Not Just Any Answers … The Right Answers

Recently the Q2 Insights team attended a webcast focusing on digital research solutions and the use of specific technologies in data gathering. The case study presented spotlighted the use of web analytics in determining and predicting consumer behavior.

We were informed that the client involved was a cell phone retailer who was seeking to refine its advertising placement strategy by following consumers’ Internet activity over a period of time, then matching this activity to actual purchase behaviors.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of their research campaign, presenters highlighted one particular key finding: Consumers who have recently visited the website of a wireless provider are 400% more likely to purchase a cell phone than consumers who have not visited such a site.

At which point we looked at each other and said, “Duh.”

This is not meant to disparage any of our colleagues but rather bring up what we believe to be a very important point: Gathering data, no matter how cutting-edge the methodology used, is a completely wasted exercise unless this data is useful to the client in terms of meeting their research needs.

In the case above, after months of time and considerable money spent, the client was presented with a finding that he or she could have guessed at for free. Marketing research should be about more than just fancy methodologies, random numbers and percentages, and sharp webcasts. It should be about providing your client with meaningful, actionable data that will translate into demonstrable results.

This article was written by Kirsty Nunez.  Kirsty Nunez is President and Chief Research Strategist at Q2 Insights. Q2 Insights is a market research consulting firm with offices in San Diego and New Orleans. Kirsty can be reached at (760) 230-2950 and kirsty.nunez@q2insights.com. 

This entry was posted in Data Analysis and tagged on November 21, 2011 by Kirsty Nunez