consumer research scope

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Consumer Research: Examples, Process and Scope

What is Consumer Research?

Consumer research is a part of market research in which inclination, motivation and purchase behavior of the targeted customers are identified. Consumer research helps businesses or organizations understand customer psychology and create detailed purchasing behavior profiles.

It uses research techniques to provide systematic information about what customers need. Using this information brands can make changes in their products and services, making them more customer-centric thereby increasing customer satisfaction. This will in turn help to boost business.

LEARN ABOUT: Market research vs marketing research

An organization that has an in-depth understanding about the customer decision-making process, is most likely to design a product, put a certain price tag to it, establish distribution centers and promote a product based on consumer research insights such that it produces increased consumer interest and purchases.

For example, A consumer electronics company wants to understand, thought process of a consumer when purchasing an electronic device, which can help a company to launch new products, manage the supply of the stock, etc. Carrying out a Consumer electronics survey can be useful to understand the market demand, understand the flaws in their product and also find out research problems in the various processes that influence the purchase of their goods. A consumer electronics survey can be helpful to gather information about the shopping experiences of consumers when purchasing electronics. which can enable a company to make well-informed and wise decisions regarding their products and services.

LEARN ABOUT:  Test Market Demand

Consumer Research Objectives

When a brand is developing a new product, consumer research is conducted to understand what consumers want or need in a product, what attributes are missing and what are they looking for? An efficient survey software really makes it easy for organizations to conduct efficient research.

Consumer research is conducted to improve brand equity. A brand needs to know what consumers think when buying a product or service offered by a brand. Every good business idea needs efficient consumer research for it to be successful. Consumer insights are essential to determine brand positioning among consumers.

Consumer research is conducted to boost sales. The objective of consumer research is to look into various territories of consumer psychology and understand their buying pattern, what kind of packaging they like and other similar attributes that help brands to sell their products and services better.

LEARN ABOUT: Brand health

Consumer Research Model

According to a study conducted, till a decade ago, researchers thought differently about the consumer psychology, where little or no emphasis was put on emotions, mood or the situation that could influence a customer’s buying decision.

Many believed marketing was applied economics. Consumers always took decisions based on statistics and math and evaluated goods and services rationally and then selected items from those brands that gave them the highest customer satisfaction at the lowest cost.

However, this is no longer the situation. Consumers are very well aware of brands and their competitors. A loyal customer is the one who would not only return to repeatedly purchase from a brand but also, recommend his/her family and friends to buy from the same brand even if the prices are slightly higher but provides an exceptional customer service for products purchased or services offered.

Here is where the Net Promoter Score (NPS) helps brands identify brand loyalty and customer satisfaction with their consumers. Net Promoter Score consumer survey uses a single question that is sent to customers to identify their brand loyalty and level of customer satisfaction. Response to this question is measured on a scale between 0-10 and based on this consumers can be identified as:

Detractors: Who have given a score between 0-6.

Passives: Who have given a score between 7-8.

Promoters: Who have given a score between 9-10.

Consumer market research is based on two types of research method:

1. Qualitative Consumer Research

Qualitative research  is descriptive in nature, It’s a method that uses open-ended questions , to gain meaningful insights from respondents and heavily relies on the following market research methods:

Focus Groups: Focus groups as the name suggests is a small group of highly validated subject experts who come together to analyze a product or service. Focus group comprises of 6-10 respondents. A moderator is assigned to the focus group, who helps facilitate discussions among the members to draw meaningful insights

One-to-one Interview: This is a more conversational method, where the researcher asks open-ended questions to collect data from the respondents. This method heavily depends on the expertise of the researcher. How much the researcher is able to probe with relevant questions to get maximum insights. This is a time-consuming method and can take more than one attempt to gain the desired insights.

LEARN ABOUT: Qualitative Interview

Content/ Text Analysis: Text analysis is a qualitative research method where researchers analyze social life by decoding words and images from the documents available. Researchers analyze the context in which the images are used and draw conclusions from them. Social media is an example of text analysis. In the last decade or so, inferences are drawn based on consumer behavior on social media.

Learn More: How to conduct Qualitative Research  

2.Quantitative Consumer Research

In the age of technology and information, meaningful data is more precious than platinum. Billion dollar companies have risen and fallen on how well they have been able to collect and analyze data, to draw validated insights.

Quantitative research is all about numbers and statistics. An evolved consumer who purchases regularly can vouch for how customer-centric businesses have become today. It’s all about customer satisfaction , to gain loyal customers. With just one questions companies are able to collect data, that has the power to make or break a company. Net Promoter Score question , “On a scale from 0-10 how likely are you to recommend our brand to your family or friends?”

How organic word-of-mouth is influencing consumer behavior and how they need to spend less on advertising and invest their time and resources to make sure they provide exceptional customer service.

LEARN ABOUT: Behavioral Targeting

Online surveys , questionnaires , and polls are the preferred data collection tools. Data that is obtained from consumers is then statistically, mathematically and numerically evaluated to understand consumer preference.

Learn more: How to carry out Quantitative Research

Consumer Research Process

The process of consumer research started as an extension of the process of market research . As the findings of market research is used to improve the decision-making capacity of an organization or business, similar is with consumer research.

LEARN ABOUT:  Market research industry

The consumer research process can be broken down into the following steps:

• Develop research objectives: The first step to the consumer research process is to clearly define the research objective, the purpose of research, why is the research being conducted, to understand what? A clear statement of purpose can help emphasize the purpose.
• Collect Secondary data: Collect secondary data first, it helps in understanding if research has been conducted earlier and if there are any pieces of evidence related to the subject matter that can be used by an organization to make informed decisions regarding consumers.
• Primary Research: In primary research organizations or businesses collect their own data or employ a third party to collect data on their behalf. This research makes use of various data collection methods ( qualitative and quantitative ) that helps researchers collect data first hand.

LEARN ABOUT: Best Data Collection Tools

• Collect and analyze data: Data is collected and analyzed and inference is drawn to understand consumer behavior and purchase pattern.
• Prepare report: Finally, a report is prepared for all the findings by analyzing data collected so that organizations are able to make informed decisions and think of all probabilities related to consumer behavior. By putting the study into practice, organizations can become customer-centric and manufacture products or render services that will help them achieve excellent customer satisfaction.

LEARN ABOUT: market research trends

After Consumer Research Process

Once you have been able to successfully carry out the consumer research process , investigate and break paradigms. What consumers need should be a part of market research design and should be carried out regularly. Consumer research provides more in-depth information about the needs, wants, expectations and behavior analytics of clients.  

By identifying this information successfully, strategies that are used to attract consumers can be made better and businesses can make a profit by knowing what consumers want exactly. It is also important to understand and know thoroughly the buying behavior of consumers to know their attitude towards brands and products.

The identification of consumer needs, as well as their preferences, allows a business to adapt to new business and develop a detailed marketing plan that will surely work. The following pointers can help. Completing this process will help you:

• Attract more customers  
• Set the best price for your products  
• Create the right marketing message  
• Increase the quantity that satisfies the demand of its clients  
• Increase the frequency of visits to their clients  
• Increase your sales  
• Reduce costs  
• Refine your approach to the customer service process .

LEARN ABOUT: Behavioral Research

Consumer Research Methods

Consumers are the reason for a business to run and flourish. Gathering enough information about consumers is never going to hurt any business, in fact, it will only add up to the information a business would need to associate with its consumers and manufacture products that will help their business refine and grow.

Following are consumer research methods that ensure you are in tandem with the consumers and understand their needs:

The studies of customer satisfaction

One can determine the degree of satisfaction of consumers in relation to the quality of products through:

• Informal methods such as conversations with staff about products and services according to the dashboards.   
• Past and present questionnaires/ surveys that consumers might have filled that identify their needs.   

T he investigation of the consumer decision process

It is very interesting to know the consumer’s needs, what motivates them to buy, and how is the decision-making process carried out, though:

• Deploying relevant surveys and receiving responses from a target intended audience .

Proof of concept

Businesses can test how well accepted their marketing ideas are by:

• The use of surveys to find out if current or potential consumer see your products as a rational and useful benefit.  
• Conducting personal interviews or focus group sessions with clients to understand how they respond to marketing ideas.

Knowing your market position

You can find out how your current and potential consumers see your products, and how they compare it with your competitors by:

• Sales figures talk louder than any other aspect, once you get to know the comparison in the sales figures it is easy to understand your market position within the market segment.
• Attitudes of consumers while making a purchase also helps in understanding the market hold.      

Branding tests and user experience

You can determine how your customers feel with their brands and product names by:

• The use of focus groups and surveys designed to assess emotional responses to your products and brands.  
• The participation of researchers to study the performance of their brand in the market through existing and available brand measurement research.   

Price changes

You can investigate how your customers accept or not the price changes by using formulas that measure the revenue – multiplying the number of items you sold, by the price of each item. These tests allow you to calculate if your total income increases or decreases after making the price changes by:

• Calculation of changes in the quantities of products demanded by their customers, together with changes in the price of the product.   
• Measure the impact of the price on the demand of the product according to the needs of the client.   

Social media monitoring

Another way to measure feedback and your customer service is by controlling your commitment to social media and feedback. Social networks (especially Facebook) are becoming a common element of the commercialization of many businesses and are increasingly used by their customers to provide information on customer needs, service experiences, share and file customer complaints . It can also be used to run surveys and test concepts. If handled well, it can be one of the most powerful research tools of the client management . I also recommend reading: How to conduct market research through social networks.

Customer Research Questions

Asking the right question is the most important part of conducting research. Moreover, if it’s consumer research, questions should be asked in a manner to gather maximum insights from consumers. Here are some consumer research questions for your next research:

• Who in your household takes purchasing decisions?
• Where do you go looking for ______________ (product)?
• How long does it take you to make a buying decision?
• How far are you willing to travel to buy ___________(product)?
• What features do you look for when you purchase ____________ (product)?
• What motivates you to buy_____________ (product)?

See more consumer research survey questions:

Customer satisfaction surveys

Voice of customer surveys

Product surveys

Service evaluation surveys

Mortgage Survey Questions

Importance of Consumer Research

Launching a product or offering new services can be quite an exciting time for a brand. However, there are a lot of aspects that need to be taken into consideration while a band has something new to offer to consumers.

LEARN ABOUT: User Experience Research

Here is where consumer research plays a pivotal role. The importance of consumer research cannot be emphasized more. Following points summarizes the importance of consumer research:

• To understand market readiness: However good a product or service may be, consumers have to be ready to accept it. Creating a product requires investments which in return expect ROI from product or service purchases. However, if a market is mature enough to accept this utility, it has a low chance of succeeding by tapping into market potential . Therefore, before launching a product or service, organizations need to conduct consumer research, to understand if people are ready to spend on the utility it provides.
• Identify target consumers: By conducting consumer research, brands and organizations can understand their target market based on geographic segmentation and know who exactly is interested in buying their products. According to the data or feedback received from the consumer, research brands can even customize their marketing and branding approach to better appeal to the specific consumer segment.

