilitator who encourages the group to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences.

Focus groups are useful for getting detailed feedback on a specific topic, such as a new product or marketing campaign.

Real Life User Testing and Heatmaps

Real-life user testing and heat maps are two other alternatives or add-ons to traditional surveys. Real life testing involves observing users as they interact with a product, service or website in a natural setting. This can provide valuable insights into how customers actually use the product or service, as opposed to how they say they use it in a survey or focus group. 

Heatmaps, which track where users click and how they navigate a website or app, can also provide useful data for optimizing the user experience. Several tools are available on the Web to facilitate this kind of testing and the recruitment of guinea pigs, such as Beta Testing.

Heatmaps and real life user testing can be a beneficial addition or alternative to surveys because surveys often have limitations when it comes to understanding how people actually interact with a product or service in the real world. HotJar is a go-to tool when it comes to heat mapping.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a very powerful research tool that can be used to better understand who the users are coming to your website and what their buying journey is. For example, the “user” section provides an overview of the characteristics of your website visitors, including demographic information such as age, gender, geographic location, interests and devices used to access your website. This information can help you better understand your target audience and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.

Using Google Analytics 4, you will also be able to determine the path visitors take through your website and the pages they visit before leaving. The “Acquisition” section also shows how visitors find your website, whether through search engines, social media, or other channels. This information can help you understand which marketing channels are most effective in driving traffic to your site.

Third Party Research

In the absence of large amounts of primary or secondary consumer data, we can obtain valuable knowledge by looking at research conducted by well-established, third-party organizations that have a larger audience. Some great platforms for this specifically are Vividata and Happyfication.

Vividata

Vividata is a survey, founded in Canada, that provides a wide range of Canadian consumer insights, including demographic information, media consumption habits, and purchasing behaviour. 

They run studies across industries of all kinds to be able to assist companies with their marketing, and have data that dates from as far as 40 years ago to the present day. 

Happyfication 

Happyfication, while somewhat similar to Vividata, is a US-based company. They focus on providing consumer insights related to consumer behaviour and preferences. 

Happyfication allows users to better understand their target audiences and media opportunities and how to best drive impact and engagement among both known and discovery audiences. 

How To Use Consumer Data?

When it comes to laws and regulations regarding consumer privacy, data collection can be a little tricky. It is important to always comply with the specific rules and regulations where data collection and usage is concerned. Once collected however, data can be used in many essential ways for marketing purposes.

Identify Trends and Patterns

First and foremost, data is analyzed to identify trends and patterns. It’s then used to develop targeted marketing campaigns. Below are some common ways you can use collected data to identify trends and patterns in your consumer base.

1. Conduct quantitative analysis: With consumer insights, you can analyze the numerical data to identify patterns and trends by use tools like regression analysis, correlation analysis, and time-series analysis to identify patterns and trends in consumer behaviour
2. Conduct qualitative analysis: Qualitative analysis involves analyzing non-numerical data, such as consumer feedback and sentiment. You can use tools like text analytics and sentiment analysis to identify themes and trends in consumer feedback.
3. Use data visualization: Data visualization involves presenting data in a visual format, such as in charts and graphs, which can easily help to identify patterns and trends. Using tools like heat maps, scatter plots, and trend lines is an effective way to use consumer insight data to formulate a marketing strategy.

Build Marketing Strategy

Consumer insights are critical to building an effective marketing strategy. By understanding your customers’ needs, motivations, and behaviours, you can develop messaging, creatives, and platforms that resonate with them and drive engagement.

Here are some ways that consumer insights can help inform your marketing strategy:

1. Messaging: Consumer insights can help you develop messaging that speaks to your customers’ needs, desires, and pain points. For example, if you discover that your customers are motivated by sustainability, you can incorporate messaging about your company’s environmental practices into your marketing materials.
2. Creatives: Consumer insights can also help inform the design and imagery of your marketing materials. By understanding your customers’ preferences, you can create visuals that resonate with them and stand out from competitors.
3. Platforms: Consumer insights can also inform which platforms you use to reach your customers. For example, if you discover that your customers spend a lot of time on social media, you can develop a social media marketing strategy that targets them specifically.

In addition to informing your marketing strategy, consumer insights can also help improve your product and increase user satisfaction. Some ways that consumer insights can do this are as follows:

1. Identify opportunities for improvement: Consumer insights can help you identify areas of your product that are causing frustration or confusion for your customers. By addressing these pain points, you can improve the user experience and increase customer satisfaction
2. Increase user satisfaction: Finally, consumer insights can help you understand what your customers value most about your product. By focusing on those areas and continually improving them, you can increase user satisfaction and build customer loyalty.

To wrap it all up, it is clear that having access to accurate, timely and specific consumer insights are an essential part of building any successful marketing campaign. 

Becoming a company driven by data and statistics typically requires access to many different platforms. There are countless consumer insight resources available today, and it can be difficult to determine which one is right for your business. 

If you think you could use some help with your data analysis or marketing, contact us and allow us to put our expertise to good use!