“Anyone who launches new products will immediately appreciate the power of this resource to influence design direction, target appropriate price points, and select materials with high consumer appeal. What I love most is that it facilitates open and powerful discussions across the marketing, design and business teams. It minimizes reliance on “the gut feel” of just one individual in an organization and helps create a unified vision for success.”
Path to Purchase Research, sometimes called Consumer Journey Research focuses on the consumer’s purchase process. It explores the origins of their perceived need for a purchase and then follows them as they research the purchase (where and how do they research, what influences them?), then as they make their purchase (where did they buy, why did they buy there?), why they made the selection they did (what product features and attributes did they value most? What was the role of brand and price?) and finally as they begin to use the product they purchased (are they pleased with it, would they recommend it?).
Marketers need to understand this process from beginning to end in order to maximize the likelihood of capturing purchases. Poor visibility, poor availability, poor information or the wrong information can all undermine sales success. The right information in the right places can increase sales and profits.