Sun Tzu once said, “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” While the quote from this ancient Chinese military strategist is about tactical warfare, it also highlights the importance of understanding your place in the market and the competition you face. 

In today’s world of global e-commerce, where sales amounted to over $5.7 trillion in 2022, businesses must conduct a competitive analysis to gain an edge. This article will delve into the essential steps of competitive analysis and show you how to leverage the insights gained to enhance your brand or product’s market position. Whether you’re a marketer, brand manager, or product manager, this post will provide the knowledge and tools to evaluate your business’s performance and stay ahead of the competition.

Identifying Competitors

The first step in conducting a competitive analysis is identifying your competitors. This includes direct competitors who offer similar products or services and indirect competitors who offer substitutes or alternatives to your offerings.

A direct competitor is a business that offers similar products or services and targets the same customer segments as another business. Direct competitors are often in direct competition for customers and market share. For example, Nike and Adidas are direct competitors in the athletic footwear and apparel market. Both companies offer similar products, such as running shoes, athletic wear, and accessories, and target the same customer segments, including athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

An indirect competitor is a business that offers products or services that are not the same as another business but still competes for customers in the same market. Indirect competitors can offer substitute products or services or cater to a slightly different customer segment. For example, Uber and public transportation services are indirect competitors. While they offer different products and services, they still compete for customers who need to travel from one place to another. In some cases, customers may choose to take public transportation instead of Uber, or vice versa, depending on convenience, cost, and availability.

One way to identify your competitors is to research your industry and market. Look for companies with similar products or services and a similar target audience. You can also ask your customers who they consider as alternatives to your brand or product.

Another method is to use online tools such as Google Trends, SEMrush, or SimilarWeb. These tools allow you to analyze the search volume and traffic of your competitors’ websites and their social media presence and marketing tactics.

Once you have identified your competitors, you must classify them and understand their strengths and weaknesses. This will help you gain insights into their strategies and how they are positioning themselves in the market. For example, if you’re a fitness app, your direct competitors may include other fitness apps such as Fitbit and MyFitnessPal, while your indirect competitors may include gyms or personal trainers. 

Understanding your competitors’ pricing strategies, marketing tactics, and features can help you differentiate your brand and attract more customers. A Harvard Business Review article emphasizes the importance of understanding competitors: “It’s not enough to know who your competitors are. You need to know how they think, what drives them, their goals and values, and their strengths and weaknesses.” By conducting a thorough competitive analysis, you can gain valuable insights into your competitors and use them to improve your business strategy.

Analyzing Competitors

Once you have identified your competitors, the next step is thoroughly analyzing their business strategy. This includes researching their products or services, pricing strategies, marketing tactics, and overall market position.

One way to analyze your competitors is to visit their websites and social media profiles. Look at the design and layout of their website, the features of their products or services, and their pricing strategy. Also, pay attention to their social media presence, including the type of content they share, how often they post, and their engagement with customers.

Another method is to purchase or use your competitors’ products or services. This will give you firsthand experience with their offerings and allow you to identify areas where you can differentiate your brand or product.

Additionally, you can conduct a SWOT analysis of your competitors. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can identify areas to improve your business strategy by analyzing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, you can adapt your approach to changing market conditions by identifying opportunities and threats.

For example, let’s say you’re a restaurant owner, and your competitor is a nearby restaurant that offers similar cuisine. By analyzing their pricing strategy, menu offerings, and customer reviews, you discover they offer a more extensive menu and are priced slightly higher than your restaurant. You can use this information to differentiate your brand by providing a unique menu with higher-quality ingredients at a competitive price.

Evaluating Your Position

After analyzing your competitors, you must compare your position and strengths. This will help you identify areas where you can improve your business strategy and differentiate your brand or product from the competition.

One way to evaluate your position is to conduct a SWOT analysis of your business. This includes identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify areas to improve your business strategy. Similarly, you can adapt your strategy to changing market conditions by identifying opportunities and threats.

Another method is to analyze your customer feedback and reviews. Look for areas where your customers are particularly satisfied and where they think you can improve. This will give you insights into your strengths and weaknesses and help you understand how you’re perceived in the market.

Additionally, you can evaluate your pricing strategy and marketing tactics. Are you offering competitive prices for your products or services? Are your marketing efforts effective in reaching your target audience? By evaluating these aspects of your business, you can identify areas to improve and differentiate your brand.

For example, let’s say you’re a tech company that offers a productivity app. After analyzing your competitors, you may find that your app offers similar features to your competitors but at a lower price point. You can use this information to differentiate your brand by emphasizing the value of your app and targeting price-sensitive customers.

As business strategist Jay Abraham once said, “Your competitors can teach you everything you need to know about your own customers.” By evaluating your position and strengths compared to your competitors, you can gain valuable insights that will help you improve your business strategy and attract more customers.

Creating an Action Plan

Once you have conducted a competitive analysis and evaluated your position, it’s time to create an action plan leveraging the insights gained. An action plan should be a detailed roadmap of the steps you need to take to improve your brand or product’s market position.

One way to create an action plan is to prioritize the insights gained from your competitive analysis and evaluation. For example, if you’ve identified a weakness in your pricing strategy, you may prioritize adjusting your prices to be more competitive. Similarly, if you’ve identified an opportunity to target a new customer segment, you may prioritize developing a new marketing campaign to appeal to that segment.

Another method is to set specific goals and metrics to track progress. For example, if you’ve identified a weakness in your customer service, you may aim to improve your customer satisfaction ratings by a certain percentage within a specific timeframe.

It’s also important to allocate resources and assign responsibilities to implement the action plan effectively. This includes assigning tasks to specific team members, determining the budget required, and establishing timelines for each step of the plan.

A report by Forbes emphasizes the importance of having a concrete action plan, stating, “The key to success in competitive analysis is to turn insights into action.” By creating a detailed action plan, you can ensure that the insights gained from the competitive analysis are used to drive tangible results and improvements to your business.

The Importance of Regular Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis is not a one-time event but a continuous process that should be conducted regularly. The market constantly changes, and new competitors and trends can emerge at any time. Regular competitive analysis can help businesses stay ahead and adapt their strategy to changing market conditions.

One way to stay on top of the competition is to set up a system for continuously monitoring and analyzing your competitors. This includes tracking their pricing strategy, product offerings, marketing campaigns, and customer feedback. By monitoring your competitors, you can identify changes in the market and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Regular competitive analysis also helps businesses identify potential threats and opportunities in the market. For example, if a new competitor enters the market, regular analysis can help you identify its strengths and weaknesses and adjust your strategy to compete effectively.

Additionally, regular competitive analysis can help businesses identify areas to improve their strategy. By analyzing your competitors’ strengths, you can identify areas where you may fall short and adjust your strategy accordingly.

A Real-Life Example of Competitive Analysis

Let’s take a look at a real-life example of how competitive analysis can help brands improve their market position:

Airbnb and Hotels

Airbnb and hotels are two accommodation options for travelers. Airbnb, founded in 2008, offers an online platform for people to rent out their homes, apartments, and other spaces to travelers. On the other hand, hotels offer traditional accommodation in a dedicated facility with various amenities and services.

SWOT Analysis of Airbnb

Strengths:

  1. Unique experiences: Airbnb offers unique and authentic experiences for travelers by allowing them to stay in local homes and neighborhoods.
  2. Low prices: Airbnb offers lower prices than traditional hotels, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious travelers.
  3. Innovative technology: Airbnb uses innovative technology, such as its search algorithm and messaging system, to enhance the customer experience.

Weaknesses:

  1. Quality control: Airbnb’s reliance on individual hosts can lead to inconsistent quality and standards across its listings.
  2. Legal and regulatory challenges: Airbnb has faced legal and regulatory challenges in several cities, which can limit its growth opportunities.
  3. Limited services: Airbnb offers limited services compared to hotels, such as room service and housekeeping.

Opportunities:

  1. Expansion into new markets: Airbnb can expand its offerings to include new types of accommodations, such as boutique hotels or bed and breakfasts.
  2. Partnerships with tourism boards: Airbnb can partner with tourism boards to promote local tourism and offer unique experiences.
  3. Personalization: Airbnb can use data and technology to personalize its offerings and customer recommendations.

Threats:

  1. Competition from traditional hotels: Traditional hotels are increasing their focus on offering unique and authentic experiences to compete with Airbnb.
  2. Safety concerns: Safety concerns like theft and vandalism can impact the customer experience and damage Airbnb’s reputation.
  3. Economic downturns: Economic downturns can impact travel and tourism, impacting Airbnb’s business.

