Customer research essay

Using analytics as a form of consumer research is very different than interviews and surveys. Rather than focusing on what the customer says they want or need, analytics focuses on what the customer actually does. This is a form of observational research where the purpose is to measure the actual behavior rather than customer-reported behavior.

Using a variety of customer research methods to gather this information, shared traits among the different customer groups are identified and categorized into customer segments and buyer personas, which are then used to create marketing campaigns targeting a specific segment or persona.

Written surveys may be used to gauge the satisfaction of the customers. This gives feedback regarding several issues on the operations of the company. Written comments should be allowed in the surveys since they highlight areas that might potentially cause problems.

Unless your target market is extremely limited in scope, it’s very common to have a number of buyer personas within each customer segment. Consumer research can take many forms, from notes your team takes on a daily basis (such as sales and customer support calls) to more planned and structured methods of data collection.