Here at C+R Research, we’ve worked with some of the world’s leading CPG brands, aspiring up-and-comers, and everything in between to help provide the consumer insights they need to strengthen their brand. We know CPG, and over the years we’ve found that there are a few research modalities that work wonders for the CPG industry specifically.
Here, we cover a few common methods that we’ve used in working with CPG companies, and why these methods work, as well as some of the benefits each has to offer.
Attitude & Usage Studies
What it is
A comprehensive research approach that examines how consumers perceive and interact with brands and products in their daily lives. A&U studies create a complete picture of consumer behavior, brand perceptions, and market opportunities.
Why it works
A&U research gives CPG brands deep insights into consumer perceptions, usage patterns, and market positioning. It helps identify growth opportunities, optimize marketing strategies, and track brand health over time. For product development teams, it provides crucial data about consumer needs and pain points that can guide innovation.
Consumer Segmentation
What it is
Consumer segmentation is the process of dividing people into groups that are similar in specific ways, such as attitudes, needs, occasions they use a product, demographics, psychographics, values, and so on. Segmentation research results in a deeper understanding of which segments your brand should target (prime prospects) and how to communicate with the priority segments.
Why it works
For CPG brands, segmentations offer a wealth of insights into your consumers and strategies for growing your business. These include:
- Driving sales by decreasing acquisition and retention costs, along with improving conversion
- Providing marketing and sales teams with a clear and concise playbook by segment
- Supporting and building consideration of and loyalty to your brand
- Reducing or eliminating barriers to the brand
And so much more.
custom Online Communities
What it is
Custom online communities are a powerful and agile way to connect brands with shoppers and consumers. Communities allow you to dig deep into consumers’ lives – learning who they are and what they want and need – through rich discussions, pictures, and videos, which leads to smart, empathy-driven business decision-making. Communities also provide quick, easy access to target consumers when you need answers to brands’ burning questions.
Why it works
Over the past 20 years, we’ve built hundreds of online communities for a myriad of clients, and in the CPG industry especially, we’ve seen that a long-term online community can be one of the key differentiators for brands that want to continually deeply understand how consumers perceive their brand and products.
Whether it’s quickly capturing insights about a new packaging effort, checking in with consumers about marketing communications and advertising campaigns, or digging deep into what category consumers desire in new products, online communities can provide the solution.
Ethnographic Research
What it is
This qualitative approach allows us to observe authentic rituals and routines in consumers’ natural environments, capturing their feelings regarding personal and emotional topics and understanding their in-the-moment behaviors, needs, and pain points. Ethnographic research often involves joining consumers in their homes, workplaces, or shopping environments to gain a deeper understanding of their routines and rituals.
Why it works
Ethnographic research provides rich, contextual insights about consumer behavior and lifestyle. The ability to see actual behavior in natural settings leads to greater empathy that helps companies put the consumer at the forefront of everything their brand does.
product testing
What it is
Product testing gives consumers a chance to use an existing product or a new prototype to assess key areas like performance, quality and functionality. Product testing can help companies answer questions such as: what do consumers think of your product? What do they like and dislike? Will they buy it? Does your product provide all the features and benefits that consumers desire? Does it meet the criteria to take to market? CPG companies who employ product testing can identify and fix any issues with their product prior to launch; making it more likely to succeed in the marketplace.
Why it works
Product testing’s many use cases make this method a “must have” for CPG brands. For example, product testing helps improve product performance and customer satisfaction, reduce failure rate for new products, reduce costs of product formulations while maintaining product superiority, ensure superiority over competitors, and predict market performance for a new product, just to name a few benefits of this method.
What’s next for your brand?
CPG companies often find themselves dealing with a fast-paced, crowded marketplace, entrenched competition, and rapidly shifting consumer attitudes. With those kinds of challenges to face, excellent market research becomes essential for brands hoping to make their mark or retain their leading position. The methodologies we discussed above are some of the ones that we have seen, time and again, provide CPG brands with the competitive edge they need.
To get in touch with one of our CPG experts and discuss your brand’s specific research requirements, please contact us here. We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information about how we’ve worked with CPG brands in the past, check out some of the case studies below.