SWOT Analysis of Hotels:

Strengths:

  1. Established brand reputation: Hotels have a well-established brand reputation and are a trusted accommodation option for travelers.
  2. Wide range of services and amenities: Hotels offer a wide range of services and amenities, such as room service and housekeeping, to enhance the customer experience.
  3. Consistent quality: Hotels offer consistent quality and standards across their properties.

Weaknesses:

  1. High prices: Hotels can be more expensive than other accommodation options, making them less attractive to budget-conscious travelers.
  2. Lack of personalization: Hotels can be less personalized than Airbnb, as they offer a more standardized experience.
  3. Limited local experiences: Hotels can lack the unique local experiences that Airbnb offers, as they are often located in tourist areas.

Opportunities:

  1. Focus on unique experiences: Hotels can offer unique and authentic experiences to compete with Airbnb.
  2. Partnerships with local businesses: Hotels can partner with local companies to offer unique experiences and enhance the customer experience.
  3. Personalization: Hotels can use data and technology to personalize their offerings and customer recommendations.

Threats:

  1. Competition from Airbnb: Airbnb’s unique offerings and lower prices can attract customers away from traditional hotels.
  2. Economic downturns: Economic downturns can impact travel and tourism, impacting hotels’ business.
  3. Safety concerns: Safety concerns, such as crime and terrorism, can impact the customer experience and damage hotels’ reputations.

When Airbnb entered the market, it disrupted the traditional hotel industry. Initially, hotels underestimated Airbnb’s impact and did not conduct a competitive analysis to understand the company’s strategy. 

However, as Airbnb’s popularity grew, hotels began recognizing the threat and adapted their strategy to compete. Hotels started to offer more unique and local experiences to attract customers, a strategy that Airbnb had successfully implemented. Additionally, hotels invested in technology to enhance the guest experience and offer more personalized service. 

Some hotels also started to offer short-term rentals and home-sharing services to compete with Airbnb directly.

One example of a hotel that successfully adapted its strategy to compete with Airbnb is Marriott International. In 2019, Marriott launched its Homes & Villas program, offering high-end home rentals in more than 100 destinations worldwide. By providing unique and local experiences, personalized service, and home-like amenities, Marriott was able to attract customers who might otherwise have booked with Airbnb.

Overall, the success of Airbnb has demonstrated the importance of conducting competitive analysis and staying up-to-date on industry trends and developments. By understanding the competition and adapting their strategy accordingly, brands can stay ahead of the curve and drive business success.

Lessons Learned

The case study of Airbnb vs. hotels provides valuable lessons for businesses in any industry. Here are a few key takeaways:

  1. Disruption can come from unexpected sources: Hotels initially underestimated Airbnb’s impact and did not conduct competitive analysis to understand the company’s strategy. As a result, they were caught off guard when Airbnb disrupted the industry.
  2. Adaptability is key: Hotels eventually adapted their strategy to compete with Airbnb, offering more unique and local experiences to attract customers. This shows the importance of adaptability and willingness to change your strategy when faced with new competitors or market conditions.
  3. Customer preferences are changing: Airbnb’s success is partly due to customers’ changing preferences, who are increasingly seeking unique and authentic experiences. This highlights the importance of understanding your customers’ preferences and adapting your strategy to meet their needs.
  4. Innovation can create new opportunities: Airbnb’s success has created new opportunities for other businesses, such as property management companies specializing in short-term rentals. This shows the potential for innovation to develop new business models and opportunities in any industry.

In conclusion, the case study of Airbnb vs. hotels highlights the importance of conducting competitive analysis, being adaptable, understanding customers’ preferences, and embracing innovation. By applying these lessons to your brand, you can stay ahead of the competition and drive business success.

Examples of Successful Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis is a powerful tool that can help businesses gain a competitive advantage in their industry. Here are a few examples of companies that have successfully used competitive analysis to improve their strategy and gain a stronger market position:

  1. Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi: For decades, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been locked in fierce competition for market share. In the early 2000s, Coca-Cola conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis of Pepsi, analyzing everything from its marketing campaigns to its pricing strategy. As a result, Coca-Cola developed a new marketing campaign emphasizing the brand’s history and nostalgia, which helped them gain a stronger foothold in the market.
  2. Netflix vs. Blockbuster: In the early 2000s, Netflix was a relatively unknown startup that offered a subscription-based DVD rental service. At the time, Blockbuster was the dominant player in the video rental market. However, Netflix conducted a thorough competitive analysis of Blockbuster, identifying weaknesses in its strategy and opportunities for growth. Netflix then shifted its focus to streaming video, which ultimately allowed them to overtake Blockbuster and become the dominant player in the market.
  3. Amazon vs. Barnes & Noble: In the 1990s, Barnes & Noble was the largest bookstore chain in the United States. However, with the rise of e-commerce, Amazon quickly emerged as a formidable competitor. Amazon conducted a thorough competitive analysis of Barnes & Noble, identifying opportunities to improve their online shopping experience and offer a wider selection of products. As a result, Amazon was able to outmaneuver Barnes & Noble and become the dominant player in the book industry.

Tools and Resources for Conducting Competitive Analysis

Conducting competitive analysis can be a complex and time-consuming process. Fortunately, many tools and resources are available to help brands conduct competitive analysis effectively. Here are a few examples:

  1. Competitive analysis templates: Many business and marketing websites offer free or paid templates for conducting competitive analysis. These templates provide a framework for identifying and analyzing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats in the market.
  2. Industry reports: Industry reports provide valuable data and insights into the competitive landscape of a particular industry. These reports may include information on market share, pricing trends, consumer preferences, and more. They can be purchased from market research firms or industry associations.
  3. Online tools: Many online tools are available to help businesses conduct competitive analysis, such as SEMrush for analyzing online advertising and search engine rankings and SimilarWeb for analyzing website traffic and engagement.
  4. Social media analytics: Social media platforms offer valuable data on customer sentiment, engagement, and trends. You can gain insights into your marketing strategy and customer preferences by analyzing your competitors’ social media presence.
  5. Market Research Agencies: Hiring an expert market research agency can be a valuable investment for businesses that lack the expertise or resources to conduct competitive analysis in-house. Agencies can provide a deep understanding of your industry and competitors and insights into emerging trends and opportunities.

Tips for Staying Ahead of the Competition

Conducting competitive analysis is an essential part of developing a successful business strategy. However, it’s not enough to simply analyze your competitors – you also need to use the insights gained to stay ahead of the competition. Here are a few tips for staying ahead:

  1. Stay up-to-date on industry trends: Keeping up with the latest trends and developments in your industry can help you anticipate changes in the market and stay ahead of the competition. Subscribe to industry newsletters, attend conferences and trade shows, and follow industry leaders on social media to stay informed.
  2. Focus on customer needs: While it’s essential to understand your competitors’ strategies, it’s even more critical to understand your customers’ needs and preferences. Conducting market research and gathering customer feedback can help you tailor your products and services to meet their needs and gain a competitive edge.
  3. Invest in innovation: Innovation can help you differentiate your business and stay ahead of the competition. Invest in research and development, experiment with new technologies and business models, and encourage a culture of innovation within your organization.
  4. Build strong partnerships: Building strong partnerships with other businesses can help you expand your reach and offer more value to your customers. Look for opportunities to partner with companies that complement your own, such as suppliers, distributors, or complementary service providers.
  5. Embrace change: Finally, it’s essential to be flexible and adaptable in the face of change. The business landscape is constantly evolving, and it’s important to be willing to pivot your strategy when necessary to stay ahead of the competition.

Challenges and Limitations of Competitive Analysis

While competitive analysis is a valuable tool for businesses to evaluate their position in the market and gain a competitive advantage, it’s essential to approach this process with a critical and realistic perspective. Here are a few challenges and limitations of competitive analysis:

  1. Difficulty obtaining accurate data: Competitors may not always disclose accurate or complete information about their strategy or performance. This can make it challenging to get accurate data and insights about their strengths and weaknesses.
  2. Risk of focusing too much on competitors: Focusing too much on competitors can sometimes lead businesses to overlook the needs and preferences of their customers. It’s essential to strike a balance between understanding your competitors’ strategies and staying focused on your value proposition.
  3. Limitations of industry reports: While they can provide valuable data and insights into the competitive landscape, industry reports may not always be up-to-date or relevant to your business. It’s vital to supplement industry reports with independent research and analysis.
  4. Rapidly changing market conditions: The business landscape constantly evolves, and competitors may adopt new strategies or technologies that disrupt the market. It’s important to stay agile and adaptable in the face of change and to update your competitive analysis to reflect new developments regularly.
  5. Risk of overreliance on competitive analysis: Competitive analysis is just one tool in a business’s arsenal. It’s crucial to supplement competitive analysis with other types of research, such as customer feedback and market research, to gain a complete picture of the market and stay ahead of the competition.

