Big data is one of the most prevalent buzzwords in technology, marketing research, and design – and for good reason. Quantitative, data-based research is an imperative part of any customer journey map to truly understand your customer’s path to purchase, as we’ve discussed in a recent blog post. With the proliferation of high-speed WiFi, smartphones, and free survey tools, quantifiable data has never been easier to collect and analyze.

However, many companies that are looking to gain a better understanding of the motivators, barriers, and detractors in the purchase cycle often overlook a critical part of the customer journey map: real conversions with their customers. Quantifiable, numbers-based data will only tell you half of your customer lifecycle story. To truly capture an end-to-end view of your customers that will help uncover valuable insights to move your bottom line, you must conduct real, in-depth customer interviews via methods like interviews, focus groups, or shop-alongs.

Read on for three reasons why this qualitative research is so vital to your customer journey.

1. You’ll uncover insights that wouldn’t be gathered through quantitative research. During interviews for one retail client that was interested in their customers’ path to purchase, older women let us know that they often have trouble purchasing clothing that they feel fit their personal style. Not only do they frequently only see younger models wearing clothing, but they feel judged by the young retail staff. They feel that if they had access to retail staff that would help them find clothing that made them feel good and would give them candid, real-time feedback, they would buy more and be more brand loyal. This was a powerful insight that could have never been uncovered via quantitative, numbers-based research. To truly understand your customer, you must conduct these conversations and hear their stories
2. Pictures are worth a thousand words. When you have qualitative, candid conversations with your customers, you give them the opportunity to use images and videos to full illustrate their points. Things that are difficult to express in numbers – like how people store a consumer good like cleaning supplies or the hard-to-clean-up situations that require a specific map, or accessories they typically wear with a certain blouse – are accessible thanks to smartphone photos your customers provide. Having images or videos to back up their feelings or thoughts on a certain item can help convey ideas that are difficult to decipher and can better tell their story across your company
3. It’s efficient. The same reasons that quantitative research has grown so easy – smartphones, WiFi, and survey tools – can also be used to power cost-effective qualitative research. High-quality focus groups can be set-up, recruited, and conducted online quickly, easily and affordably.

If you are creating a customer journey, it isn’t complete until you have a comprehensive end-to-end research plan. Gold Research is the leader in in-store, online and at-home research. We have extensive experience in journey mapping, path-to-purchase research, compliance audits, deploying customer intercepts, in-store interviews, and mobile surveys for concept testing, marketing testing, satisfaction research, shopper insights, and mystery shopping. We can also act as an extension of your research team in helping with data processing, analysis, report development, and survey programming. Contact us at 1-800-549-7170 or send us an email for a free 30-minute consultation on this topic.