Understanding Your Customer
Capturing consumers’ attention has become a challenge for many retailers as the market becomes increasingly competitive. To effectively engage customers at scale, brands need to understand the underlying factors influencing behavior throughout the customer journey, from initial interest to final purchase.
With this in mind, a global footwear and apparel retailer approached us with 2 questions:
- What is driving Gen Z and Millennial consumer spending in multi-brand environments?
- How can we best position our product to win in today’s market?
Gathering meaningful insights would require a multidimensional, consumer-centric research strategy across the lifecycle of their target customer’s journey, both online and in stores. Their leaders partnered with our team of expert researchers, who proposed an AI-driven approach to understand their target customers better and get insights faster.
Why AI for Research?
Delivering real and relevant consumer data at scale typically takes retailers 6 months or more, but the business’s needs demanded a more agile approach.
By integrating AI tools into the research process, our researchers knew they could develop a framework that was:
Fast -> Reducing the time required for data analysis and validation for faster iteration.
Focused -> Ensuring that insights gathered were accurate and applicable to the retailer’s research goals.
Actionable -> Moving leaders beyond understanding to act strategically on their learnings.
Although their teams had a wealth of proprietary research and insights, integrating AI-driven research tools marked a first for this retailer. Still, leaders were eager to go beyond the boundaries of traditional timelines to streamline the process and offer structured, focused guidance to inform decision-making.
Our Approach
Our researchers conducted 2 weeks of AI-enhanced mobile ethnographies and concept testing in the UK and the US with 27 participants across 8 retailers. Both resulted in meaningful data captured through interview focus group dialogue and consumer behavior observation across in-store and online touchpoints.
Then, the team conducted an AI-empowered survey with dozens of retail experts who offered insight into today's best-in-class retail strategies and experiences.
This multifaceted nature of this research framework provided a variety of perspectives for leaders to consider. Yet, the diversity of insight wasn't the only highlight. This study was the first time the retailer had engaged dozens of consumers and industry leaders across such targeted demographics within such a short time frame.
"This research brought a new perspective to the team and made us rethink some of our strategies… we'll definitely partner with Point B again."
VP, Global Retail Partnerships
Data-Driven “Phygital” Strategies
Insights gathered through this work surprised and challenged the perspectives previously held by retail leaders. With insightful data at their fingertips, the brand is now empowered to explore what’s next for consumers across multi-brand shopping experiences.
Key Outcomes
- Clarified Consumer Priorities: Whether in-store, online, or phygital, the data gathered created clarity around what consumers value most from a product and experience standpoint.
- Increased Transparency and Trust: A live AI research approach increased transparency and trust in the findings, allowing leaders to observe and discuss insights together in real time.
- Alignment on Next Steps: Leaders’ confidence in the data allowed them to react fast and align on a new strategy to position their business for growth.
From exploring geographies for future research to reimagining in-store experiences, this retailer can now confidently invest where it matters most for their brand.
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