Future Trends in Competitive Analysis

As the business landscape evolves, new trends and technologies change how businesses conduct competitive analysis. Here are a few emerging trends to watch:

  1. Artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing many aspects of business, including competitive analysis. AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns and trends that human analysts might miss. They can also provide real-time insights into competitors’ pricing strategies, marketing campaigns, and more.
  2. Social media analytics: Social media platforms offer a wealth of data on customer sentiment, engagement, and trends. By analyzing this data, businesses can gain insights into their competitors’ marketing strategies and customer preferences. Social media analytics tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it easier for companies to conduct competitive analyses on these platforms.
  3. Predictive analytics: Predictive analytics uses data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify future outcomes based on historical data. This technology is becoming increasingly important in competitive analysis, allowing businesses to anticipate changes in the market and stay ahead of the competition.
  4. Big data analytics: The amount of data available to businesses is growing exponentially, and big data analytics is becoming increasingly important in competitive analysis. Big data analytics tools can help companies to identify patterns and trends in large data sets, providing valuable insights into competitors’ strategies and market trends.
  5. Collaboration and knowledge sharing: Finally, business collaboration and knowledge sharing are becoming increasingly important in competitive analysis. By sharing information and insights with other businesses in their industry, companies can gain a more complete picture of the market and identify opportunities for growth and innovation.

The Role of Market Research in Competitive Analysis

Market research plays a critical role in competitive analysis. By gathering data on customer needs and preferences, market trends, and competitor strategies, businesses can gain valuable insights into the competitive landscape and develop a strategy that sets them apart. Here are a few reasons why outsourcing market research to an external agency can be a good idea:

  1. Access to expertise and resources: Market research agencies specialize in gathering and analyzing data and have access to sophisticated tools and resources for conducting research. By outsourcing market research to an external agency, businesses can tap into this expertise and gain a complete picture of the market.
  2. Objectivity and impartiality: Market research agencies are independent from the businesses they serve, which allows them to provide unbiased and objective insights into the market. This can be especially valuable in competitive analysis, where an objective perspective is critical for identifying strengths and weaknesses in the market.
  3. Cost-effectiveness: Conducting market research in-house can be expensive, especially for small businesses. Outsourcing market research to an external agency can be cost-effective, as agencies can provide access to tools and expertise that might otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
  4. Time-saving: Market research can be time-consuming, especially for businesses with limited resources. Outsourcing market research to an external agency frees up time and resources to focus on other aspects of their strategy.
  5. Flexibility: Market research agencies can offer various research services, from online surveys to focus groups to ethnographic research. This allows businesses to choose the best research methods for their needs and budget.

Outsourcing market research to an external agency can be a good idea for brands looking to conduct competitive analysis. By tapping into market research agencies’ expertise, resources, and objectivity, businesses can gain valuable insights into the market and develop a strategy that sets them apart from the competition.

Key Takeaways

Competitive analysis is a valuable tool for brands seeking a competitive advantage in their industry. By identifying their competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the market, businesses can develop a strategy that sets them apart from the competition. However, it’s essential to approach competitive analysis with a critical and realistic perspective and use the insights gained to inform your strategy and decision-making effectively.

  • Competitive analysis is valuable for gaining a competitive advantage in your industry.
  • It’s essential to balance understanding your competitors’ strategies and staying focused on your value proposition.
  • Market research is critical in competitive analysis, and outsourcing to an external agency can be a cost-effective and efficient solution.
  • Businesses should stay up-to-date on emerging trends and technologies in competitive analysis, such as artificial intelligence and social media analytics.
  • Finally, businesses should be flexible and adaptable in the face of change and regularly update their competitive analysis to reflect new developments in the market.
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Consumer behavior is shifting more rapidly and drastically than ever before. Brands are trying to keep up with massive changes in consumer behavior and preferences in virtually every sector, from groceries and fitness to banking and finance. Consumers continue to pivot their preferences and priorities with uncertainty, inflation, and an economic downturn. 

In the early days of the pandemic, an uncertain and dismal picture caused anxiety and depression, which led to panic buying globally. Those were short-term behaviors and did not last. However, many massive shifts due to the pandemic have stuck, including online shopping and the need for speed, efficiency, and convenience. 

The pandemic has changed certain habits for the long haul, with many consumers going to stores less frequently than before. Buyers are now more comfortable shopping online, and most consumers prefer a hybrid shopping experience combining the physical and digital worlds as convenience becomes paramount.

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With the growth of online shopping and technological advancements making online shopping as personalized as a store visit, consumers are exploring options beyond traditional brick-and-mortar stores and looking for a complete experience, be it physical, online, or hybrid. Businesses must adapt quickly to these changes and shifts in consumer preferences to remain competitive in a dynamic and ever-changing market. These changes have been taking place for some time, but the pandemic accelerated the rate of change unexpectedly. 

Some of the consumer behaviors that have drastically shifted post-pandemic are food and grocery delivery services. In the U.S., consumers did not regularly use grocery delivery services. According to some reports, about 15 percent of U.S. consumers tried grocery delivery services for the first time due to the pandemic, about 80 percent of those first-timers liked the service, and 40 percent said they would continue using it post-pandemic. 

While convenience and safety were the two reasons delivery services skyrocketed during the pandemic, the price will likely supersede convenience as we enter a time of out-of-control inflation. Consumers will try to make their money stretch further because savvy consumers know the premium they pay for using delivery services like Instacart. 

In this new economy, will they still be comfortable paying a premium and missing out on discounts for fuel when they don’t shop in person? 

Food delivery services also became more popular worldwide, and the takeout and delivery trend was rising. However, as people returned to in-person dining, food delivery apps took a hit. These apps will also follow the same path as grocery delivery services because when consumers buy from DoorDash, the prices are higher, and they cannot use vouchers. 

Many big retailers like Walmart are following shifts in consumer behavior by offering pick-up and delivery with no markup on prices. Other delivery apps are double-dipping on price, and the consumer pays more than they would in the store. 

Brands need to understand that just as convenience and safety were top priorities during the pandemic, consumers prioritize value and price over everything else, given the current economic environment. 

The fitness market is also seeing massive shifts, and consumers now want an omnichannel approach to fitness, where they use at-home gym equipment and online classes and apps in combination with in-person classes. 

Many e-commerce brands capitalized on creating connections with their consumers by using hand-written-style notes to add to the unboxing experience.

Beauty and fashion brands made it easier for consumers to shop online by using machine learning and artificial intelligence to offer personalized suggestions, experiences, and Virtual try-on sessions using Virtual Reality to mirror an in-store experience. 

Brands need access to high-quality consumer data, insights, and business Intelligence to stay in the game, meet customers’ demands, and outpace the competition.  

In any business environment, enterprises need to clearly understand the psychology behind why consumers behave the way they do. Consumer behavior is the study of consumers and analyzes how consumers decide what to buy, when, and how to buy. It seeks to understand the psychology behind consumers’ needs, wants, and desires and how they purchase, use and dispose of products and services. 

This study is critical because it helps brands understand the motivations and influences behind their purchases. It allows brands and marketers to develop the right products for the right audiences and market the product with the right messaging to convert prospects into buyers and retain them over time. 

Several factors come into play during the purchase decision stage, and these may include personal (age, culture, values, beliefs), psychological (brand perception), or social (friends, family, influencers, social media).

There are four types of consumer behavior:

  1. Complex buying behavior

This type of buying behavior is associated with big-ticket purchases, like buying a home or a car, where consumers invest a lot of time and energy. 

2. Dissonance-reducing buying behavior

This type of consumer behavior is often seen when a consumer is highly involved in the buying process but takes longer than usual because they do not want to regret the decision. This happens when multiple brands are very similar, and choosing one is tricky.

3. Variety-seeking behavior

This behavior is exhibited by consumers who opt for a different brand, even if they were happy with their previous purchases because they value variety.

4. Habitual buying behavior

Consumers that purchase the same brand because of habit rather than brand loyalty are in this category. 

A grasp of the type of consumers your brand attracts will allow you to segment your market based on consumer characteristics.  

Marketers also need to understand buying roles and who is the decision maker regarding their specific product. In a family, for instance, the parents make major buying decisions; however, in some cases, young children are highly influential in the decision. In fact, unlike in the past, the younger cohorts, Generation Alpha (those born after 2010) and Gen Zs (those born between 1995-2010), make many important buying decisions regarding what they wear, eat, or travel. 