LEARN ABOUT: Marketing Insight

• Product/Service updates through feedback: Conducting consumer research, provides valuable feedback from consumers about the attributes and features of products and services. This feedback enables organizations to understand consumer perception and provide a more suitable solution based on actual market needs which helps them tweak their offering to perfection.

Explore more: 300 + FREE survey templates to use for your research

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What Is Consumer Research: Methods, Types, Scope & Examples

Jan 19, 2024

Consumer Research Overview:

Consumer research is an essential aspect of any successful business strategy. Understanding your target audience, their preferences, and behaviours is crucial for making informed decisions, developing effective marketing campaigns, and staying ahead in a competitive marketplace. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of consumer research, covering key methods, types, and scope, and providing real-world examples of its practical applications.

Introduction to Consumer Research

Consumer research, also known as market research, is the systematic process of gathering and analyzing data about consumers' attitudes, preferences, and behaviours. It is a vital component of strategic planning for businesses and organizations across various industries. The primary goal of consumer research is to gain insights into consumer needs and desires, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and create products and services that meet those needs effectively.

Key Methods in Consumer Research

To conduct effective consumer research, various methods and techniques are employed. These methods can be broadly categorized into two main approaches: quantitative and qualitative research.

Quantitative Research in Consumer Studies

Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and statistical analysis. It often involves surveys, questionnaires, and structured interviews with a large sample of participants. This method provides numerical insights into consumer behaviors , preferences, and trends. Data collected through quantitative research can be analyzed to identify patterns, correlations, and statistical significance. This approach is particularly useful when a business needs to measure consumer satisfaction, evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, or conduct large-scale market studies.

Qualitative Approaches in Consumer Research

Qualitative research, on the other hand, emphasizes understanding the underlying motivations and emotions behind consumer behaviors. It involves methods like focus groups, in-depth interviews, and observational studies. Qualitative research allows researchers to delve deeper into consumers' thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It helps businesses gain a more nuanced understanding of their target audience, enabling them to develop products and marketing strategies that resonate on a deeper level.

Exploring Types of Consumer Research

Consumer research is a multifaceted field with various types, each serving specific purposes:

Demographic Analysis in Consumer Research

Demographic research involves analyzing data related to consumers' age, gender, income, education, and other demographic factors. This type of research helps businesses identify and target specific consumer groups based on their characteristics and preferences.

Psychographic Research Methods

Psychographic research focuses on consumers' lifestyles, values, interests, and personality traits. By understanding the psychological factors that influence consumer behavior, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies to align with consumers' beliefs and aspirations.

Consumer Insight Generation

Consumer insight research aims to uncover unique and valuable insights about consumer behaviors and preferences. It often involves innovative data collection techniques and advanced analytics to discover hidden trends and opportunities.

Brand Perception Research

Brand perception research assesses how consumers perceive a brand and its products or services. It helps businesses understand the strengths and weaknesses of their brand image and make necessary improvements.

Product Testing in Consumer Studies

Product testing involves gathering consumer feedback on new products or prototypes. This research type helps businesses refine their products based on real-world consumer input, ensuring they meet market demands.

Comparative Consumer Analysis

Comparative research involves evaluating a business's performance relative to its competitors. It helps identify areas where a business can gain a competitive edge and better serve its target audience.

Cross-Cultural Consumer Research

Cross-cultural research examines consumer behaviours and preferences across different cultures and regions. It helps businesses adapt their marketing strategies to diverse consumer demographics.

The Broad Scope of Consumer Research

Consumer research is not limited to the products and services themselves; it encompasses various aspects of consumer behaviour and market dynamics. The scope of consumer research includes:

Technology in Consumer Studies

As technology continues to advance, consumer research methods have also evolved. Businesses now have access to big data analytics, AI-driven insights, and social media sentiment analysis, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour in the digital age.

Future Trends in Consumer Research

Consumer research is a dynamic field, constantly evolving to keep up with changing consumer preferences and market dynamics. Staying updated with emerging trends in consumer research is essential for businesses to remain competitive.

Data-Driven Consumer Insights

The advent of big data has revolutionized consumer research. Businesses can now harness vast amounts of data to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior, helping them make data-driven decisions and improve their strategies.

Consumer Decision-Making Models

Understanding how consumers make decisions is crucial for businesses. Consumer research explores the decision-making process, including factors like perception, motivation, and cognitive biases, to help businesses influence consumer choices effectively.

Real-world Examples of Consumer Research

Let's look at some practical applications of consumer research in real-world scenarios:

Case Studies in Consumer Research

A leading smartphone manufacturer conducts consumer research to understand what features and specifications consumers prioritize in their smartphones. Based on the findings, the company designs and markets its products accordingly, staying ahead of competitors.

Consumer Satisfaction Measurement

A restaurant chain regularly collects feedback from its customers through surveys and online reviews. By analyzing this data, they identify areas for improvement, make necessary changes to their menu and service, and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.

Trend Analysis in Consumer Studies

A fashion retailer closely monitors consumer trends and preferences in clothing. They use this information to adapt their inventory, marketing campaigns, and store layouts to align with current fashion trends and consumer preferences.

Retail Environment Studies

A retail giant conducts in-store consumer research to optimize its store layout, product placement, and signage. By creating a more pleasant and efficient shopping experience, they aim to increase customer satisfaction and sales.

Consumer Feedback and Reviews

An e-commerce platform analyzes customer feedback and reviews to identify product issues, improve product descriptions, and enhance customer trust. This research helps them provide a better shopping experience.

Online Consumer Behavior

An online marketplace tracks user behaviour on its website to improve user experience, optimize search algorithms, and personalize product recommendations, ultimately increasing sales and customer satisfaction.

Social Media Impact on Consumer Research

A cosmetics brand monitors social media channels to gauge customer sentiment and feedback. They use this data to adjust marketing strategies and product offerings in real-time, staying responsive to consumer preferences.

Global Consumer Trends

A multinational corporation conducts cross-cultural consumer research to adapt its products and marketing strategies to different regions and cultures, ensuring they resonate with local consumers.

Consumer Preferences and Trends

A food and beverage company studies consumer preferences for healthier options. This research informs their product development and marketing efforts to align with the growing trend of health-conscious consumers.

Lifestyle and Consumer Choices

A fitness equipment manufacturer conducts consumer research to understand how consumers' lifestyles and preferences influence their purchasing decisions. This helps them develop products tailored to specific consumer segments.

Psychological Aspects of Consumer Behavior

A marketing agency delves into the psychological factors that influence consumer decisions. They use this knowledge to create compelling advertisements and marketing campaigns that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.

Cultural Influences in Consumer Research

An international travel agency studies how cultural differences impact travel preferences. They tailor their vacation packages and marketing materials to appeal to diverse cultural groups.

Ethical Considerations in Consumer Research

While consumer research provides valuable insights, it is essential to conduct it ethically and responsibly. Respecting consumers' privacy and ensuring the security of their data should be paramount. Businesses should obtain informed consent, anonymize data when necessary, and adhere to applicable regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA, to protect consumers' rights.

The Evolution of Consumer Research Methods

Consumer research methods have evolved significantly over the years. From traditional face-to-face interviews and paper surveys to online surveys, big data analytics, and AI-driven insights, technology has played a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of consumer research. Businesses must stay current with the latest research tools and techniques to remain competitive in today's fast-paced market.

The Impact of Technology on Consumer Research

Technology has revolutionized consumer research in several ways:

Faster Data Collection

Online surveys and digital data collection methods allow businesses to gather consumer insights more quickly, enabling faster decision-making.

Enhanced Data Analysis

Advanced analytics tools enable businesses to process and analyze vast amounts of data, uncovering hidden trends and patterns that were previously difficult to identify.

Personalization in Consumer Engagement

Technology allows businesses to personalize their interactions with consumers, offering tailored recommendations and experiences based on individual preferences and behaviors.

Data Privacy in Consumer Studies

As technology has evolved, concerns about data privacy have grown. Ethical consumer research practices involve protecting consumers' personal information and respecting their privacy rights.

Integrating AI in Consumer Insights

Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms can analyze consumer data more efficiently, providing businesses with valuable insights and predictive analytics.

Practical Applications: How Businesses Use Consumer Research

Consumer research is not just an academic exercise; it has practical applications that directly impact a business's success. Here are some ways businesses use consumer research to their advantage:

Product Development

Consumer research helps businesses identify gaps in the market and develop products that align with consumer needs and preferences.

Marketing Strategies

By understanding consumer behaviors and preferences, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies to effectively reach and engage their target audience.

Customer Experience Enhancement

Consumer research helps businesses improve customer service, streamline processes, and create a positive and memorable customer experience.

Competitive Advantage

By staying updated with consumer trends and preferences, businesses can gain a competitive edge in the market and position themselves as industry leaders.

Risk Mitigation

Consumer research can help identify potential risks and challenges in the market, allowing businesses to proactively address them.

Innovative businesses use consumer research to identify emerging trends and opportunities, leading to the development of groundbreaking products and services.

In conclusion, consumer research is an indispensable tool for businesses seeking to understand their target audience, make informed decisions, and stay competitive in the ever-evolving marketplace. By employing various research methods, understanding different types of consumer research, and respecting ethical considerations, businesses can harness the power of consumer insights to drive growth, innovation, and success. As technology continues to shape the field of consumer research, businesses that embrace data-driven decision-making and prioritize consumer satisfaction will thrive in the dynamic business landscape of the future.

At Market Xcel, we offer a suite of research services to our clients, leveraging our expertise in consumer research to provide valuable insights and drive success in today's competitive business environment.

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Exploring consumer research: strategies for informed marketing

Director, Growth & Strategy

If you want to understand what makes your target audience tick, consumer research is a must. But how do you go about gathering insights about consumer behaviour, preferences, and values? In this article, we discuss just that, exploring strategies and best practices for effectively collecting and interpreting consumer data in a digital landscape.

What is consumer research?

Consumer research, also known as market research, is the process of aggregating information about consumers and their behaviours. The insights gleaned from this process allow you to better understand consumer preferences, needs, and expectations. As a result, your brand can make data-driven decisions about everything from product development to marketing strategies.

The exact means of conducting consumer research vary from company to company. However, this research is typically conducted through methods like surveys, focus groups, and data analytics. These tools garner various types of information, including:

Demographic data

Demographic data encompasses information such as age, gender, income, education level, marital status, and location. Demographics help your brand identify its target audience and develop products and services that appeal to that respective group of individuals.

Psychographic data

Psychographic data refers to any information about consumers’ attitudes, values, interests, and lifestyle. This helps companies understand the emotional and psychological aspects that affect purchasing decisions.

Attitudinal data

Similarly, market researchers may attempt to collect information about consumers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards specific products, brands, or industries. A cleaning product brand may, for instance, measure consumers’ loyalty to a competing brand.

