Teams with clear insights on how their customers or clients interact with their brand can make stronger action plans.
A study by Accenture found that 97% of executives surveyed agree that digital transformation is helpful, but not enough. One of the report’s top recommendations for achieving growth and relevance is to “gain a profound understanding of people. This “life-centricity” approach as Accenture calls it will help brands outpace the growth of their competition by 9% annually.1
Focusing on people highlights the value of building a program that blends qualitative and quantitative research to better understand shopper mindsets. As Melissa Richardson, a colleague, recently noted, “For a brand to resonate with me, it needs to simplify the tasks I have to do outside of work so I can maximize the time I spend with my family.” Consumers value brands that prioritize their needs and offer solutions that make life easier. (Read Melissa’s blog on how brands can match emotional mindsets.)
Assess how your brand lines up with what your customers want.
How do brands gain shopper mindset insights? It starts with a holistic, multi-faceted research approach to create a clear picture of where your brand stands today. It’s essential to assess and quantify:
- How your brand and key product lines are perceived in the marketplace.
- What consumers think and feel about your brand versus the competition.
- The areas where your brand has the most impact on customers.
Taking an honest inventory of your brand’s position helps identify strengths, trust factors, and opportunities for improvement. This foundational understanding sets the stage for exploring consumer motivations and behaviors in greater detail. Analyzing your customer journey provides clarity on the pivotal moments that influence decision-making. Quantitative methods, such as surveys and data analysis, provide a baseline understanding of how your brand is currently experienced and where improvements can be made.
Bridge the gaps with qualitative insights.
Once you’ve established a quantitative foundation, it’s time to dig deeper into the “why” behind the numbers. Qualitative research helps uncover the emotions, motivations, and behaviors that drive shopper decisions. Techniques such as in-depth interviews (IDIs), shop-alongs, and mobile ethnography provide an opportunity to experience the customer journey firsthand.
For example, shop-alongs allow researchers to observe how customers interact with products in real-time, offering valuable context that complements numerical data. Mobile ethnography tools enable consumers to document their shopping experiences through photos and videos, providing unfiltered insights into their mindset and decision-making process.
These methods reveal the nuances of how customers navigate their journey and why they choose certain brands over others. A qualitative layer adds depth and Voice of the Customer Insights that validate and further explain the quantitative data, enabling brands to craft highly personalized strategies that resonate with their audience.
To rise above the competition, make your activation strategy personal.
Understanding customer mindset isn’t a one-time effort. It requires ongoing research and a commitment to putting customers at the center of your strategy. By making customer insights an integral part of your brand health and CX programs, you’ll gain a continuous advantage over competitors. Brands that succeed in this area build customer loyalty by consistently delivering value and aligning their offerings with shopper needs.
As Accenture highlights, companies that deeply understand their customers will outperform competitors and drive sustainable growth. However, achieving this requires more than just data—it demands a company-wide ethos centered on understanding and serving customers. By blending quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, brands can rise above the competition and build meaningful connections that make customers or clients feel they can’t do without them.
Do you need help designing a holistic customer insights program?
1. The Life-Centricity Playbook, Accenture, 2022