There are six major buying roles brands need to take into consideration:

  1. Influencer(s): Several people may be involved in the purchase decision in many cases, but they may not all be consumers. Influencers are those who can exert influence in the final decision. These could be bloggers in today’s world or friends and family whose advice commands weightage in the purchase decision. 
  2. Gatekeepers are usually family members who control the information flow regarding a product within a household. 
  3. Initiator: This is the person who first initiates the purchase idea. 
  4. Decider: This person has the final say in the purchase decision and decides whether or not to buy the product. He also may determine how and where to buy it. 
  5. Buyer: This is the person who ends up buying the product.
  6. User: This is the person who consumes or uses the product purchased. 

Consumer behavior helps with market segmentation, as it goes beyond the essential demographic elements like age, gender, and location to explore the behavior patterns customers exhibit when interacting with a particular product, brand, or website. This concept is instrumental in e-commerce and online shopping environments. 

Here’s how e-commerce brands use consumer behavior to segment customers and users based on their level of engagement with the website, app, or product page. 

They segment or group their customers by their attitude toward their brand, level of brand recognition, usage, frequency and timing of purchase, and purchasing patterns or tendencies, like special occasion buying behavior. 

This allows them to tailor their marketing messages and create compelling campaigns to achieve their goals. 

By utilizing behavioral segmentation, brands can get a complete picture of their customers and filter them by the highest levels of engagement. For instance, brands can track those who regularly open their emails or visit their product pages. Marketers can also target ads with the most appealing messaging to customers based on their needs. For instance, an online shoe store can show those interested in athletic wear more running shoes and sneaker ads, and at the same time, serve ads with formal shoes for those interested in evening shoes. 

Another significant shift in consumer behavior is related to a demand for personalized and customized products, especially amongst the younger cohort of Gen Zs. Using behavioral segmentation, brands can provide more refined personalized experiences to win business. Brands can gain deep insights into their consumers’ needs, wants, desires, challenges, preferences, and concerns to gain a competitive advantage. Upselling and showing complementary products and replenishment reminders based on customer history and interests can reduce cart abandonment and boost brand loyalty. 

The use of behavior segmentation beyond the purchase also helps provide a high level of customer service to cement the relationship with the customer, leading to higher retention rates, more repeat business, referrals, and brand loyalty. 

Using behavioral segmentation, brands can unearth invaluable data and insights that may otherwise never have been discovered.

Understanding consumer behavior comprehensively helps brands improve performance across channels to diversify their marketing efforts. Brands can use these insights to adjust brand messaging, packaging, design, features, pricing, and more to stay ahead of the competition and boost brand equity. 

Kadence International helps leading brands make game-changing decisions. If you are looking for a research partner to help better understand your customers, we would love to help. Simply fill out our Request for a Proposal here.

Just like reaching an unknown destination without a map is difficult, so is building a business strategy without competitive intelligence. 

Competitive intelligence helps brands shape their product development, distribution channels, pricing, messaging, positioning, brand promotions, and features. It allows brands to identify their challenges and opportunities in the market in relation to their competition, so they can see what their competitors are doing and differentiate themselves from them. 

What is competitive intelligence (CI)?

Competitive intelligence refers to any intentional research where brands collect, analyze, and utilize data and information gathered on their competitors, customers, and other external factors, potentially providing brands with a competitive advantage.

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When brands ethically and legally collect competitive intelligence, it can help boost the organization’s decision-making capabilities. The goal of any competitive intelligence study is to create a business plan and strategy so organizations can make well-informed decisions based on market considerations.

Competitive intelligence goes beyond knowing the competition; the process is designed to take a deep dive to unravel the finer points of the competitor’s target markets and business strategy. 

The Japanese auto industry carried out a compelling competitive intelligence study in the 1970s. The Japanese automobile industry analyzed the U.S. automobile market to discover a need for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars in a country where gasoline prices were rising. Using competitive intelligence across its borders, Japanese automakers identified a critical trend to beat their competition in the U.S. 

Competitive intelligence plays a vital role in all major departments of an organization and can take on a different meaning for each department or function. For instance, for a product development team, competitive intelligence may mean new features being added to products. For a sales executive, it may be helpful to know how to create a winning proposal. For leadership, it may be understanding the competitor’s marketing strategies so they can craft a plan to gain more foothold in the market.

Competitive Intelligence studies and exercises can be tactical (shorter-term) or strategic (longer-term). The goal of tactical competitive intelligence studies, for instance, can be to obtain insights into increasing revenues or gaining market share. At the same time, strategic or longer-term reporting focuses on significant risks, threats, and opportunities, present or emerging. 

A competitive intelligence study typically includes a wealth of information and insights from various sources, like government records, online mentions, social media, trade shows and journals, customer data and interviews, and traditional news media, to name a few. These sources are easily accessible and form the starting point for the studies. More in-depth information from distributors, suppliers, competitors, and customers is needed to make truly informed decisions. 

What are the key benefits of competitive intelligence?

There is no substitute for Competitive intelligence research when it is undertaken with care and diligence. It is a powerful tool for brands to gain market share, boost revenue, and continue to build the right products at competitive prices.

Here are some key benefits of using competitive intelligence for brands:

#1. Ability to predict patterns and emerging trends

As brands excavate an enormous amount of data and insights related to their competitor’s activities, they begin to identify and foresee emerging trends in the industry. This allows brands to gain deep foresight to make informed decisions and strategic business plans. 

#2. Aids in brand positioning

As brands gather insights and data about the competitive landscape, they also gain clarity on their activities and messaging. It helps them understand what works and doesn’t and cement their marketing. 

#3. Helps make more informed decisions.

When brands unearth information, they gain critical insights into how the customers feel about their brand and the competing brands. This gives brands a better view of their customers’ wants and how their competitors are meeting the needs of the target markets. 

#4. Boosts returns and profits

When you have a good understanding of the strategies and tactics employed by your competition and how they are performing, you will be better able to invest in areas that bring the highest returns, reducing risks and boosting profits.

Going back to the definition of Competitive Intelligence, we can see three necessary steps: “collect, analyze, and use competitor and market information to make informed decisions.”

Collecting data

There are many ways of unearthing relevant competitor data legally and ethically. Searching for information online may seem rudimentary, but it can provide invaluable information about the competitors and their activities. This information is readily available and accessible on the internet and is considered low-hanging fruit. With a few simple web searches, you can find great information on what the competitor is doing and what it has done in the past. You can also learn about product features, pricing, innovations, leadership, and important news and announcements relevant to your competition. There are tools that provide insight into the competitor’s search engine optimization activities and their online advertising efforts. 

From here, brands often go deeper and beyond the internet to analyze target markets and customer segments. Brands use quantitative and qualitative market research to gain more market insight. 

Brands use data to analyze their competition beyond the simple search process. This entails going through endless data and making sense of it all can become cumbersome. This is where data mining comes into play. Besides gathering data from third-party sources, brands also gather human intelligence by interviewing relevant people, including customers and past suppliers. This is a time-consuming process and must be undertaken by experts in market research to ensure it is done ethically and legally.  

Analyzing data

Analysis of data is a crucial step in the competitive intelligence process. Once brands collect data, it needs to be analyzed carefully to provide actionable insights. This allows brands to understand the patterns and separate them from the outliers. 

The analysis aims to uncover strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they relate to the competitive landscape. Therefore, collecting and analyzing information from disparate sources is essential in verifying their authenticity and validity. This helps us move away from making assumptions and gaining real insights from more accurate pieces of data. 

Crafting a strategy 

Once a brand has enough verified data and information on its competitors and strategies, it can utilize it to differentiate itself and make informed decisions regarding product, price, messaging, and other essential aspects. It allows brands to weigh the competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in relation to their own to gain a competitive advantage.

For instance, pricing is an important area for differentiation but can only be done right if everything is studied and taken into account to find the right price that is profitable and aligns with the customer’s perceived value of a brand or product offering. Therefore, a successful price is not about pricing your product at the same or lower price than your competitor but positioning your brand as the choice that provides the greatest value. And to make that happen, you need to know the price of competing products and their perceived value in the buyer’s mind. This calls for a thorough study and analysis of the competing products, markets, and consumers. 

Today, e-commerce companies use sophisticated software for competitive pricing due to the market’s highly competitive and dynamic nature. Read more on how e-commerce brands utilize price monitoring software technology to track competitor pricing here.