Behavioural data

Behavioural data refers to consumer actions, such as purchase history, product usage, and shopping habits. The more you know about how consumers have acted in the past, the more accurately you can predict future behaviour.

Purchase intent data

Purchase intent data allows you to understand consumers’ purchase intentions and the factors affecting whether or not they buy a product or service. This information is key to product development as well as marketing.

Product and service feedback

Collecting feedback from consumers about their experiences with products or services—from complaints to overall satisfaction—can drive product improvements. This type of information can also enhance customer service.

Consumer research methods

To yield meaningful insights, your brand must adopt a systematic approach to consumer research. It should begin with a clear definition of research objectives, including what specific questions need to be answered and what outcomes are desired. From there, you should determine the most appropriate research tool.

A consumer research survey  is a structured data collection method that gathers information from a sample of respondents. This information may be related to the respondents’ behaviours, opinions, attitudes, or preferences. Surveys may be conducted online, via telephone, or in-person.

• Efficiency: A well-designed survey can collect a large volume of data quickly, making this tool a cost-effective choice.
• Standardisation: Surveys offer consistency in question structure and response options, reducing potential bias and ensuring that all respondents receive the same set of questions.
• Quantifiable data: Surveys generate quantitative data, allowing market researchers to garner insights through statistical analysis. Even open-ended survey questions can be quantified using text analysis tools.

Collect online survey data more efficiently and effectively with Kantar

When you partner with Kantar to conduct consumer research, you benefit from our agile data collection approach. This includes longitudinal studies with bespoke methodologies, quick-turn tests, and other ad hoc projects. We also provide clients with easy-to-use dashboards for in-house analytics and insights.

Focus groups

A focus group is a qualitative research method  in which a small group of selected participants engage in a structured, facilitated discussion about a specific product, service, brand, or other related topic. The goal of a focus group is to gather deeper, more nuanced insights regarding consumer attitudes and perceptions.

• Richer data: Focus groups allow for a deeper understanding of participants’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This helps market researchers understand the “why” behind consumer behaviours.
• Real-time clarification: When survey takers are completing an online questionnaire, they may provide misleading information if they don’t quite understand a question. But in a real-life scenario, moderators can provide clarification.
• Group dynamics: Interaction among participants can generate additional insights that might not emerge in one-on-one interviews or surveys. This group setting also allows market researchers to obtain more information faster compared to interviewing individuals one by one.

Syndicated research

Syndicated research refers to data that is aggregated by market research companies, consulting firms, or other organisations. This data is then sold to multiple clients or subscribers who are interested in understanding the dynamics of a specific industry.

• Cost-effectiveness: Purchasing syndicated research can be cheaper than generating first-party data. This makes consumer research available to companies with limited marketing resources.
• Efficiency: Conducting extensive consumer research studies can take time. But with syndicated research, market researchers can access the information they need when they need it.
• Benchmarking: Brands can use syndicated research to benchmark their performance against industry standards and competitors.

Purchase behaviour

At Kantar, we believe the best way to understand consumer behaviour  is to witness it firsthand. That is why we aggregate high-quality consumer data through tracking the buying behaviour of 750,000 consenting consumers. This allows our clients to understand the values and beliefs of real shoppers.

• Deeper insights: By analysing consumer purchase behaviour, companies can identify trends, preferences, and patterns and distil meaningful insights that inform everything from marketing campaigns to product development.
• Competitive advantage: Understanding consumer behaviour can provide a competitive advantage, allowing brands to stay ahead of market trends and pivot in the face of shifting consumer preferences.
• Market segmentation: Tracking purchase behaviour helps companies segment consumers based on preferences, frequency of purchases, and spending habits. In return, brands can tailor messaging in ways that appeal to each respective market segment.

Ensuring your consumer research data is high quality

In today’s competitive marketplace, consumer research data collected from real people who are who they say they are is essential. Without it, your data may not match reality and you risk making misinformed business decisions. In return, you may waste resources and even risk damaging brand reputation.

At Kantar, we understand the value of data quality . We meticulously follow best practices and set the industry standard for fraud-secured, quality data collection. When you partner with us for your custom research, or use our syndicated research, you can rest easy knowing that our survey respondent panels are:

Fraud-secured

Unfortunately, survey fraud can taint entire datasets. The good news is that Kantar has developed an advanced anti-fraud solution called Qubed . Using cutting-edge machine learning and artificial intelligence, this state-of-the-art software detects fraudulent activities where humans or other standard measures cannot.

Diverse and representative

Through the Kantar Profiles Audience Network , we connect you with more than 170 million global panellists and 2 billion data points around habits, characteristics, and behaviours. This ensures that the resulting data is diverse and representative of your target audience.

Highly-engaged respondents

Survey fatigue can have grave consequences, from incomplete responses to survey dropout. Fortunately, our proprietary survey programming tools are best-in-class. They're designed and tested to deliver the engaged answers from respondents on any device. In addition, our experts in survey design can help you craft questionnaires that evoke thoughtful responses and authentic insights.

Learn more about how Kantar can increase the accuracy and reliability of your consumer research data

Consumer research can be a helpful tool for understanding the preferences, values, and behaviours of your target audience. However, only high-quality consumer research data can help your organisation make well-informed decisions that truly satisfy consumer wants and needs. Learn more about the survey fraud the industry is seeing today and how Kantar can boost the quality of your consumer data quality in the State of Online Research Panels . 

Want more like this?

Read: 11 survey design best practices to increase effectiveness  

Read: How do you create a questionnaire for consumer insights?  

Read: 3 ways to improve the quality of your research data  

Watch: Everything you need to know about collecting high quality data

The State of Online Research Panels

The past, present, and future of consumer research

• Published: 13 June 2020
• Volume 31 , pages 137–149, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Maayan S. Malter   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0383-7925 1 ,
• Morris B. Holbrook 1 ,
• Barbara E. Kahn 2 ,
• Jeffrey R. Parker 3 &
• Donald R. Lehmann 1  

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In this article, we document the evolution of research trends (concepts, methods, and aims) within the field of consumer behavior, from the time of its early development to the present day, as a multidisciplinary area of research within marketing. We describe current changes in retailing and real-world consumption and offer suggestions on how to use observations of consumption phenomena to generate new and interesting consumer behavior research questions. Consumption continues to change with technological advancements and shifts in consumers’ values and goals. We cannot know the exact shape of things to come, but we polled a sample of leading scholars and summarize their predictions on where the field may be headed in the next twenty years.

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1 Introduction

Beginning in the late 1950s, business schools shifted from descriptive and practitioner-focused studies to more theoretically driven and academically rigorous research (Dahl et al. 1959 ). As the field expanded from an applied form of economics to embrace theories and methodologies from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and statistics, there was an increased emphasis on understanding the thoughts, desires, and experiences of individual consumers. For academic marketing, this meant that research not only focused on the decisions and strategies of marketing managers but also on the decisions and thought processes on the other side of the market—customers.

Since then, the academic study of consumer behavior has evolved and incorporated concepts and methods, not only from marketing at large but also from related social science disciplines, and from the ever-changing landscape of real-world consumption behavior. Its position as an area of study within a larger discipline that comprises researchers from diverse theoretical backgrounds and methodological training has stirred debates over its identity. One article describes consumer behavior as a multidisciplinary subdiscipline of marketing “characterized by the study of people operating in a consumer role involving acquisition, consumption, and disposition of marketplace products, services, and experiences” (MacInnis and Folkes 2009 , p. 900).

This article reviews the evolution of the field of consumer behavior over the past half century, describes its current status, and predicts how it may evolve over the next twenty years. Our review is by no means a comprehensive history of the field (see Schumann et al. 2008 ; Rapp and Hill 2015 ; Wang et al. 2015 ; Wilkie and Moore 2003 , to name a few) but rather focuses on a few key thematic developments. Though we observe many major shifts during this period, certain questions and debates have persisted: Does consumer behavior research need to be relevant to marketing managers or is there intrinsic value from studying the consumer as a project pursued for its own sake? What counts as consumption: only consumption from traditional marketplace transactions or also consumption in a broader sense of non-marketplace interactions? Which are the most appropriate theoretical traditions and methodological tools for addressing questions in consumer behavior research?

2 A brief history of consumer research over the past sixty years—1960 to 2020

In 1969, the Association for Consumer Research was founded and a yearly conference to share marketing research specifically from the consumer’s perspective was instituted. This event marked the culmination of the growing interest in the topic by formalizing it as an area of research within marketing (consumer psychology had become a formalized branch of psychology within the APA in 1960). So, what was consumer behavior before 1969? Scanning current consumer-behavior doctoral seminar syllabi reveals few works predating 1969, with most of those coming from psychology and economics, namely Herbert Simon’s A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice (1955), Abraham Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation (1943), and Ernest Dichter’s Handbook of Consumer Motivations (1964). In short, research that illuminated and informed our understanding of consumer behavior prior to 1969 rarely focused on marketing-specific topics, much less consumers or consumption (Dichter’s handbook being a notable exception). Yet, these works were crucial to the rise of consumer behavior research because, in the decades after 1969, there was a shift within academic marketing to thinking about research from a behavioral or decision science perspective (Wilkie and Moore 2003 ). The following section details some ways in which this shift occurred. We draw on a framework proposed by the philosopher Larry Laudan ( 1986 ), who distinguished among three inter-related aspects of scientific inquiry—namely, concepts (the relevant ideas, theories, hypotheses, and constructs); methods (the techniques employed to test and validate these concepts); and aims (the purposes or goals that motivate the investigation).

2.1 Key concepts in the late - 1960s

During the late-1960s, we tended to view the buyer as a computer-like machine for processing information according to various formal rules that embody economic rationality to form a preference for one or another option in order to arrive at a purchase decision. This view tended to manifest itself in a couple of conspicuous ways. The first was a model of buyer behavior introduced by John Howard in 1963 in the second edition of his marketing textbook and quickly adopted by virtually every theorist working in our field—including, Howard and Sheth (of course), Engel-Kollat-&-Blackwell, Franco Nicosia, Alan Andreasen, Jim Bettman, and Joel Cohen. Howard’s great innovation—which he based on a scheme that he had found in the work of Plato (namely, the linkages among Cognition, Affect, and Conation)—took the form of a boxes-and-arrows formulation heavily influenced by the approach to organizational behavior theory that Howard (University of Pittsburgh) had picked up from Herbert Simon (Carnegie Melon University). The model represented a chain of events

where I = inputs of information (from advertising, word-of-mouth, brand features, etc.); C = cognitions (beliefs or perceptions about a brand); A = Affect (liking or preference for the brand); B = behavior (purchase of the brand); and S = satisfaction (post-purchase evaluation of the brand that feeds back onto earlier stages of the sequence, according to a learning model in which reinforced behavior tends to be repeated). This formulation lay at the heart of Howard’s work, which he updated, elaborated on, and streamlined over the remainder of his career. Importantly, it informed virtually every buyer-behavior model that blossomed forth during the last half of the twentieth century.

