Wearable market research

The limitations of traditional market research, when applied to customer decision making are well documented. Face-to-face groups are subject to dominant voices, an instinct to please the questioner and the behavioural bias towards herding leading to collective views.

The effect of these limitations can to some extent be offset by clever facilitation. But the biggest problem remains – that groups are too far removed from actual customer experience. Even the use of clip board surveys at shop exists still do not get close enough to the moments that matter.

People post-rationalise their purchases and so do not relate their actual decision making process. To get really reliable decision making research, you need to get right to the moment of decision.

The smartphone has extended the reach of research right to the decision point, from aisles of supermarkets to garage forecourts. Liveminds’ platform enables customers to record their actual decision process on their phones using voice, video or text. This sort of insight is invaluable to brands jostling for customer attention. It is also part of a trend that will be continued by Wearable Technology.

Wearable technology is currently most evident as activity trackers, smart watches and now Google Glasses. The technology incorporated in such devices includes accelerometers to track movement and GPS to track location, like a smartphone, but can also include sensors to constantly track such things as health. So wearable technology can track not just the location and steps of a person, but also whether that person is anxious or thirsty. This data can be linked to external data like temperature. So a customer can be getting thirsty while shopping on a High Street in hot weather and a brand could suggest a refreshing drink from a nearby cafe/store/vending machine.

Wearable Technology holds out the real potential of the ultimate personalised customer understanding allowing their decision making not only to be understood by brands, but anticipated. The possibilities are immense and a far cry from a sterile and stuffy meeting room full of strangers in a focus group.