To get the complete picture, brands may conduct competitive intelligence surveys. They can define their target audience and use various demographic and psychographic questions to identify consumer behavior. These also include questions about competing products and services. You may also use ranking and rating type questions and identify any unmet needs or gaps in the marketplace or use open-ended questions to get a more in-depth view of the consumer’s mind. Brand recall and recognition surveys are also helpful in gaining consumer perception of various brands. For instance, a sparkling water brand may ask: “When you think of bottled sparkling water, what brand comes to mind first?” This can help brands discover how frequently their brand is mentioned compared to competing brands in the category.

When armed with the powerful insights gained through competitive intelligence, brands can be more strategic in all aspects of business, from product development to pricing and distribution. By differentiating themselves from competitors, they can gain valuable market share, grow brand value, and brand equity, and boost their return on investment (ROI).

Fear is a negative emotional response to the presence of danger or threat. Speculative fear is a negative emotional response to the anticipation of danger or threat, which may or may not occur. Humans are hardwired to look for things to fear, forming a necessary part of our survival instinct from birth. 

The human response to danger or threat is flight, fight, or in extreme cases, immobility. However, people respond in several ways when trouble or threat is perceived only as a looming risk. Avoidance, hunkering down, freezing in place, and acting impulsively are responses to prolonged anxiousness caused by pending fearful situations.

While fear is ingrained in our nervous system, it can also be taught. Technology has dramatically changed the way people get information. Social media has become the primary source of news online, with more than 64 percent of internet users receiving breaking news from social media instead of traditional media.

These statistics may be a sign of modern times. Still, the challenge with most people getting their news on social media sites is concerning when coupled with the fact most people do not read past the headline, and the vast majority of headlines are negative. 

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Negative media coverage reports show that negative words such as “bad,” “worst,” and “never” are 30 percent more effective at catching people’s attention than positive words. Research studies also revealed that negative words improved the average click-through rate. Headlines with negative bias showed a 63 percent higher result when compared to positive ones. Most (59 percent) of all news article links shared on social networks aren’t clicked on, implying that most article shares are not read in their entirety. 

So, you’d be right if you think we live in an increasingly hostile world, and most news is bad news. We are increasingly exposed to negativity and fearful news, affecting our collective anxieties and behaviors.

Panic buying

When the Spanish flu arrived in Britain immediately after the First World War, people panicked and rushed to purchase quinine and other medications, leading to national shortages.

Since then, panic buying and hoarding have been observed during many crises. Panic buying is much more common in developed or industrialized countries where people expect they will always be able to access food and other essential items easily. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychologists observed that panic buying was associated with individuals with higher incomes, the presence of children in households, depression and death anxiety, and mistrust of others or paranoia.

Panic buying results from the perceived threat of the event and the perceived scarcity, fear of the unknown, and as a coping mechanism.

Retail therapy

Retail therapy is shopping primarily to improve the buyer’s mood or disposition. It is often a short-lived habit in people with depression or stress. 

Research has shown that shopping can help reinforce a sense of personal control and ease feelings of sadness.

In 2014 the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that retail therapy makes people happier immediately and can also fight lingering sadness. According to the study, the choices and outcomes inherent in the act of shopping can restore a feeling of personal control and autonomy. 

Another study by the University of Michigan showed that purchasing things you enjoy can be up to 40 times more effective at giving you a sense of control than not shopping. In this study, those who actually purchased items were also three times less sad compared to those who only browsed.

How brands can respond to environments of high fear and low trust

Listen to your customers. 

During times of financial stress, such as high inflation or recession, seek as much information as possible about your audience. 

Take a deep dive with multiple data streams to build a clear picture of behavior and sentiment. It will likely be vastly different than it was a few months ago and will continue to change. Don’t leave questions out of your research about fear and perceived risk with your customers.

Words matter.

The world is changing faster than ever, with your buyers’ attention and priorities shifting quickly in response to stressful events. 

For brand marketers and product managers, understand that language that sounded good last month can mean something entirely different today.

Take action. 

With insights from your research, determine what your brand should do to address your customers’ wants, needs, and fears. Your target audience has expectations from brands during uncertain times. Discover what they are, and see if you can deliver while remaining authentic to your brand promise. 

Communicate authentically. 

Be bold and authentic when storytelling and communicate practical information to help reassure and educate your customers. Give your customers an added feeling of security and stability by providing in-depth information. Choose to be a voice of comfort, instilling confidence in your consumers and alleviating fears with the right message. 

Fear and anxiety aren’t going away anytime soon. Financial fear and stress can adversely affect buying behaviors, so it is essential to acknowledge these emotions and develop strategies to address them head-on. What was true of your target audience a few short months ago may not be true today. It all starts with an in-depth understanding of the perceived risks and barriers to purchase when it comes to your product or service. Great research is the first step for brands to develop compelling and compassionate messaging that helps customers feel empowered, confident, and comfortable with their purchase decisions during times of financial stress.

Kadence International helps leading brands make game-changing decisions. If you are looking for a research partner to help better understand your customers, we would love to help. Simply fill out our Request for a Proposal here.

At Kadence International, market researchers are at the heart of our team. In this series, we honor some of our colleagues, asking them about their experience working within the market research industry and what the future holds for the industry.

Name: Arpan Jhingran

Position: Project Manager

Kadence Office: New Delhi, India

I joined the Kadence India office in February, 2010.

What does a typical day or week look like for you in your current role? Or what are your primary responsibilities/duties?*

Client Servicing is a significant part of what I do for the project life cycle, starting from sharing the cost to the invoice raising and updating the client and senior management on a timely basis. Our responsibilities include solving the field operations query by speaking to the client and finding the best solution.

Tell us a little about your career so far. What was your first job or role? How did you get started with market research? What other roles (in market research) have you had?*

I had worked with ACC Concrete as a management trainee at their Mumbai location, then moved to Delhi. Kadence is my first company in the Market Research industry. I joined as Operations Executive and was promoted to Senior Field Executive. I have been a project manager for the past five years.

Did you always know that you were destined for a career in market research? Why? If not, what did you actually think your career would be, or what did you say you wanted to do “when you grew up” as a child?*

During my MBA, I was fascinated with the Market Research industry because of its involvement in every possible sector. I was also intrigued by the prospect of using different methodologies for deriving results and presenting those as findings and insights to brands.

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What is your favorite quote or the motto you live by?*

Live and let live

What is the best thing about the culture at Kadence?*

I love the open culture at Kadence, which allows you to work freely and use your experience to guide you in the right direction.

What essential skills are required to excel as a Market Researcher?*

Excellent and clear communication is paramount to building trust with the client.

What is unique about the market research field / and or consumers in your country/ region?*

There is much enthusiasm for trying new products or giving their opinions on topics we need data and insights on. 

What is it about the field of market research you wish everyone knew?*

Much hard work goes behind every outcome to improve any product or idea.

What piece of advice would you give someone looking to start a career in market research?*

Clear communication is the key in any service industry to building confidence, and I would like to advise anyone inclined to join market research to hone their communication skills. 

How have you seen consumer behavior change in the past 2 – 3 years as a result of the pandemic? If so, what are your main observations?*

The expenditure pattern has changed drastically. People are ready to spend on what they want rather than save for the future. 

For one of our projects in the healthcare field, we had to visit government hospitals and understand the conditions and processes by speaking to doctors, medical staff, and patients. Also, we had to talk to doctors without medical degrees and use medication based on their experience. That was great learning of my career.

If you could time travel into the future ten years, how would market research evolve?*

I see market research moving online compared to the current scenario of being an offline-dominated industry.

What do you like to do in your free time when you are not working?  *

I enjoy spending time with my family or sometimes going out with my friends.

What is something you have accomplished in work or life that you are particularly proud of?*

A beautiful family.

What is your all-time favorite food or cuisine?

South Indian Food (particularly Dosas).

What is your all-time favorite travel or vacation spot, and why?

I love hill stations because of the drive up there and the weather. 

How has Kadence’s remote work opportunity allowed you to achieve a work/life balance? We would love an example.

It gives me some more time to spend with my family.

Why do people camp outside Apple stores to be the first to access newly launched iPhones? Why do consumers pay more for branded products than for non-branded ones?

It has everything to do with consumer perception or brand equity. When consumers favor your brand over a competitor’s brand and show loyalty to your brand over time, they are contributing to your brand equity. Brand equity is defined as the measure of the perceived value of a branded product over time. Brands need to measure brand equity because boosting it can help them improve their market share and profit margins. 

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Brand equity is different from brand value

With an estimated brand value of about USD 355.1 billion, Apple has established itself as the world’s most valuable brand for 2022, followed by Amazon in second place with a brand value of approximately USD 254.2 billion.