To represent the link between cognitions and affect, buyer-behavior researchers used various forms of the multi-attribute attitude model (MAAM), originally proposed by psychologists such as Fishbein and Rosenberg as part of what Fishbein and Ajzen ( 1975 ) called the theory of reasoned action. Under MAAM, cognitions (beliefs about brand attributes) are weighted by their importance and summed to create an explanation or prediction of affect (liking for a brand or preference for one brand versus another), which in turn determines behavior (choice of a brand or intention to purchase a brand). This took the work of economist Kelvin Lancaster (with whom Howard interacted), which assumed attitude was based on objective attributes, and extended it to include subjective ones (Lancaster 1966 ; Ratchford 1975 ). Overall, the set of concepts that prevailed in the late-1960s assumed the buyer exhibited economic rationality and acted as a computer-like information-processing machine when making purchase decisions.

2.2 Favored methods in the late-1960s

The methods favored during the late-1960s tended to be almost exclusively neo-positivistic in nature. That is, buyer-behavior research adopted the kinds of methodological rigor that we associate with the physical sciences and the hypothetico-deductive approaches advocated by the neo-positivistic philosophers of science.

Thus, the accepted approaches tended to be either experimental or survey based. For example, numerous laboratory studies tested variations of the MAAM and focused on questions about how to measure beliefs, how to weight the beliefs, how to combine the weighted beliefs, and so forth (e.g., Beckwith and Lehmann 1973 ). Here again, these assumed a rational economic decision-maker who processed information something like a computer.

Seeking rigor, buyer-behavior studies tended to be quantitative in their analyses, employing multivariate statistics, structural equation models, multidimensional scaling, conjoint analysis, and other mathematically sophisticated techniques. For example, various attempts to test the ICABS formulation developed simultaneous (now called structural) equation models such as those deployed by Farley and Ring ( 1970 , 1974 ) to test the Howard and Sheth ( 1969 ) model and by Beckwith and Lehmann ( 1973 ) to measure halo effects.

2.3 Aims in the late-1960s

During this time period, buyer-behavior research was still considered a subdivision of marketing research, the purpose of which was to provide insights useful to marketing managers in making strategic decisions. Essentially, every paper concluded with a section on “Implications for Marketing Managers.” Authors who failed to conform to this expectation could generally count on having their work rejected by leading journals such as the Journal of Marketing Research ( JMR ) and the Journal of Marketing ( JM ).

2.4 Summary—the three R’s in the late-1960s

Starting in the late-1960s to the early-1980s, virtually every buyer-behavior researcher followed the traditional approach to concepts, methods, and aims, now encapsulated under what we might call the three R’s —namely, rationality , rigor , and relevance . However, as we transitioned into the 1980s and beyond, that changed as some (though by no means all) consumer researchers began to expand their approaches and to evolve different perspectives.

2.5 Concepts after 1980

In some circles, the traditional emphasis on the buyer’s rationality—that is, a view of the buyer as a rational-economic, decision-oriented, information-processing, computer-like machine for making choices—began to evolve in at least two primary ways.

First, behavioral economics (originally studied in marketing under the label Behavioral Decision Theory)—developed in psychology by Kahneman and Tversky, in economics by Thaler, and applied in marketing by a number of forward-thinking theorists (e.g., Eric Johnson, Jim Bettman, John Payne, Itamar Simonson, Jay Russo, Joel Huber, and more recently, Dan Ariely)—challenged the rationality of consumers as decision-makers. It was shown that numerous commonly used decision heuristics depart from rational choice and are exceptions to the traditional assumptions of economic rationality. This trend shed light on understanding consumer financial decision-making (Prelec and Loewenstein 1998 ; Gourville 1998 ; Lynch Jr 2011 ) and how to develop “nudges” to help consumers make better decisions for their personal finances (summarized in Johnson et al. 2012 ).

Second, the emerging experiential view (anticipated by Alderson, Levy, and others; developed by Holbrook and Hirschman, and embellished by Schmitt, Pine, and Gilmore, and countless followers) regarded consumers as flesh-and-blood human beings (rather than as information-processing computer-like machines), focused on hedonic aspects of consumption, and expanded the concepts embodied by ICABS (Table 1 ).

2.6 Methods after 1980

The two burgeoning areas of research—behavioral economics and experiential theories—differed in their methodological approaches. The former relied on controlled randomized experiments with a focus on decision strategies and behavioral outcomes. For example, experiments tested the process by which consumers evaluate options using information display boards and “Mouselab” matrices of aspects and attributes (Payne et al. 1988 ). This school of thought also focused on behavioral dependent measures, such as choice (Huber et al. 1982 ; Simonson 1989 ; Iyengar and Lepper 2000 ).

The latter was influenced by post-positivistic philosophers of science—such as Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, and Richard Rorty—and approaches expanded to include various qualitative techniques (interpretive, ethnographic, humanistic, and even introspective methods) not previously prominent in the field of consumer research. These included:

Interpretive approaches —such as those drawing on semiotics and hermeneutics—in an effort to gain a richer understanding of the symbolic meanings involved in consumption experiences;

Ethnographic approaches — borrowed from cultural anthropology—such as those illustrated by the influential Consumer Behavior Odyssey (Belk et al. 1989 ) and its discoveries about phenomena related to sacred aspects of consumption or the deep meanings of collections and other possessions;

Humanistic approaches —such as those borrowed from cultural studies or from literary criticism and more recently gathered together under the general heading of consumer culture theory ( CCT );

Introspective or autoethnographic approaches —such as those associated with a method called subjective personal introspection ( SPI ) that various consumer researchers like Sidney Levy and Steve Gould have pursued to gain insights based on their own private lives.

These qualitative approaches tended not to appear in the more traditional journals such as the Journal of Marketing , Journal of Marketing Research , or Marketing Science . However, newer journals such as Consumption, Markets, & Culture and Marketing Theory began to publish papers that drew on the various interpretive, ethnographic, humanistic, or introspective methods.

2.7 Aims after 1980

In 1974, consumer research finally got its own journal with the launch of the Journal of Consumer Research ( JCR ). The early editors of JCR —especially Bob Ferber, Hal Kassarjian, and Jim Bettman—held a rather divergent attitude about the importance or even the desirability of managerial relevance as a key goal of consumer studies. Under their influence, some researchers began to believe that consumer behavior is a phenomenon worthy of study in its own right—purely for the purpose of understanding it better. The journal incorporated articles from an array of methodologies: quantitative (both secondary data analysis and experimental techniques) and qualitative. The “right” balance between theoretical insight and substantive relevance—which are not in inherent conflict—is a matter of debate to this day and will likely continue to be debated well into the future.

2.8 Summary—the three I’s after 1980

In sum, beginning in the early-1980s, consumer research branched out. Much of the work in consumer studies remained within the earlier tradition of the three R’s—that is, rationality (an information-processing decision-oriented buyer), rigor (neo-positivistic experimental designs and quantitative techniques), and relevance (usefulness to marketing managers). Nonetheless, many studies embraced enlarged views of the three major aspects that might be called the three I’s —that is, irrationality (broadened perspectives that incorporate illogical, heuristic, experiential, or hedonic aspects of consumption), interpretation (various qualitative or “postmodern” approaches), and intrinsic motivation (the joy of pursuing a managerially irrelevant consumer study purely for the sake of satisfying one’s own curiosity, without concern for whether it does or does not help a marketing practitioner make a bigger profit).

3 The present—the consumer behavior field today

3.1 present concepts.

In recent years, technological changes have significantly influenced the nature of consumption as the customer journey has transitioned to include more interaction on digital platforms that complements interaction in physical stores. This shift poses a major conceptual challenge in understanding if and how these technological changes affect consumption. Does the medium through which consumption occurs fundamentally alter the psychological and social processes identified in earlier research? In addition, this shift allows us to collect more data at different stages of the customer journey, which further allows us to analyze behavior in ways that were not previously available.

Revisiting the ICABS framework, many of the previous concepts are still present, but we are now addressing them through a lens of technological change (Table 2 )

. In recent years, a number of concepts (e.g., identity, beliefs/lay theories, affect as information, self-control, time, psychological ownership, search for meaning and happiness, social belonging, creativity, and status) have emerged as integral factors that influence and are influenced by consumption. To better understand these concepts, a number of influential theories from social psychology have been adopted into consumer behavior research. Self-construal (Markus and Kitayama 1991 ), regulatory focus (Higgins 1998 ), construal level (Trope and Liberman 2010 ), and goal systems (Kruglanski et al. 2002 ) all provide social-cognition frameworks through which consumer behavior researchers study the psychological processes behind consumer behavior. This “adoption” of social psychological theories into consumer behavior is a symbiotic relationship that further enhances the theories. Tory Higgins happily stated that he learned more about his own theories from the work of marketing academics (he cited Angela Lee and Michel Pham) in further testing and extending them.

3.2 Present Methods

Not only have technological advancements changed the nature of consumption but they have also significantly influenced the methods used in consumer research by adding both new sources of data and improved analytical tools (Ding et al. 2020 ). Researchers continue to use traditional methods from psychology in empirical research (scale development, laboratory experiments, quantitative analyses, etc.) and interpretive approaches in qualitative research. Additionally, online experiments using participants from panels such as Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific have become commonplace in the last decade. While they raise concerns about the quality of the data and about the external validity of the results, these online experiments have greatly increased the speed and decreased the cost of collecting data, so researchers continue to use them, albeit with some caution. Reminiscent of the discussion in the 1970s and 1980s about the use of student subjects, the projectability of the online responses and of an increasingly conditioned “professional” group of online respondents (MTurkers) is a major concern.

Technology has also changed research methodology. Currently, there is a large increase in the use of secondary data thanks to the availability of Big Data about online and offline behavior. Methods in computer science have advanced our ability to analyze large corpuses of unstructured data (text, voice, visual images) in an efficient and rigorous way and, thus, to tap into a wealth of nuanced thoughts, feelings, and behaviors heretofore only accessible to qualitative researchers through laboriously conducted content analyses. There are also new neuro-marketing techniques like eye-tracking, fMRI’s, body arousal measures (e.g., heart rate, sweat), and emotion detectors that allow us to measure automatic responses. Lastly, there has been an increase in large-scale field experiments that can be run in online B2C marketplaces.

3.3 Present Aims

Along with a focus on real-world observations and data, there is a renewed emphasis on managerial relevance. Countless conference addresses and editorials in JCR , JCP , and other journals have emphasized the importance of making consumer research useful outside of academia—that is, to help companies, policy makers, and consumers. For instance, understanding how the “new” consumer interacts over time with other consumers and companies in the current marketplace is a key area for future research. As global and social concerns become more salient in all aspects of life, issues of long-term sustainability, social equality, and ethical business practices have also become more central research topics. Fortunately, despite this emphasis on relevance, theoretical contributions and novel ideas are still highly valued. An appropriate balance of theory and practice has become the holy grail of consumer research.

