E-Consumer Behavior and Omnichannel

Consumer Research

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Qualitative Research

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E-Consumer Behavior

Focus Group Discussions

Insights emerge in conversation. Focus groups reveal shared behaviors, perceptions, and reactions that surveys and analytics may overlook.

User Persona Building

Users don’t fit into boxes. They shift, adapt, evolve. Personas are more than demographics—they’re snapshots of intent, motivation, and behavioral tendencies.

Observational Studies

What people say isn’t always what they do. Observational studies cut through assumptions, capturing real behaviors in real environments. 

In-Depth Interviews

Data tells part of the story. Conversations reveal the rest. In-depth interviews dig deeper—into motivations, pain points, and the context behind decisions.

How to Transfer Brand Equity –
From Print to Digital

An iconic women’s magazine faced declining print sales.  The digital version never took off. The challenge was to transfer the equity and immersive qualities of the print media to the digital channels.

A: Past User

No longer in the age segment or leaving print

B: Print User

Strong brand user but in a declining category

C: Digital Subscriber

Extremely competitive media landscape and faces challenges to grow

D: Digital Visitor

Unlikely to have loyalty and not willing to pay for content

E: Social Media Aware

Limited awareness of the brand persona

Our Approach

- Reclassify media based on match with the print magazine’s core value proposition.

  • Mere awareness and presence may not be a sufficient strategy for the long-term growth of the brand.
  • The brand’s core value proposition must not be diluted.
  • The goal should be to transfer the full brand persona and provide an immersive experience.

- Enhance the content model to accommodate adaptation for short-form media without compromising the brand's persona and equity.

  • The magazine’s editorial content has evolved to build a well-aligned user persona of a modern woman.

  •  The content plays a strategic role in expanding the magazine’s franchise and attracting a new audience through various media forms and platforms.

  •  The challenge is to generate content that creates a consistent and complete understanding of the brand in a short-span media.

  • Content strategy must include novelty, relevance, entertainment, newsworthy, true-to-persona elements.

- Understand how to deliver the “print experience” in a digital context.

PRINT

  • Tangible
  • Tactile
  • High Definition
  • Aesthetic and visually appealing
  • Immersive, Restful
  • Closed, Finite, Private
  • Gift
  • Valuable

DIGITAL

  • Ephemeral, Not real
  • Instant
  • Open, Limitless
  • Flattens differentiation
  • Short attention span
  • Can promote frenzy, loss of control
  • Free
  • Addictive

- Shift the brand model to consumer engagement without diluting editorial control.

  • The need for editorial control makes it difficult to engage the audience in a way that can promote a strong relationship with the brand.
  • The brand’s value proposition has a strong potential to engage consumers at a personal level.
  • Figuring out a way to promote audience engagement without diluting editorial control could build a consumer-centered brand.
  • Consumer engagement would also lead to a high viral load, setting the brand on a growth path.

Tailoring a Website for Different Information Processing Segments.

Our client site had the easiest application form but the lowest conversion rate.

There was a significant decline in brand equity ratings following consumer visits to the website.

The website was destroying brand equity. Why?

COMPETITOR SITES.

Our research showed four information segments. The client site was optimized for only one.

INEXPERIENCED SEARCH

novoive

Novice Tony

  • Feels overwhelmed when searching on the internet
  • Lack experience to confidently search
  • He wants to be led
  • Keep process simple
  • Provide live assistance

KNOWLEDGE SEARCH

Diligent

Diligent Annie

  • Diligent in searching for information
  • Read a lot but not satisfied with their search outcomes
  • Provide intuitive and interactive learning experience
  • Provide the structure – organize by themes
  • Provide lessons

BROWSING / COMPARISON

Calculator

Calculator Sam

  • Not ready to buy, need more research
  • Impacted by the design and visual aspects – minimal visual clutter
  • Provide what they need – add decision tools
  • Minimum visuals, uncluttered
  • Encourage options – don’t try to sell hard

TRANSACTION DRIVEN

Quick

Quick Wally

  • Little hesitation
  • Eager to get started
  • Have confidence while browsing
  • Know what to do
  • Provide direct path from home page to place an order
  • But don’t make it the centerpiece

How do people search for OTC products online?