So, what is brand value, and how is it different from brand equity?

Brand value is the price someone will pay for your brand if you were to sell it. There are many ways of measuring brand value and they include the costs associated with building the brand. The investment made in creating a brand, its identity, logo, graphics, brochures, and other assets is used in the brand valuation process. 

Brand equity is not the same as brand value but can positively raise the worth of a brand because as you build your brand equity, you achieve greater brand recognition and positive brand associations, which can boost revenue and brand loyalty. 

It should be noted that a brand can have value even if it has no equity. For example, a company may invest in developing a product and brand, so it will have a value attached to it even before it enters the market. Brand equity helps enhance and increase brand value. 

What drives brand equity, and how can you measure it? 

While brand value is easy to measure, brand equity can be vague and more difficult to calculate because it is influenced by opinions, perceptions, and behaviors, and not just financial metrics.

Let’s divide these drivers into three categories —namely, financial metrics, brand awareness metrics, and consumer sentiment. 

Financial metrics 

Although not the only factors responsible for brand equity, financial drivers like healthy profits help validate a brand’s equity to a great extent.

Metrics such as sales, average transaction value, customer lifetime value, profitability, growth rate, and the cost of doing business are essential data sets to measure overall brand equity. It is also important to calculate the competitive performance of a brand against other brands in the same space by measuring market share and customer acquisition rate.

These competitive metrics also help your brand identify gaps in customer service, product features, pricing, marketing messaging, positioning, social media engagement and following, and distribution channels.

No matter how well or poorly your competition performs, it will directly impact your brand. Conducting a thorough competitive analysis to evaluate how your brand measures up is essential.

When these financial metrics increase, so does your brand value. 

Brand awareness metrics

A strong brand with a high level of recall and awareness will likely boost your brand equity. This is what sets successful brands apart as they endure even the most difficult economic conditions. 


Customer awareness of a brand and its products and services is essential to brand equity. Brands should aim for consumer advocacy and, more importantly, for their consumers to actively engage with and talk positively about their brand.

Conversation share, measured by the number of times a brand comes up in conversations about the brand’s offerings, is a massive indicator of how aware consumers are of your brand.

Market research helps evaluate brand awareness through various methodologies online and offline. Commonly used methodologies in market research include:

  • Surveys and focus groups
  • Local store traffic
  • Traditional media mentions
  • Online search volume
  • Customer reviews
  • Social media mentions 

Emotional metrics 

Knowing how your consumers perceive your brand is critical—the more positive their perceptions, the higher your brand equity.

Market research helps track consumer behavior and sentiment to obtain reliable information about brand perception. This type of metric is much more challenging to measure. Market research using qualitative surveys and the right text analytics software (link) to interpret open text is beneficial in data collection and analysis. 

Consumer preference and consumer perception of a brand are good indicators of brand equity. The former pitches the brand against its competition and gauges how consumers view it in relation to competing brands. The latter provides insights into the emotions and feelings associated with a particular brand. For instance, market research using qualitative methods can reveal how consumers react to a particular brand name. 

Consumer preference influences purchase decisions, like paying a higher price for a brand name or going the extra mile to access the brand. A case in point is the annual beeline outside Apple stores when it releases its newest iPhone.

Quantitative methods like sales data are an excellent way to gauge customer preference; however, they should be used alongside qualitative methodologies such as surveys to identify to what extent your customers agree your brand is superior to the competition and how much they are willing to pay for your brand name.

These surveys are also used to measure how emotionally invested your consumers are in your brand and the emotions associated with it. 

While a nebulous concept, brand equity provides the actual value of a brand beyond financial metrics.

Knowing how consumers feel toward a brand can open new opportunities for understanding key demographics within target audiences.

With a deeper understanding of the target audience, products and campaigns can be tailored to specific groups to improve ROI.

Utilizing quantitative methods, brands measure brand equity based on financial data, like sales, revenue, profit, and loss. Qualitative methods of measuring brand equity, on the other hand, include brand awareness, brand recognition, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and brand perception. 

Brands like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft did not build their brand value overnight, but we know they have devoted many years to creating memorable brands that resonate with their target audience, and they continue to tirelessly do so even today. 

While tracking many of these metrics may be challenging, it is not impossible. Market research provides invaluable tools to etch out brands that stand out and shine using data, market intelligence, insights, and breakthrough technology. 

The phrase “Never judge a book by its cover” does not apply to product packaging design. When package design is the only reference a consumer has, he is bound to go for the most appealing option. Years of market research have established that what’s outside the package is as important as what’s inside it. How else will a product stand out in a sea of competing brands? Yes, brand loyalty, ingredients, and other factors can make a difference, but in the end, most of it comes down to consumer psychology. 

In a store, the package design is the gateway to the product. Successful brands use psychology in their product design and packaging, driving sales and brand loyalty. Consumers often perceive a product’s function and worth based on its packaging and design.

Product packaging is primarily dictated by the target audience and what they want. For brands targeting a younger demographic, for instance, it is essential to add personalization and brighter colors and fonts that appeal to the youth. 

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This can change when catering to the same demographic in different countries. For instance, the environmental impact of packaging is a relatively less critical purchase factor for Japanese consumers, yet 80 percent of the respondents in India factor the environmental impact of packaging into their purchase decisions.

Understanding Consumer Psychology

Any buying decision involves consumers going through several cognitive stages when looking for a product actively. Their perceptions and opinions are based on what they see during this stage. After they select and purchase a product, they continue to evaluate their decision based on the product’s performance and experience. 

When a product’s perceived value is high, consumers are less impulsive than when the value is lower. This explains why over 70 percent of supermarket purchases are not planned. Shoppers in supermarkets and grocery stores rely primarily on the instinctive cues they get from package design as they browse stores. These help them make quick judgments about the product’s quality and value and can be why they add it to their carts (or not). 

Choosing the right colors

Research shows that color is one of the first things our brains see when they come across a brand and is often the first thing that pulls consumers in. 

Do you feel calm in a blue room, and does yellow make you anxious?

Pablo Picasso once said, “Colors like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” Colour is known to change emotions, moods, and feelings dramatically. Colors can have different meanings from culture to culture, as the idea of color is deeply rooted in our experiences. 

Color psychology is a hot topic in marketing, branding, and graphic design because colors play a huge role in brand perception and image. 

When selecting colors, it is imperative to look into the cultural significance of each color. This becomes necessary for brands planning international market entry, as different cultures have different connotations and emotions attached to specific colors. For instance, while green is a color of prosperity in many Muslim nations, it is a color associated with illness and death in some South American cultures. 

It is also essential to consider how your brand colors align with your brand and its identity. Other considerations are whether these colors stand out in a crowded marketplace and how they would work for those who are colorblind. 

Format and materials

The format or shape of the packaging is often based on whether the package will be used or discarded. In case it’s part of the product, like a milk carton, the quality, materials, and function are important considerations. For instance, a square or rectangular base is better so it can fit in the refrigerator more efficiently, and an easy-to-pour spout enhances convenience and functionality.

Packaging design depends on many other factors as well. For instance, a luxury product needs to be packaged in a way that reflects the high price of the product. In recent years, sustainability has also become a huge factor in selecting packaging materials, and an exciting product design may encourage consumers to post the packaging or unboxing online.

Typography and labels 

Typography is the art of placing text to make the copy clear, legible, and visually attractive. It utilizes font style, size, and structure to evoke feelings and emotions and convey a message. It also helps balance the graphics on a package. 

The font styles and sizes you use on your packaging play a huge role in the overall design and how consumers perceive your brand. The logo, typography, and fonts allow your brand to stand out from the competition. The typography helps catch your target audience’s attention and conveys the brand’s message. It also helps establish consistency, a vital aspect of brand identity. 

For a successful packaging design that quickly moves the product off the shelves, brands need to know their target audience and stay abreast with the latest trends. The typesetting, fonts, and styles you use, just like the graphic and color choices, are based on your target market —factors such as age, gender, language, culture, and preferences influence the typography of a product’s package design. 

By providing invaluable information regarding current market trends and the unique wants and needs of a brand’s consumer base, market research helps a brand develop its business and marketing strategy. Market research benefits many different facets of business, including product design and packaging. 

Brands need to have complete knowledge of consumer desires and the effect of specific product packaging on purchasing patterns and preferences. In market research, there are many different means for gathering this data, each with its own set of advantages. In most cases, it is best to use a combination of methodologies to understand the effectiveness of your packaging design and labels. 