The effects of the current trends in real-world consumption will increase in magnitude with time as more consumers are digitally native. Therefore, a better understanding of current consumer behavior can give us insights and help predict how it will continue to evolve in the years to come.

4 The future—the consumer behavior field in 2040

The other papers use 2030 as a target year but we asked our survey respondents to make predictions for 2040 and thus we have a different future target year.

Niels Bohr once said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” Indeed, it would be a fool’s errand for a single person to hazard a guess about the state of the consumer behavior field twenty years from now. Therefore, predictions from 34 active consumer researchers were collected to address this task. Here, we briefly summarize those predictions.

4.1 Future Concepts

While few respondents proffered guesses regarding specific concepts that would be of interest twenty years from now, many suggested broad topics and trends they expected to see in the field. Expectations for topics could largely be grouped into three main areas. Many suspected that we will be examining essentially the same core topics, perhaps at a finer-grained level, from different perspectives or in ways that we currently cannot utilize due to methodological limitations (more on methods below). A second contingent predicted that much research would center on the impending crises the world faces today, most mentioning environmental and social issues (the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet begun when these predictions were collected and, unsurprisingly, was not anticipated by any of our respondents). The last group, citing the widely expected profound impact of AI on consumers’ lives, argued that AI and other technology-related topics will be dominant subjects in consumer research circa 2040.

While the topic of technology is likely to be focal in the field, our current expectations for the impact of technology on consumers’ lives are narrower than it should be. Rather than merely offering innumerable conveniences and experiences, it seems likely that technology will begin to be integrated into consumers’ thoughts, identities, and personal relationships—probably sooner than we collectively expect. The integration of machines into humans’ bodies and lives will present the field with an expanding list of research questions that do not exist today. For example, how will the concepts of the self, identity, privacy, and goal pursuit change when web-connected technology seamlessly integrates with human consciousness and cognition? Major questions will also need to be answered regarding philosophy of mind, ethics, and social inequality. We suspect that the impact of technology on consumers and consumer research will be far broader than most consumer-behavior researchers anticipate.

As for broader trends within consumer research, there were two camps: (1) those who expect (or hope) that dominant theories (both current and yet to be developed) will become more integrated and comprehensive and (2) those who expect theoretical contributions to become smaller and smaller, to the point of becoming trivial. Both groups felt that current researchers are filling smaller cracks than before, but disagreed on how this would ultimately be resolved.

4.2 Future Methods

As was the case with concepts, respondents’ expectations regarding consumer-research methodologies in 2030 can also be divided into three broad baskets. Unsurprisingly, many indicated that we would be using many technologies not currently available or in wide use. Perhaps more surprising was that most cited the use of technology such as AI, machine-learning algorithms, and robots in designing—as opposed to executing or analyzing—experiments. (Some did point to the use of technologies such as virtual reality in the actual execution of experiments.) The second camp indicated that a focus on reliable and replicable results (discussed further below) will encourage a greater tendency for pre-registering studies, more use of “Big Data,” and a demand for more studies per paper (versus more papers per topic, which some believe is a more fruitful direction). Finally, the third lot indicated that “real data” would be in high demand, thereby necessitating the use of incentive-compatible, consequential dependent variables and a greater prevalence of field studies in consumer research.

As a result, young scholars would benefit from developing a “toolkit” of methodologies for collecting and analyzing the abundant new data of interest to the field. This includes (but is not limited to) a deep understanding of designing and implementing field studies (Gerber and Green 2012 ), data analysis software (R, Python, etc.), text mining and analysis (Humphreys and Wang 2018 ), and analytical tools for other unstructured forms of data such as image and sound. The replication crisis in experimental research means that future scholars will also need to take a more critical approach to validity (internal, external, construct), statistical power, and significance in their work.

4.3 Future Aims

While there was an air of existential concern about the future of the field, most agreed that the trend will be toward increasing the relevance and reliability of consumer research. Specifically, echoing calls from journals and thought leaders, the respondents felt that papers will need to offer more actionable implications for consumers, managers, or policy makers. However, few thought that this increased focus would come at the expense of theoretical insights, suggesting a more demanding overall standard for consumer research in 2040. Likewise, most felt that methodological transparency, open access to data and materials, and study pre-registration will become the norm as the field seeks to allay concerns about the reliability and meaningfulness of its research findings.

4.4 Summary - Future research questions and directions

Despite some well-justified pessimism, the future of consumer research is as bright as ever. As we revised this paper amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that many aspects of marketplace behavior, consumption, and life in general will change as a result of this unprecedented global crisis. Given this, and the radical technological, social, and environmental changes that loom on the horizon, consumer researchers will have a treasure trove of topics to tackle in the next ten years, many of which will carry profound substantive importance. While research approaches will evolve, the core goals will remain consistent—namely, to generate theoretically insightful, empirically supported, and substantively impactful research (Table 3 ).

5 Conclusion

At any given moment in time, the focal concepts, methods, and aims of consumer-behavior scholarship reflect both the prior development of the field and trends in the larger scientific community. However, despite shifting trends, the core of the field has remained constant—namely, to understand the motivations, thought processes, and experiences of individuals as they consume goods, services, information, and other offerings, and to use these insights to develop interventions to improve both marketing strategy for firms and consumer welfare for individuals and groups. Amidst the excitement of new technologies, social trends, and consumption experiences, it is important to look back and remind ourselves of the insights the field has already generated. Effectively integrating these past findings with new observations and fresh research will help the field advance our understanding of consumer behavior.

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Malter, M.S., Holbrook, M.B., Kahn, B.E. et al. The past, present, and future of consumer research. Mark Lett 31 , 137–149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-020-09526-8

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Consumer Research: Definition, Methods and Benefits (+ Templates)

Nemanja Jovancic

Sep 02 2020

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Launching a new product? Considering whether you should offer new services or tweak the current ones? Such moments can be challenging both for established brands and those just trying to break into the market.

Whenever you have something new to offer to your customers, there are numerous factors to be taken into account if you want to make well-informed decisions that would increase the chances of a successful launch, instead of stumbling in the dark and hoping for the best.

This is where consumer research kicks in.

What is consumer research?

Consumer research is the aspect of market research that focuses on identifying the motivation, preferences, and purchase behavior of (potential) consumers.

Companies rely on consumer research to analyze and better understand consumer psychology so as to improve their products or services, making them more customer-oriented, and ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and the number of sales.

Having a deep understanding of consumer decision-making and purchase behavior allows brands to build products that will find their market fit more easily, put the optimal price tag onto them, and establish the right distribution and promotion channels.

Let’s say a beauty industry company wants to launch a new skincare product. In order to de-risk their production and product placement, they could launch a skincare quiz to find out what it is that their consumers actually need:

And then they could do additional market research to find out more about their ideal customer’s demographics and purchase habits. Conducting this kind of consumer research is expected to facilitate a successful launch for the new product and ensure that there’s actual demand for such a product on the market.

Before we dig any deeper into consumer research, here’s a survey template you could easily use to do your own market research.

Consumer research survey template

Just here for an easy way to conduct your own consumer research? No worries, we’ve got you covered – grab this market research template and learn more about your consumers right now.

If you would like to learn more about how and why you should conduct the research using the template above, keep on reading.

Why you should conduct consumer research

Often, people do research just because they’ve been told to do so. But if you’re looking to better understand your consumers and their needs, you need to know why you should be conducting consumer research in the first place. Even though there are plenty of benefits, here are the top three I’d like to point out:

Understand market readiness

No matter how good you think your products or services are, there’s a fair chance you’re not completely objective nor representative of your ideal target consumer.

When launching a new product, there’s a lot of investments going around and, naturally, you’d expect adequate ROI. However, if there’s not enough market potential, your investment might fail. This is where consumer research kicks in.

Identify target consumers

Another important benefit of conducting consumer research is the ability to identify and analyze your target customers. In other words, this allows you to determine who might be interested in buying your products or using your services.

For example, you can use a demographic survey  to obtain various information on your customers such as age, gender, geographic location, employment, marital status, and more. Or you can rely on different types of market segmentation  to reach your ideal customer. This would allow you to customize your marketing efforts to better appeal to particular customer sets.

Get feedback on existing products or services

Finally, consumer research can help you obtain valuable feedback on your current business offer. Such feedback can help you update or improve your current products based on the valuable information from the actual consumers.

Getting feedback is important because it helps brands and businesses better understand the consumers’ standing point and come up with an improved product that would help address the challenges they’ve been having and fully meet the actual market needs and requirements.

Main consumer research methods

There are two main types of consumer research – quantitative and qualitative . Both types rely on different research techniques that we’ll explore in more detail down below.

Quantitative consumer research

By 2025, the global data pool is expected to rise up to 175 zettabytes . That’s why meaningful data has become more valuable than ever and the way companies collect data  can either make or break their business success.

Quantitative research is a data collection method that revolves around numbers and stats. It’s an essential part of consumer research that can provide businesses with measurable data on their customers. Such data can be mathematically and statistically analyzed in order to gain more insight into consumer behavior.

The most effective and most popular techniques for obtaining quantitative data are different types of online questionnaires such as surveys and polls.

Surveys and polls

Nowadays, the easiest way to obtain consumer data is through online surveys, questionnaires, and polls. Thanks to highly-advanced and intuitive survey tools , it’s now easier than ever to create your own data collectors, either from scratch or using professionally written templates.

All the LeadQuizzes users, for example, gain free access to 78 professionally written and beautifully designed survey, quiz, and form templates. This includes market and consumer research survey templates such as the ones shown in the image below:

To access the LeadQuizzes templates, just log in to your account (or sign up for a free trial  if you don’t have an account yet) and select your preferred template from the selection of pre-made templates . You can use the templates as they are or easily customize them to meet your specific needs.

One of the easiest ways to obtain quantitative customer data is by using an NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey . This customer research technique allows you to easily evaluate the satisfaction of your current users and express it through numbers for easy analysis. With just one single question – “How likely are you to refer our business?” – you can easily measure consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

To preview (or use) an NPS survey template, just click on the image below:

Qualitative consumer research

Unlike quantitative research, which relies on numbers, qualitative consumer research is descriptive in nature. To obtain qualitative data, you need to be using open-ended questions with no predefined answer options. While this means that you can still be using online surveys to obtain qualitative data as well, there are a few more options to choose from.

Focus Groups

A focus group is a small group of people who are experts on a particular subject matter and whose job is to analyze a particular aspect of consumer research – e.g. a new update, feature, product, and so on.

Ideally, focus groups contain somewhere between 3-10 people, including an obligatory moderator. Depending on the research topic and goal, the members of a focus group should be brought together around certain common denominators.

For example, if you’re doing research on the use of birth control pills, all the members of your focus group need to be sexually active females. The remaining parameters like age, education, employment, and so on, may or may not be relevant here.

1-to-1 interviews

In most cases, this is a conversational method that presupposes an interviewer and an interviewee. During this type of consumer research, the researcher (the interviewer) asks questions (that are equivalent to the open-ended survey questions) related to products and services.