Research Questions:

  • How do people search for OTC products online?
  • Which websites do they visit?
  • What are the keywords used?
  • What do they search for first (e.g., brand, ingredient, symptom, etc.)?
  • What do they search for next, and so on?
  • How often is search used vs. a filter or check box (left-hand side)
  • Which filters/checkboxes are used the most?

The scope did not include:

  • How do people learn about the products?
  • What are their motivations for purchasing such products?
  • Where do they conduct their research?
  • What is their path to purchase?
  • What is the role of the different websites visited?

Research Methodology

Respondents attended virtual labs in batches of 4-6.
Total Sample Size N=100. Lab Sessions of 75 minutes each.

Task Scenario:

Respondents were instructed to shop online for a few everyday products, either for themselves or for their family members.  They would have four shopping tasks to complete, each lasting 10 minutes. After each shopping task, they would take a quick survey in the lab and then move to the next task.

Respondents were free to choose any site they wanted to visit.

Each task was to be completed in 10 minutes, followed by a 5-minute in-lab survey.

The in-lab survey primarily captured the sites they visited and were most likely to use, the brands considered, and the chosen ones.

NOTE: Task instructions were tailored for regular and occasional users within each OTC category, based on the respondent’s usage status. 

The omnichannel marketing chain is not linear.

The omnichannel marketing chain is not a series of touchpoints.  Consumers face an array of information and misinformation sites on the Internet, as well as customer reviews on sites like Amazon, which can lead to new brand learning and brand switching. Strategies to influence brand choice on the Internet must understand this eco-system.

In the Omnichannel Lab, we observe consumers interact in the Mock Retail Store and on the Web in the Group Lab. This is useful for combating misinformation and developing compelling strategies to influence consumer learning and decision-making.

Pre and post-brand ratings, consideration, and choice are used to model the impact of omnichannel learning on brand shares in the category. 

In the Omnichannel Lab, we observe consumers interact in the Mock Retail Store and on the Web in the Group Lab. This is useful for combating misinformation and developing compelling strategies to influence consumer learning and decision-making.

Pre and post-brand ratings, consideration, and choice are used to model the impact of omnichannel learning on brand shares in the category. 

Learnings inform and suggest strategies for -

Selected strategies and tactics are tested in the Lab for final validation and predictive modeling.

Understanding omnichannel consumer behavior in the lab.

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MOCK RETAIL STORE.

EYE TRACKING USING 3D EYEGLASSES.

Which store arrangement leads to the highest upsell?

Pre-Test Screening & Survey

320 shoppers looking to buy a device in the next 90 days. The screener includes pre-shopping questions for pre/post comparisons.

Experimental Design

Four cells, resulting in four different physical layouts, with 80 shoppers per cell. Shoppers will only see and shop one layout.

Mock Store Shopping

Shoppers enter mock stores and shop as they normally would, choosing they device they would be most likely to purchase.

Post-Test Survey

320 shoppers go to a separate room where they take a quantitative survey covering their device choice and shopping experience.

Which Interactive Point of Sale (POS) results in the highest sales and why?

Mock Retail Store

Two Cell Design

Without iPOS
n=75

With iPOS
n=75

All taking a pre & post survey.

Eye-Tracking Glasses

Ten shoppers wore glasses to track their in-store shopping behavior and were then debriefed by a researcher.​

  • Which iPOS content is most helpful to or needed by shoppers?
  • Do we have the right content available in the iPOS programs?
  • How can we engage shoppers with iPOS in-store?
  • Does iPOS open shoppers up to new device considerations?
  • How do different iPOS versions compare to one another?