Market research allows brands to tap into the psyche of their target markets to gain a deeper understanding of how a package design impacts purchasing decisions. 

This can be done in many ways by gathering data, each method with distinct advantages. 

Some common forms of gathering data:

1. Focus groups 

Market researchers often use focus groups and show them labels and packages to gauge their first reactions to the design, colors, typography, offers, and form. The focus group participants sample the product and look at the packaging and label to provide insights into what part of the packaging would influence their purchase decision. 

2. Interviews and discussions

Many brands conduct interviews with consumers as they browse competing products in a store setting. Questions like, “what made you add a product to your cart?” can uncover purchase decisions and the effectiveness of your product packaging. You may also interview employees from different departments who know the product well.

3. Surveys

Online surveys are a quick and easy way to conduct a survey. These can be carried out for in-store and online purchases on eCommerce sites and allow for anonymity, providing information and insights into purchase decisions and behavior. A well-designed survey employs a rating scale and asks open-ended questions. 

4. Observation 

Market researchers often use direct observation by visiting the store and observing how the products on the shelf move. In this manner, it is possible to see how the placement of items in a store affects sales. It also allows brands to look closely at the competition to see what graphics, colors, and other visual elements affect purchase decisions. How would your product look in comparison to competing brands? Does it blend in or stand out? Does it stand out in a good way? Making frequent visits to stores can provide a window of opportunity and is a powerful way to conduct market research. 

Market research provides invaluable insights into market trends, consumer psychology, and behavior. It can help formulate the right business and marketing strategy for businesses, including package design. 

Package design research is more critical now than ever. In many cases, the retail package design is the only advertisement for the brand. The brand’s packaging has a few seconds to draw consumers to the product and evoke purchase intent. 

While brands use many quantitative and tried and tested package designs, they often tend to overlook the subjective side of research, which requires qualitative research methods and tools—knowing the “why” behind purchase decisions and consumer motivations can provide the essential piece in understanding the effectiveness of a new package design or redesign. 

Emerging technological advancements are transforming market research forever. As many consumers move online, the way brands identify and understand consumer needs is being reimagined.

Many technology trends disrupt the market research industry —from data collection and new product launches to tracking brand performance. This blog post will focus on the breakthroughs in technology impacting brand tracking and product performance tracking.

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Brand and performance tracking refers to the process of continually measuring brand health over a period within the target audience. It allows brands to measure the performance of a product in relation to its competition. After a new product is launched, market research helps brands gauge performance to stay competitive. 

With consumers increasingly moving online, brands can tap into new, vast, and reliable consumer behavior data in real-time. This has also made Direct to Consumer marketing much more common. Brands like Happy Human (Singapore), Dime Beauty (U.S.A.), Joi (Malaysia), Sleepy Owl (India), Recess (Philipines), Adopt a Cow (China), and Knot (Japan) have eliminated the middleman to create, develop, sell, and distribute their products directly to the end-user. The absence of middlemen and brick-and-mortar stores allows them to maintain quality and reduce prices. But this is not all. These brands also have the added advantage of measuring performance directly without employing market research across several retail outlets. They can discover brand sentiment directly, making them more agile, nimble, and competitive. 

While there is still a place for traditional research methodologies, technologies like machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and chatbots continue to reinvent the market research industry. 

Let’s look at the primary technologies in brand tracking and competition analysis that are changing the face of market research. 

E-commerce brands utilize price monitoring software technology to track competitor pricing.

In the fiercely competitive E-commerce world, the key to outperforming the competition is tracking and monitoring the price competing brands charge for similar products and services. Brands need to keep a keen eye on their competitor’s pricing strategy and price changes over several products to stay competitive, and that’s not an easy task even for larger companies. 

This is where e-commerce price monitoring technology comes into play. 

Ecommerce price monitoring software allows brands to track their competitor’s price changes and dynamically adjust their pricing. 

By employing this type of software, brands can stay abreast with competitor pricing and adjust pricing based on demand, competition, and inventory levels. 

Many such tools are available in the market, including Minderest, Price2Spy, and Prisync, with sophisticated matching technology and high levels of accuracy. 

Market research utilizes machine learning and A.I. for brand and performance tracking to revamp advertising and messaging. 

While some grey areas are associated with A.I. in other fields, the market research industry has embraced this technology.

One of the things brands need to track constantly is how their messaging is resonating with the target audience and how the market perceives their brand. This is because a brand is not just the logo and tagline. It is a sum of all parts and is an overall feeling that tells a narrative and evokes sentiment and emotion in the audience. 

Technology helps brands better understand brand performance and perception to inform better decision-making. It allows brands to measure and bridge the gaps between their intent and how the audiences interpret and perceive their message.

The use of A.I. in brand tracking has allowed market researchers to analyze qualitative surveys at a fraction of the time taken by manual data collection methods. Furthermore, this enables them to ask more open-ended and follow-up questions, find the right panelists faster, eliminate bias, write reports quickly, and significantly improve the quality of their surveys and reports. 

In today’s dynamic digital marketplaces, A.I. is powering brand tracking to gauge the changing consumer perceptions. 

Sentiment analysis is a sub-category of A.I. and N.L.P., which automatically uncovers feelings, emotions, and sentiments behind plain blocks of text. It is extensively used in brand tracking because it is efficient, reliable, and accurate. 

Over 45 percent of the world is on social media. There are about 500 million tweets per day, and about 1.96 billion people worldwide use Facebook every day. Consumers constantly call out brands on these social media platforms and review sites. It would be overwhelming and near impossible to collect data manually. Brands can effectively gauge overall brand sentiment across platforms and channels online using automated tools. 

For instance, when the popular ride-sharing service, UBER, launched a new version of its app, it used social media monitoring and text analytics to measure user sentiment about the new version of the app. Eye-tracking technology works similarly and can track users’ engagement scores and emotions on a website. 

There are several brand tracking tools available for brands. Candymaker Mars used one such tool that combines the standard digital video metrics, like view-through rates and skip rates, with facial expression tracking of the viewers while watching the ad using an A.I. algorithm.

While the tool measures digital behaviors, it puts enormous weight on gauging emotion and sentiment. This technology is essential to track brand performance in a world plagued with minuscule attention spans. It allows brands to obtain a complete picture of consumer perception. 

Many technologies use participants’ webcams to track their facial and emotional responses while viewing ads, providing invaluable data used to inform sales forecasts. 

Chatbots are aggregating vast amounts of consumer data.

The usage of chatbots as a communication channel between brands and consumers has increased by 92 percent since 2019. 

As many consumers shop online, they engage with chatbots, making them the fastest-growing brand communication channel.  

A survey found that up to 80 percent of users answered questions, three times higher than responses from email surveys. 

Brands like IKEA are using chatbots to gather valuable consumer feedback. Companies use Whatsapp and Facebook messenger to measure consumer sentiment and feedback efficiently. 

The use of brand tracking cannot be overemphasized. It allows brands to understand how their current audience perceives the brand. It can also lead brands to uncover until now undiscovered target audiences. 

With brand tracking software, brands can see the true impact of their campaigns. Brand tracking holds the key to insights any brand needs to thrive. Using the right tools and technology, brands can obtain actionable information about the brand perception among the target audience and how it scores against the competition.

A brand is one of the most valuable assets of an organization. It is, therefore, critical to continually measure satisfaction, awareness, and perception. Incorporating brand tracking into their marketing strategy can help brands understand their target audiences and consumer needs and make more profitable marketing decisions. Technology has made it easier to uncover massive data sets to monitor a brand effectively and accurately. By combining this technology with digital metrics, brands can increase their competitive advantage.

Just like we need a GPS to take us from point A to Point B, businesses need to intuitively map their customer’s journey to ensure they are moving through the process. But instead of plotting it physically on a map, brands need to use technology to visualize each touchpoint the customers interact with when they engage with them. 

Today, customers interact with brands multiple times on various platforms, and brands need to funnel them to continue moving forward. 

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What is customer journey mapping?

A customer journey map is a visual plotting or representation of customers’ experiences and touchpoints with a brand. It tells the complete story of a brand’s relationship with a customer, starting with the first engagement and moving toward a path to purchase and becoming a loyal customer. 

Journey mapping is not a single instance or solution; it is a process that integrates every facet of an organization, from marketing to sales to customer service.

Why Customer Journey Mapping is Invaluable for Brands

Today, customers expect a lot from each interaction with a given brand. Personalization, consistency at each touchpoint, and relevance are not just “good to have” anymore; they are necessary to drive conversions and brand loyalty. 