There are two main limitations to this method. Firstly, it’s very time consuming and might become overwhelming if you have to interview an excessively large number of consumers. And secondly, it very much relies on the researcher’s expertise and ability to extract the relevant information from interviewees.

Social media monitoring

This type of consumer research could also be described as content or text analysis but, in recent years, it primarily refers to the analysis of consumer behavior on social media. Here, the researchers analyze consumers’ social life by decoding their social media posts and interactions to draw inferences related to their consumer behavior and habits.

After the research

Above, we’ve introduced you to consumer research – what it is, why you need to conduct it, and what are some of the best ways to do so. Once you’ve managed to conduct your research, gather the necessary data, analyze it, and come to certain conclusions, you should have a better insight into the exact needs and pain points of your customers.

This will allow you to adapt your business, update, tweak or completely revamp your products and services, and develop a better marketing plan that would allow you to attract more consumers, determine the optimal price, increase the number of sales, and reduce costs.

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How the experts get results: 8 examples of consumer research

What are the goals of consumer research, 8 consumer research examples (and how to get better insights from your research), what are the benefits of conducting consumer research, best practices for seamless consumer research, conduct better consumer research with the right tools.

Ever look at a brilliant move from a brand and think: how did they nail that so seemingly effortlessly?

The answer often involved customer research.

At its core, consumer research is the gathering and analysis of information about target markets, consumers, and potential customers. It’s not just about numbers and graphs—though they have their place—it’s about understanding people. And with understanding people, you’ll get to understand what tactics and campaigns will win for your brand.

Your research can shape products, influence marketing strategies, and even drive innovation. Whether it’s understanding how customers feel, what they think, or how they behave, consumer research offers a blueprint for brands to build deeper, more meaningful connections with their audience.

There are countless tools at your disposal to crush your customer research. From the ever-popular to the more niche, here are some of the key research methods brand like yours use:

• Online surveys : Tap into real-time feedback and broad audiences with just a few clicks.
• Phone surveys : Engage in deeper, personal conversations and get nuanced insights.
• Focus groups : Dive into group dynamics and gain qualitative insights from lively discussions.
• Field observations : Observe consumers in their natural habitat to glean non-verbal cues and real-world behaviors.
• In-depth interviews : Get detailed, in-depth feedback on specific topics.
• Product testing : Put your product in the hands of consumers and see it through their eyes.

Consumer research is used by businesses to understand their audience more deeply, and to adapt their strategies accordingly—minimizing risks and maximizing revenue. It provides valuable data and insights that influence decisions at every level—from product development to marketing strategies. By digging into the why and how of consumer behavior, brands can make informed choices that truly resonate with their audience, without having to fear they’ll completely miss the mark.

When diving into consumer research, a brand might have several goals in mind, such as:

• Uncovering consumer needs : What are the unsaid (and said!) desires or pain points of your audience?
• Predicting market trends : Where is the market headed? What are significant patterns?
• Enhancing product development : How can your product evolve to serve your customers better?
• Crafting effective marketing campaigns : What messages will truly resonate with your target audience?
• Understanding purchase decisions : Why do consumers choose one brand over another? When and why do people buy?
• Measuring brand perception : How do consumers view your brand compared to competitors?
• Identifying growth opportunities : Are there untapped markets or segments to explore?

1. Bloom & Wild learned from their target market how to make Valentine’s Day fresh again

Bloom & Wild , a direct-to-door flower company from London, wanted to shake things up—but not without doing their due diligence with market research first. They were over the red roses game on Valentine’s Day and wanted to see if their customers were too. Let’s just say, things got bloomin’ interesting.

Key takeaways:

• Challenge assumptions : Just because it’s tradition doesn’t mean it’s right. Bloom & Wild suspected red roses were kinda old news for V-Day. Attest showed a lot of folks felt the same.
• Dig for the real story : Thanks to Attest, they found out 79% of people prefer thoughtful gifts over the same-old. And red roses? 58% found them too cliche.
• Make waves with your data : Strong data makes strong campaigns. Bloom & Wild said goodbye to red roses and launched the “No Red Roses” campaign. A bold move that gave them loads of press.
• The results? Mega blooms : No red roses, no problem. Valentine’s Day sales quadrupled and press coverage went up by 51%.
• Feedback = fab conversations : It wasn’t just about sales and press. Their social channels lit up with folks sharing heartwarming love stories. When you listen to your customers and take risks, people notice (and love it).

What’s the best consumer research software

Picking the right consumer insights software for your needs is super important – here’s our list of the top providers so you can see what each has to offer…

2. Little Moons tapped into their true target customers thanks to customer research data

Little Moons , those yummy Japanese mochi ice cream bites, went big on TikTok. But they didn’t just want to be a 15-second sensation; they wanted to scoop up the long game. Let’s unpack how they didn’t just melt away after the TikTok frenzy, thanks to the coolest customer research.

• Find out who your customer is : If you think TikTok, you think teens. Customer research surprised them: it’s the 30+ audience that found out they were the ones buying their treats.
• Widen the stage : Just being a TikTok sensation isn’t the endgame. Little Moons wanted EVERYONE to know their name. So, they aimed for big newspaper names—think Telegraph, Express, Sun—to make their mochis more mainstream.
• Customers build brands : It’s not just brand managers and marketers. Working with consumer research insights meant their brand awareness shot up.

3. Penfold combined conducting customer research with brand tracking — a smart move

Penfold , the fresh face in digital pensions, saw huge growth in a short time. But growth can be a double-edged sword. With all these new customers, they wondered: “Who are we really connecting with?” They didn’t have any past metrics to compare to, and customer research with brand tracking seemed the way to go. They just needed a tool that was both budget-friendly and user-friendly.

• The growth conundrum : Penfold’s growth was impressive, tripling pension transfers in just a year. But they were navigating without a map, lacking historical brand metrics. Good news: even when that’s lacking, you can still dig into customer research.
• Tracking over time : Brand tracking and market research with Attest delivered some clear messages. Engaging the younger crowd in pensions? Easier said than done. But after a year of tracking and customer research, Penfold is better equipped. They now tailor their messaging to resonate more effectively with their audience.
• Customers and competition : Using Attest, Penfold can keep tabs on their competitors, not just their customers. They can gauge who’s getting attention and strategize on distinguishing their brand, to turn the attention back to themselves.

4. psLondon redefined university marketing through Gen Z insights

psLondon, a seasoned creative and brand consultancy, faced a challenge. Many universities seemed to echo similar messages. And they didn’t resonate. They needed fresh insights, especially from the Gen Z perspective, to help each university carve its distinct identity . Their customer research with Attest helped them formulate stellar campaigns.

• Ask consumers about core values : psLondon sought to understand the unique values students associated with their universities. Their research led to distinct insights, like a university standing out for its emphasis on “freedom”, which then translated to a compelling tagline: “the freedom to achieve”.
• Replicating success : The value-based rebranding approach was not a one-off success. Post its initial triumph, psLondon applied the strategy to four more UK universities, and kept that ball rolling.
• Using customer research beyond aesthetics : This method is not just about a fresh coat of paint. It’s about understanding and communicating intrinsic values that resonate deeply with students. Their approach to customer research has not only made them sought-after in university marketing, but has also led them to share their insights at conferences and in white papers.

5. Evive Nutrition’s used customer insights to guide them on their American journey

Evive Nutrition, after having garnered immense success in Canada with its innovative frozen smoothie cubes, took a bold leap into the US market last year . Consumer research played a key role in this expansion journey.

• Value of subscriptions : Evive’s unique business model hinges on their subscription-based approach. While they boast a strong presence in physical stores, their customer research revealed the growing trend and value of direct-to-door deliveries, especially amidst the modern consumer’s quest for convenience.
• Adapting to America : The significance of customer research can’t be overstated, especially when venturing into unfamiliar territory. Through Attest, Evive was able to gather crucial insights into American consumer preferences, from preferred flavours to feedback on their communication strategies.
• Tailored messaging for the US : Armed with these insights, Evive meticulously tailored its content strategy for the American audience and US consumer trends for 2023 . This went beyond mere promotional materials and trickled down to their website, content creation, and even product packaging.

6. Organic Valley’s used customer insights to create breakfast bites nobody can resist

Organic Valley knows a thing or two about great breakfast snacks, but working together with their target audience really elevated their game . Their approach underscores the importance of customer insights not just in product development but even in nuanced elements like naming.

• Fueling innovation with feedback : They didn’t just aim to create a new product; they wanted one that was both innovative and well-received. By leveraging consumer research insights via Attest, Organic Valley could accelerate the innovation process, optimize messaging, and refine product iterations.
• The name game : It became evident that while flavor was crucial, naming played an equally vital role in the consumers’ perception. A flavor’s name could conjure memories, emotions, and expectations, and Organic Valley was keen on ensuring that these names reflected the product accurately and appetizingly.
• Efficiency and cost-savings : One of the standout benefits of this early-stage consumer feedback was the significant cost savings for Organic Valley. Prompt learnings through Attest saved the brand between 10 to 20 times the potential costs they might have incurred from late-stage adjustments or missteps.

7. GoCardless tapped into customer research to make payments painless

Ever faced a hiccup at the online checkout? GoCardless sure noticed. Intent on understanding the very essence of these hiccups, they delved into their customers’ payment woes to make their sales and marketing efforts truly resonate.

• Zooming in on payment pain points : Online checkouts can be tricky. Sometimes, they’re even downright frustrating. GoCardless wasn’t content to just acknowledge that—they wanted to know the ins and outs. Their goal was to tailor their offerings in a way that directly addressed these prevalent payment challenges and expressed their brand’s value proposition.
• Research-backed solutions : No longer does GoCardless roll out a solution based on mere assumptions. Each of their product launches now stands on a solid foundation of customer research, ensuring it’s not just another feature but a real answer to a genuine customer need.
• A value proposition that sticks : By tapping into direct consumer insights, GoCardless sharpened their value proposition, making it more compelling.

8. DRY Soda Co. harnessed consumer research to drive an impressive 170% revenue surge

DRY Soda Co. didn’t let themselves be stopped by restrictions people faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. With their traditional launch methods now inaccessible, they harnessed the power of consumer research through Attest and saw big wins .

• The challenge of conventional approaches : With COVID-19 throwing a wrench in the works, DRY’s initial “try and buy” strategy of in-store and bar demos for their DRY Botanical Bitters & Soda was halted.
• Pivoting to alternative consumer research methods : Rather than giving in to the setback, DRY channeled their energy into gathering customer research insights. Small focus groups set the initial tone, and these findings were then magnified using Attest.
• Tailored design from direct insights : Consumer feedback obtained through Attest played a pivotal role in product branding. The design effectively embodied the sophistication of a zero-proof cocktail. Furthermore, the emphasis on the “zero-sugar” element, a prime attraction for many consumers, stemmed directly from these insights.

Always doing the same in a market where things change rapidly is a recipe for disaster. Consumers drive trends and changes in every industry, and brands should be following them—it’ll rarely work the other way around.

