How to Do Customer Research

You’ve heard the expression, “The customer is always right,” but who exactly is that customer? Well, that’s where customer research comes in! The truth is, you could have an amazing product, but if you can’t get people to buy it, your business could struggle. Customer research is a vital part of helping your company thrive. And it isn’t as hard as you may think. It’s all about getting into the heads of your potential customers so you can figure out how to attract them and give them what they want.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]What is customer research?

1. It’s research businesses conduct about their target customers. Customer research is the practice of figuring out the preferences, motivations, and buying behavior of your customers so you can attract more of them and get them to buy from you. There are a variety of research methods you can use to gather the info. You can use customer research to identify shared traits among different customer groups so you can appeal to a broader audience.^[1]
   
   • So, for example, let’s say you’re selling skincare products. You’d want to know what type of people are likely to buy your products, how they typically shop, and where you can find them. Customer research can help you find all of that out.
2. The main purpose of customer research is to help your business succeed. Using customer research, you can create marketing campaigns and develop strategies that will draw more customers to your business.^[2] Failing to do your research can cause your business to fail. Even if you have a great product or service, if you can’t get people to buy it, your business may struggle.^[3]
   

[Edit]What are the best methods for researching customers?

1. Interview customers to find out their needs and motivations. Interviews can be time-consuming, but they can also give you really valuable insight into your customer’s motivations. Put together a list of questions that ask about what your customers like or don’t like about your business and products. Ask them what you can do differently to make their experience better. Try catching customers and asking them if you can interview them. You can offer an incentive like a discount or some free swag if they’ll agree to an interview.^[4]
   
2. Use surveys to quickly and easily gather lots of info. Put together a list of questions for your survey that ask what your customers like about your business, what they don’t like, and what they think you could do differently. You can collect your customers’ email addresses and send your survey to them or ask them to fill it out while they’re in your store. Use the info you gather to help shape your marketing and change your products so they suit your customers’ needs.^[5]
   
   • Posting your survey on your business' website and social media accounts can help you reach more customers.^[6]
   • Offer a reward to incentivize people to take your survey. For example, you could offer survey takers 10% off their next purchase.
3. Review your analytics to see customer behavior. Analytics use data to show customer trends and habits. Track what your customers are clicking on when they’re on your website or reading your emails. Monitor which products or services they’re buying. Use the info to make changes that reflect what your customers are actually doing and buying.^[7]
   
4. Research reviews of your competitors to improve your products. Review mining is the process of looking up reviews of your competitors and reading through them to determine what your target customers like and don't like about similar products. Use that data to help improve your business and avoid making the mistakes that your competitors made.^[8]
   

[Edit]How do you identify a customer?

1. Figure out what customer segment they belong in. A customer segment is a group of people who share specific traits relative to marketing. These shared traits can include info like age, location, gender, spending habits, and interests. Using your customer research, organize your customer base into different segments. That way, you can develop marketing strategies that appeal to each segment.^[9]
   
2. Use customer research to create buyer personas. A buyer persona, or customer persona, is a profile built with analysis of real customers. They can provide you with in depth insight into who your customers are, what they value, and what their motivations are. Use any data or information you collect through customer research to create a persona that you can use to craft marketing that will reach those people.^[10]
   
   • It’s pretty common to have multiple buyer personas within a customer segment. For instance single women aged 18-25 can have many different types of personas.
3. Ask yourself questions about who your likely customers are. Think about how old they are, what they do for work, how much money they make, and what sort of lifestyle they live. Try to describe what their buying habits are and how much they might pay for your product or service. Come up with ways you could convince them to buy from you instead of your competitors. Asking yourself questions about your potential customers can help you form a clear picture that you can use to try to attract them in real life.^[11]
   
   • For example, let’s say you’re selling a high-protein shake. Your customers could be in the 18-25 age range who make less than $40,000 a year. They’re probably pretty active and exercise often. Since they’re active, they likely already drink protein shakes from competitors. But maybe you could attract them by branding your product for people in their specific age range with an affordable price and using lingo and phrases specific to their generation. You could call your product a “Lit Shake” or “Lit Fit.”

[Edit]What are the 5 types of customers?

1. Potential, New, Impulsive, Discount, and Loyal. These are broad categories and can be a bit over simplistic, but they can be a useful way for you to organize and think about how to appeal to the different types of customers you want to buy your product or service.^[12]
   
   • Potential customers are people who haven’t committed to buying from you yet.
   • New customers are folks you want to stick around after their first purchase.
   • Impulsive customers may buy from you on the spot if the conditions are right.
   • Discount customers will hesitate or refuse to pay full price.
   • Loyal customers are repeat customers who can help your business grow through word of mouth.

[Edit]Tips

• Don’t be afraid to ask your customers what they want as well! They may be able to provide valuable insight into what they like (and don’t like) about your products or services.
• If you can afford it you can also hire a consultant if you want professional customer research.

[Edit]References

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1. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
2. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
3. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217388
4. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
5. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
6. ↑ https://smallbusiness.chron.com/methods-conducting-consumer-research-3278.html
7. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
8. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
9. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
10. ↑ https://www.lightercapital.com/blog/what-is-consumer-research-why-is-it-important/
11. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241080
12. ↑ https://www.livechat.com/success/types-of-customers/