Customer Journey Mapping is beneficial not only for sales and marketing but also for the creative team. Armed with this information, content creators can develop timely, relevant, personalized copy and speaks to the customer at each touchpoint. Designers can derive context from this information and design an elevated customer experience. 

Customer Journey Mapping is helpful for many reasons, and it primarily helps with the following three steps:

1. Identify all touchpoints to understand the customer experience better.

Customer Journey Mapping helps you construct a seamless and intuitive customer experience through every touchpoint. This is often missed by quantitative research.

For instance, a journey map may uncover a tremendous amount of online research in the discovery phase of a particular product or service. This would lead a brand to question how it appears on search engines and the content customers find when researching the product online. 

2. Get in tune with your customers at every step of the way.

Customer Journey Maps are visual aids that help understand the customers better at each touchpoint. It visually reveals patterns in customer behavior and emotions, and once these are identified, brands have an account of the steps that are working and those with gaps.

3. Identify gaps in your CX and lead your customers intuitively through the funnel.

Customer Journey Mapping aims to understand each touchpoint and ensure measurement tools are in place to help monitor each customer interaction. 

For instance, for a travel website, a customer’s journey starts when they search for airline tickets and cover all the steps through research, queries, finding tickets, booking them, making a payment, and receiving confirmations and other travel-related information. It includes signing up for a newsletter, recommendations to book hotels, prompting the user to check-in, and offering additional information. In a retail setting, Customer Journey Mapping would include the signage, lighting, store layout, temperature, smell, comfort, and other physical elements in addition to interactions with the employees. 

Customer Journey Mapping helps you fill gaps and focus on areas that need improvement for an intuitive and seamless customer experience. 

How to Get the Most out of Your Customer Journey Map

The ultimate goal of a Customer Journey Map is to improve the customer journey and move prospects through the funnel. This is because inefficient systems and interactions cause frustration amongst users and prospects, impeding conversions and sales. 

Below are a few tips to keep in mind when researching your customer journey.

  • Some brands do a great job acquiring customers but are not good at activating. Therefore, brands should include every touchpoint, like packaging, labels, messaging and ads, and social voice.
  • A Customer Journey Map should be a combination of analytics and customer feedback. Therefore, brands must gather quantitative data from multiple sources, including call center and CRM software, QR codes scanned, website and social media analytics, and other metrics.
  • It is essential to include post-purchase components into the Customer Journey Map. The relationship with the customer continues long after they purchase something. This helps you get repeat business, loyal customers, favorable reviews, and raving fans who will refer the product or service to others. 

How Market Research can help brands build Customer Journey Maps

So how do you use market research to help improve the customer experience? 

Let’s examine this with the example of a retail shoe store. You identified the salesperson as a critical touchpoint. You can use a focus group to experience the store just as they would if shopping for shoes. 

Ask them to identify the experiential element of each touchpoint, including what they see, smell, hear, and feel. The focus group will then prioritize what parts of the journey need improvement. They will provide insights on how easy it was to find what they were looking for, the annoying details, how the store stacks up to a competitor, and the customer satisfaction score. The brand can then build an action plan to improve the customer experience at their store. 

This is how the brand identifies gaps, determines development priorities, builds a plan to remedy the issues and bottlenecks, and allocates funds to optimize sales and Return on Investment (ROI). 

Customer Journey Mapping should be a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. 

Market research and building Customer Journey Maps allow brands to compare what they believe the customer journey looks like and what it is like in reality. When you combine the metrics and data with sensory components, you can experience the journey through your customer’s eyes. This “outside looking in” approach will significantly improve the customer experience and revenues.

When launching a new product to market, it’s imperative to be prepared with relevant information. You need a deep understanding of your market, how your products will benefit that market, the potential challenges you might run into, and much more.

This is why it’s so important to write an in-depth, professional, and relevant market research report. Not only to gather and display all the right information but also so that you can share that information clearly and easily with people within and outside your organization. This is important for a wide range of different reasons.

In this article, we’ll look at why market research reports for product launches are so important and show you how to do it as effectively as possible.

Why market research reports are important

Conducting a detailed and relevant market research report before you launch your new product is a good idea for all kinds of reasons. Here are some of the main ones:

  • Get buy-in from senior decision-makers. When launching any product, you’ll always want the full support of the top decision-makers at your organization. This can be a tricky thing to acquire, especially if your team is relatively unproven. A detailed and informative market research report can be the deciding factor in winning their support, convincing them that your product is well-placed to succeed, and making it much easier to achieve your goals.
  • Learn more about your customers and target audience. One of the main reasons to conduct market research is to understand your prospective customers in more detail. The work you do to compile a report will give you a clear and detailed understanding of what your customers want, what they already like, where they conduct their own research, and much more. This will arm you with the insights and knowledge you need to launch your product confidently and successfully.

Discover ideas for new products and how to improve existing ones. When you research your target market, you’ll likely stumble upon inspiration for new products in addition to the one you’re planning to launch. The feedback you get from your research will also be laced with ideas for improving and tweaking existing products

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How to write a market research report effectively

In the rest of this guide, we’ll show you what you need to do to ensure your market research report is as detailed, relevant, and valuable as it possibly can be. Let’s start with the type of information you need to include.

What you need to include:

Buyer personas

This is a crucial part of getting to know your customers and the different groups they fall into. You should start by researching your target market members as much as possible through a range of channels — interviews, social media research, email surveys, and more. Then, divide them into demographics and create a detailed persona to represent each one.

This is an incredibly valuable step because it allows you to break down your market and make broad predictions about each group’s preferences, pain points, habits, and desires. If done right, this helps you target your future marketing much more accurately and effectively.

Understand your competitors

Getting to know your competitors is a key element of market research. It allows you to understand what you will be up against when launching your product and what segments of your market might be easier or more difficult to sway from their loyalty to your competitors.

Your research report should contain detailed information about each of your competitors and what they offer. What do their products lack that yours can provide? Why do your customers go to them? How dominant are they in your market? What kind of loyalty do they command? What are some of the keys to their success? All this will help you understand what you’re up against and strengthen your chances of success.

Who did you talk to?

Much of your market research will involve talking to various people and groups of people in situations like focus groups, interviews, and surveys. It’s important to document this side of your research carefully and include it in your market research report. Be sure to break down the people you spoke to into demographics and be as specific as possible — try to align this with your buyer personas.

This will help you understand what different demographics want, identify any areas you may have missed, and see any opportunities for segmentation or expansion, as well as providing clear visibility into your research process and allowing you to justify your findings and decisions to other company members carefully.

Clearly show what will happen next — how will you use your findings? 

When you present your market research report to decision-makers in your organization, their primary concern will be what you want to do with it. Research is only valuable if it has a practical application, which should be a key element of your report.

It’s best to be specific — create plans and roadmaps for campaigns, build strategies, and include timelines and carefully researched cost estimates. If you can present a clear and viable plan for your product launch, it will be much easier to gain the support and buy-in of the higher-ups in your company. Be ready to defend and justify these plans.

Primary vs Secondary Market Research

There are two main types of research you’ll need to do when preparing your market research report: primary and secondary. Here is the difference:

  • Primary research. This refers to the first-hand information you have gathered during your research — straight from the primary source. Examples include interviews with individuals, focus groups, surveys, and information from sales teams. It helps add a human touch to your research, incorporating real people’s distinct voices and opinions.
  • Secondary research. This is data that your company didn’t personally collect but is available in the form of things like public records, trend reports, and market statistics. While it lacks the specific human element of primary research, it’s a great way to gain valuable overall insights about your target market without having to conduct huge research projects yourself.

Convincing company decision-makers with your market research report

One of the most essential functions of a market research report is to convince your company’s key stakeholders that you are prepared for a product launch and have everything in place to begin the process successfully.

When creating your report, you should always have this goal in mind. Here are some ways to do that:

  • Always clearly tie your research for business outcomes. For every conclusion your report reaches, explain what this means for the business and what concrete actions you will take as a result.
  • Use as many stats and as much hard data as possible. Clearly express this data in the form of graphs and other visual aids. Show where your data came from, how you collected it, and how your findings will impact your product launch.
  • Consider using Porter’s 5 Forces Model. This business model is aimed at understanding and explaining the fundamental market forces at work in any given industry. It can be illuminating to tie your research into this model.

A well-researched and detailed market research report is an essential part of a successful product launch strategy. It allows you to clearly understand your market, formulate concrete plans and strategies, and gain the support of your organization’s decision-makers.

Without one, you’ll be plunged into the dark, facing the monumentally challenging task of launching a product without the support of extensive research and data.
To find out more about how Kadence can help you prepare a market research report and launch your product with confidence, contact us.