So, gaining insights from consumer research is crucial for brands aiming to understand, adapt, and evolve. Depending on the specific goals and questions a brand has, they may opt for quantitative or qualitative customer research methods, each with its own unique advantages.

The importance of quantitative research

Definition : Quantitative research involves collecting numerical data to understand patterns, frequencies, and trends. Quantitative consumer research often employs structured surveys to gather data from a larger sample size for primary research, but secondary sources can be used too.

• Broad insights : Provides a wider view of consumer behaviors and opinions.
• Statistical significance : Offers data that can be statistically analyzed for more reliable conclusions.
• Clear trends : Easily identify dominant patterns in consumer behaviors or preferences.
• Speed and efficiency : Online tools and platforms can quickly reach a large number of respondents.

The importance of qualitative research

Definition : Qualitative market research delves deep into consumer behaviors, emotions and reasons behind certain choices. Qualitative consumer research often involves primary research methods like focus groups or video interviews to gain more detailed insights.

• In-depth understanding : Offers deeper insights into the “why” behind consumer decisions.
• Flexibility : Allows for adaptive questioning based on responses.
• Rich data : Gathers detailed anecdotes, stories, and reasons that can provide context.
• Uncovering nuances : Captures the subtleties in consumer emotions and preferences.

By understanding the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative customer research, brands can select the right approach for their specific needs, ensuring they obtain insights that are both broad in scope and deep in understanding.

Consumer research can be a game-changer for brands, but to truly harness its power, it’s crucial to approach it with the right strategies. Here are some expert-recommended best practices to ensure you get the most out of your research efforts:

Use consumer research tools to conduct customer research

Conducting market research at scale and with depth is best done using consumer research tools . They can significantly streamline the process and provide more accurate results. These tools offer a structured way to gather, analyze, and interpret data, making the entire process more efficient and effective.

Prioritize clear objectives

Before you conduct market research of any type, it’s essential to define clear objectives. What are you trying to achieve with this research? Whether it’s understanding consumer preferences, identifying market gaps, or measuring brand perception, having a clear goal ensures your efforts are directed effectively.

Be open to unexpected insights

While it’s essential to have clear objectives, it’s equally important to be open to unexpected insights. Sometimes, the most valuable information comes from unplanned findings. By being receptive to these, you can uncover new opportunities or areas of improvement.

Ensure diversity in your sample

It’s crucial to ensure that your sample represents a diverse set of consumers. This helps in capturing a wider range of perspectives, leading to richer insights. Make sure that your participants vary in age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other demographic factors relevant to your study. The right consumer insights software helps you diversify your samples, but makes sure to check.

Validate and re-test

Once you’ve gathered your initial insights, it’s always a good practice to validate them with your entire consumer insight team . This could mean conducting a follow-up study, re-testing your hypotheses, or analyzing the data through another lens, making sure all teams are aligned. This ensures that the insights are robust and not just a one-off anomaly.

If you’re looking to conduct customer research and really want to dig deep—and not just scratch the surface of customer satisfaction numbers or basic personas—try Attest.

Our research platform help you get a deeper understanding of what moves your target consumers, leaving you with all the data you need to inform your strategies. You’ll get a dedicated research expert to support you along the way, and it’s an easy start from our templates .

Ready to get to know your customers?

Consumer research is the process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a company’s target audience. This research helps brands understand consumer needs, preferences, behaviors, and motivations, allowing them to make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, and other business areas.

It’s always customer research ‘o clock somewhere. Consumer research should be conducted at various stages of a product or service lifecycle. This includes before a product launch (to understand market needs), post-launch (to gather feedback and refine), and periodically thereafter (to stay updated with changing consumer behaviors). It’s also crucial during brand repositioning, entering new markets, or when addressing specific challenges in the market.

It does depend on your specific goals and the tools you will use, but there is a general framework that you can draw inspiration from. Different consumer insight companies will follow slightly different processes, but the best consumer research process involves a series of structured steps: 1. Defining clear research objectives. 2. Selecting the appropriate research method (quantitative, qualitative, or a mix). 3. Designing the research tool (e.g., survey or focus group). 4. Collecting data from a representative sample (both qualitative data and quantitative data) 5. Analyzing and interpreting the data. 6. Presenting the findings in a comprehensible manner to stakeholders.

The specific questions in consumer research will vary based on objectives. However, some common questions include: – What factors influence your purchase decision? – How satisfied are you with our product? – What improvements would you like to see? – How does our brand compare to competitors? It’s essential to ask open-ended questions to capture comprehensive insights and ensure questions are unbiased to get genuine response

Consumer research provides brands with insights into their target audience’s needs, behaviors, and preferences, which is the guiding light for any successful brand. It enables them to create products and services that resonate with their audience, craft effective marketing strategies, identify market opportunities, and address challenges proactively.

Elliot Barnard

Customer Research Lead 

Elliot joined Attest in 2019 and has dedicated his career to working with brands carrying out market research. At Attest Elliot takes a leading role in the Customer Research Team, to support customers as they uncover insights and new areas for growth.

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The Federal Reserve Explained

How we promote consumer protection and community development.

Engaging with Consumer and Community Perspectives

The Federal Reserve is responsible for promoting consumer protection and community development to help ensure a fair and transparent financial services marketplace that benefits all Americans.

The Federal Reserve understands that healthy communities and well-served consumers help support and drive economic growth. That's why the Federal Reserve is committed to ensuring that consumer and community perspectives inform its policy, research, and actions.

We all benefit more from a thriving, well-functioning economy when we have access to affordable and accessible financial products and services —like bank accounts, credit cards, and mortgages—that help us all save, invest, buy a home, borrow money, and more basically, provide financial security for our families and futures.

Watch: Building a more inclusive financial system

The Federal Reserve's Consumer-Focused Supervision and Regulation

The Federal Reserve helps ensure that bank lenders and other financial institutions follow the federal laws and regulations that ensure that quality products and services are fairly offered and accessible to consumers and communities. The Federal Reserve shares this responsibility with various federal agencies, supervising financial institutions and enforcing these important consumer and community protections.

Federal government rules and statutes cover all types of consumer bank and lending accounts and transactions, and also ensure vital consumer and community practices are observed—like requiring banks to follow fair lending, fair housing, and community reinvestment laws.

Responding to Consumer Feedback

The Federal Reserve investigates complaints and fields inquiries from consumers about their experiences with financial institutions and any potential regulatory or legal violations.

The Federal Reserve has uniform policies and procedures for investigating and responding to consumer complaints, which are implemented by staff at the 12 Reserve Banks and the Federal Reserve Consumer Help (FRCH) Center . The FRCH is a centralized consumer complaint and inquiry processing center, which allows consumers to contact the Federal Reserve online or by telephone, fax, mail, or email.

Watch: How to file a complaint against a bank

Conducting Research and Analysis of Emerging Consumer Issues

The Federal Reserve conducts rigorous research, analysis, and data collection to identify and assess consumer and community development issues to understand emerging opportunities and risks when making policy decisions.

The Federal Reserve supports research about communities and consumers, including the financially vulnerable, to understand their financial experiences and decisionmaking, and the major challenges they face, like getting access to financial services.

Since 2013, the Federal Reserve has conducted the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, which measures the economic well-being of U.S. households and identifies potential risks to their finances. The survey covers a range of topics relevant to financial well-being, including credit access and behaviors, savings, retirement, economic fragility, and education and student loans. Dedicated research in these areas helps identify trends that may impact financial well-being and helps inform whether those trends suggest the need to adjust consumer protection efforts or policies that ensure low- and moderate-income communities' perspectives, challenges, and opportunities are well-represented.

Watch: Understanding the financial challenges families face

“The Federal Reserve has a deep commitment to supporting research that helps policymakers, community development practitioners, and researchers improve the economic well-being of families and communities.” —Chair Jerome H. Powell

Engaging in Community Economic Development Activities

Another critical way the Federal Reserve promotes consumer protection and community development is by engaging, convening, and informing key stakeholders to identify emerging issues and policies and practices to advance effective community reinvestment and consumer protection.

The Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Banks interact directly with communities and community stakeholders through a wide-ranging, nationwide community development outreach program, with the ultimate purpose of understanding economic opportunities and challenges that either promote or hinder communities' participation in the nation's economic growth.

For example, the Federal Reserve Board meets semiannually with members of the Community Advisory Council (CAC) to hear diverse perspectives on the economic circumstances and financial services needs of consumers and communities, with a particular focus on the concerns of low- and moderate-income populations.

The Federal Reserve's work in community development is captured in a central portal at fedcommunities.org that links the System's community development resources and research by topic and region.

Watch: Hearing perspectives from around the country

Want to learn more? See The Fed Explained Publication

The Fed sets U.S. monetary policy to promote maximum employment and stable prices in the U.S. economy.

The Fed monitors financial system risks to help ensure the system supports a healthy economy for U.S. households, communities, and businesses.

The Fed promotes the safety and soundness of individual financial institutions and monitors their impact on the financial system as a whole.

The Fed works to promote a safe, efficient, and accessible system for U.S. dollar transactions.

The Fed advances supervision and research to improve understanding of the impacts of financial services policies on consumers and communities.

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MoSCoW Prioritization

What is moscow prioritization.

MoSCoW prioritization, also known as the MoSCoW method or MoSCoW analysis, is a popular prioritization technique for managing requirements. 

  The acronym MoSCoW represents four categories of initiatives: must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, or will not have right now. Some companies also use the “W” in MoSCoW to mean “wish.”

What is the History of the MoSCoW Method?

Software development expert Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW method while working at Oracle. He designed the framework to help his team prioritize tasks during development work on product releases.

You can find a detailed account of using MoSCoW prioritization in the Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM) handbook . But because MoSCoW can prioritize tasks within any time-boxed project, teams have adapted the method for a broad range of uses.

How Does MoSCoW Prioritization Work?

Before running a MoSCoW analysis, a few things need to happen. First, key stakeholders and the product team need to get aligned on objectives and prioritization factors. Then, all participants must agree on which initiatives to prioritize.

At this point, your team should also discuss how they will settle any disagreements in prioritization. If you can establish how to resolve disputes before they come up, you can help prevent those disagreements from holding up progress.

Finally, you’ll also want to reach a consensus on what percentage of resources you’d like to allocate to each category.

With the groundwork complete, you may begin determining which category is most appropriate for each initiative. But, first, let’s further break down each category in the MoSCoW method.

Start prioritizing your roadmap

Moscow prioritization categories.

1. Must-have initiatives

As the name suggests, this category consists of initiatives that are “musts” for your team. They represent non-negotiable needs for the project, product, or release in question. For example, if you’re releasing a healthcare application, a must-have initiative may be security functionalities that help maintain compliance.

The “must-have” category requires the team to complete a mandatory task. If you’re unsure about whether something belongs in this category, ask yourself the following.

If the product won’t work without an initiative, or the release becomes useless without it, the initiative is most likely a “must-have.”

