MarketTools Blog

This is Part 2 of a series of Market Research blog posts on Shopper Research; check out Part 1 of the Path to Purchase series.

In a previous post  I discussed the ways that constructing the Path to Purchase for your customers allows you to build a deeper understanding of their motivations and behaviors as they shop for your products.  By understanding the components of the path, you can better strategize ways to maximize a product’s impact upon the consumer at each phase, and ultimately win the sale.

A well-designed survey program can ensure that you successfully collect all the data you need to detail your customers’ Path to Purchase – and here are some tips to help you develop your questionnaire.  

• Get consumers in their purchasing frame of mind.
  Before just diving into your survey questions, it’s important to encourage the respondent to recall all the nuances that go into a shopping experience.  Consider asking a shopper to recall a specific recent shopping occasion in which they bought a particular product.  That way, you can uncover all details of the trip – instead of a watered-down recollection of a more general shopping experience that might miss some subtle, but important, steps.  It can be useful to ask the respondent to describe the shopping trip in a detailed paragraph at the beginning of the survey, in order to jog their memory and make the most of the subsequent questions.
• Understand that your consumer base may not be as interested in the category as you are!
  In designing the survey experience, remember that not all products are as exciting to talk about as new cars, plasma TVs, or vacation packages.  In fact, some consumers may tell you something like, “It’s just kitty litter (or another category)…don’t overanalyze it.” But therein lies the challenge. We need to extract as much quality path-to-purchase information as possible while being reasonable to the respondent (especially those that may be lighter category users).  Explain the need for in-depth detail to respondents and they’ll be better inclined to give more thoughtful answers.  Mix some interactive elements into the survey experience to make it more engaging – such as “virtual shelf” technologies that provide an online retail environment so respondents can shop for products like they would in the real world.  And don’t forget basic survey principles such as keeping the questionnaire length manageable and providing a fair incentive in return for the consumer’s time.
• Create an exhaustive series of questions to uncover as many of elements along the Path to Purchase as possible. 
  The path likely includes marketing touchpoints such as advertising, “triggers” that create the need for the purchase, steps such as gathering information or collecting coupons, and the actual physical route through the store to the product and to checkout.  Be sure to ask about the dynamics behind the shopping trip – was it a quick in-and-out trip or a trip to stock up on supplies; an impulse buy or a planned purchase?  You’ll be able to refine or supplement your question set as you learn more about your customers.  
• Include an open-ended question asking for anything else consumers would like to tell you about their personal path.
  Even the most air-tight survey might leave out certain elements that the respondent was not able to relate during the survey.  Give the consumer the opportunity to let you know if they have some great ideas on how to improve the path.
• Consider recruiting for a follow-up study. 
  When you analyze the data you’ve collected, you’ll likely uncover some interesting findings worthy of a follow-up survey.  There won’t be a better time than the current survey to recruit respondents interested in being re-contacted for further research.  Provide your respondent with the heads-up, and you’ll increase the likelihood that they’ll participate again.

Coming up:  I’ll discuss tips on analyzing and interpreting your path-to-purchase data for maximum impact in part 3 of this series.  Check back soon!