2. Should-have initiatives

Should-have initiatives are just a step below must-haves. They are essential to the product, project, or release, but they are not vital. If left out, the product or project still functions. However, the initiatives may add significant value.

“Should-have” initiatives are different from “must-have” initiatives in that they can get scheduled for a future release without impacting the current one. For example, performance improvements, minor bug fixes, or new functionality may be “should-have” initiatives. Without them, the product still works.

3. Could-have initiatives

Another way of describing “could-have” initiatives is nice-to-haves. “Could-have” initiatives are not necessary to the core function of the product. However, compared with “should-have” initiatives, they have a much smaller impact on the outcome if left out.

So, initiatives placed in the “could-have” category are often the first to be deprioritized if a project in the “should-have” or “must-have” category ends up larger than expected.

4. Will not have (this time)

One benefit of the MoSCoW method is that it places several initiatives in the “will-not-have” category. The category can manage expectations about what the team will not include in a specific release (or another timeframe you’re prioritizing).

Placing initiatives in the “will-not-have” category is one way to help prevent scope creep . If initiatives are in this category, the team knows they are not a priority for this specific time frame. 

Some initiatives in the “will-not-have” group will be prioritized in the future, while others are not likely to happen. Some teams decide to differentiate between those by creating a subcategory within this group.

How Can Development Teams Use MoSCoW?

  Although Dai Clegg developed the approach to help prioritize tasks around his team’s limited time, the MoSCoW method also works when a development team faces limitations other than time. For example: 

Prioritize based on budgetary constraints.

What if a development team’s limiting factor is not a deadline but a tight budget imposed by the company? Working with the product managers, the team can use MoSCoW first to decide on the initiatives that represent must-haves and the should-haves. Then, using the development department’s budget as the guide, the team can figure out which items they can complete. 

Prioritize based on the team’s skillsets.

A cross-functional product team might also find itself constrained by the experience and expertise of its developers. If the product roadmap calls for functionality the team does not have the skills to build, this limiting factor will play into scoring those items in their MoSCoW analysis.

Prioritize based on competing needs at the company.

Cross-functional teams can also find themselves constrained by other company priorities. The team wants to make progress on a new product release, but the executive staff has created tight deadlines for further releases in the same timeframe. In this case, the team can use MoSCoW to determine which aspects of their desired release represent must-haves and temporarily backlog everything else.

What Are the Drawbacks of MoSCoW Prioritization?

  Although many product and development teams have prioritized MoSCoW, the approach has potential pitfalls. Here are a few examples.

1. An inconsistent scoring process can lead to tasks placed in the wrong categories.

  One common criticism against MoSCoW is that it does not include an objective methodology for ranking initiatives against each other. Your team will need to bring this methodology to your analysis. The MoSCoW approach works only to ensure that your team applies a consistent scoring system for all initiatives.

Pro tip: One proven method is weighted scoring, where your team measures each initiative on your backlog against a standard set of cost and benefit criteria. You can use the weighted scoring approach in ProductPlan’s roadmap app .

2. Not including all relevant stakeholders can lead to items placed in the wrong categories.

To know which of your team’s initiatives represent must-haves for your product and which are merely should-haves, you will need as much context as possible.

For example, you might need someone from your sales team to let you know how important (or unimportant) prospective buyers view a proposed new feature.

One pitfall of the MoSCoW method is that you could make poor decisions about where to slot each initiative unless your team receives input from all relevant stakeholders. 

3. Team bias for (or against) initiatives can undermine MoSCoW’s effectiveness.

Because MoSCoW does not include an objective scoring method, your team members can fall victim to their own opinions about certain initiatives. 

One risk of using MoSCoW prioritization is that a team can mistakenly think MoSCoW itself represents an objective way of measuring the items on their list. They discuss an initiative, agree that it is a “should have,” and move on to the next.

But your team will also need an objective and consistent framework for ranking all initiatives. That is the only way to minimize your team’s biases in favor of items or against them.

When Do You Use the MoSCoW Method for Prioritization?

MoSCoW prioritization is effective for teams that want to include representatives from the whole organization in their process. You can capture a broader perspective by involving participants from various functional departments.

Another reason you may want to use MoSCoW prioritization is it allows your team to determine how much effort goes into each category. Therefore, you can ensure you’re delivering a good variety of initiatives in each release.

What Are Best Practices for Using MoSCoW Prioritization?

If you’re considering giving MoSCoW prioritization a try, here are a few steps to keep in mind. Incorporating these into your process will help your team gain more value from the MoSCoW method.

1. Choose an objective ranking or scoring system.

Remember, MoSCoW helps your team group items into the appropriate buckets—from must-have items down to your longer-term wish list. But MoSCoW itself doesn’t help you determine which item belongs in which category.

You will need a separate ranking methodology. You can choose from many, such as:

• Weighted scoring
• Value vs. complexity
• Buy-a-feature
• Opportunity scoring

For help finding the best scoring methodology for your team, check out ProductPlan’s article: 7 strategies to choose the best features for your product .

2. Seek input from all key stakeholders.

To make sure you’re placing each initiative into the right bucket—must-have, should-have, could-have, or won’t-have—your team needs context. 

At the beginning of your MoSCoW method, your team should consider which stakeholders can provide valuable context and insights. Sales? Customer success? The executive staff? Product managers in another area of your business? Include them in your initiative scoring process if you think they can help you see opportunities or threats your team might miss. 

3. Share your MoSCoW process across your organization.

MoSCoW gives your team a tangible way to show your organization prioritizing initiatives for your products or projects. 

The method can help you build company-wide consensus for your work, or at least help you show stakeholders why you made the decisions you did.

Communicating your team’s prioritization strategy also helps you set expectations across the business. When they see your methodology for choosing one initiative over another, stakeholders in other departments will understand that your team has thought through and weighed all decisions you’ve made. 

If any stakeholders have an issue with one of your decisions, they will understand that they can’t simply complain—they’ll need to present you with evidence to alter your course of action.  

Related Terms

2×2 prioritization matrix / Eisenhower matrix / DACI decision-making framework / ICE scoring model / RICE scoring model

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MoSCoW method

What is the MoSCoW method?

The MoSCoW method is a four-step approach to prioritizing which project requirements provide the best return on investment (ROI). MoSCoW stands for must have, should have, could have and will not have -- the o's make the acronym more pronounceable.

A variety of business disciplines use the MoSCoW method. It enables everyone involved in a project to know what work to complete first and how that work helps increase revenue, decrease operational costs, improve productivity or boost customer satisfaction. On the business side, it can help stakeholders frame discussions about the importance of specific product features when choosing a software vendor. On the IT side, the MoSCoW method plays an important role in Agile project management by helping project teams prioritize story points.

Furthermore, prioritizing requirements enables project teams to understand the amount of effort and resources each project element requires. This knowledge improves the team's time management, makes the project more manageable, increases the likelihood of completion by deadline and optimizes ROI .

The MoSCoW method is also known as MoSCoW analysis , MoSCoW prioritization , MoSCoW technique and MoSCoW rules .

Prioritization of requirements

Before implementing the MoSCoW method, businesses must ensure the teams involved in the project and other stakeholders agree on the project objectives and the factors they use for prioritization. They should also establish plans for settling disagreements.

Next, teams should decide what percentage of resources they assign to each category. For example, they could allocate 20% of the resources to the could-have requirements, while giving 40% to must-haves and 30% to should-haves.

Once the teams and stakeholders gather requirements and reach agreements, then the teams can start assigning requirements to each of the following four categories.

1. M: Must have

This first category includes all the requirements that are necessary for the successful completion of the project. These are non-negotiable elements that provide the minimum usable subset of requirements.

Statements that are true for must-haves include the following:

• There is no point completing the project by its target deadline without this requirement.
• The final product or software would not be compliant or legal without this requirement.
• The final product or software would not be safe without this requirement.
• The final product or software does not deliver an effective solution without this requirement.

If there is any way to work around a particular requirement, teams should consider it a should-have or could-have element. Assigning requirements to the should-have and could-have categories does not mean the team won't deliver the element; it just reveals that it is not necessary for completion and, therefore, is not guaranteed.

2. S: Should have

This second category of requirements is one step below must have. It can prep requirements for future release without impacting the current project. Should-have elements are important to project completion, but they are not necessary. In other words, if the final product doesn't include should-have requirements, then the product still functions. However, if it does include should-have elements, they greatly increase the value of the product. Minor bug fixes, performance improvements and new functionality are all examples of requirements that could fall into this category.

Teams can distinguish a should-have element from a could-have element by assessing the amount of pain caused by leaving the requirement out. This is often measured in terms of the business value or the number of people affected by its absence.

3. C: Could have

This category includes requirements that have a much smaller impact when left out of the project. As a result, could-have requirements are often the first ones teams deprioritize -- must-have and should-have requirements always take precedence as they impact the product more. An example of a could-have is a desirable but unimportant element.

4. W: Will not have

This final category includes all the requirements the team recognizes as not a priority for the project's time frame. Assigning elements to the will-not-have category helps strengthen the focus on requirements in the other three categories, while also setting realistic expectations for what the final product does not include. Furthermore, this category is beneficial in preventing scope creep -- or the tendency for product or project requirements to increase during development beyond what the team anticipated.

The team can eventually reprioritize some requirements in the will-not-have group and work them into future projects; others are never used. To differentiate between these types of elements, teams can create subcategories within the will-not-have group to identify which requirements they should still implement and which they can ignore.

MoSCoW method for Agile

The Agile project management methodology breaks projects into small sections called iterations. Each iteration focuses on completing specific project elements in work sessions called sprints -- typically lasting two to four weeks. The MoSCoW method is frequently used within Agile project management to determine which elements -- including tasks, requirements, products and user stories -- the team should prioritize and which can be put on hold. These decisions make an Agile project schedule that enables teams to rapidly deploy solutions, more efficiently use resources, increase their flexibility and adaptability to changes, and more quickly detect issues.

Advantages of the MoSCoW method

The MoSCoW method is easy to use and understand. It can help individuals with prioritization, but it more greatly benefits project teams. Other advantages include the following:

• Resolves disputes and form agreements with stakeholders.
• Ensures a minimum viable product is produced.
• Sets priorities at different levels of the development pipeline.
• Enables categorizing requirements to rely on the expertise of the team.
• Can be used for both existing and new projects.

In addition, the MoSCoW method enables users to assign specific percentages of resources to each of the four categories. This action ensures resources are effectively managed ,and it optimizes productivity analysis.

Criticism of the MoSCoW method

However, there are some drawbacks with the MoSCow method, including the following:

• There is uncertainty surrounding will-not-have requirements and whether they are left out of the release or the entire project.
• There's no clear way to prioritize requirements within the same category.
• There is no reasoning for why one requirement is a must-have and the other is a should-have.
• If an organization's decision-making process excludes collective leadership, prioritization may become subjective and inefficient.

History of the MoSCoW method

The MoSCoW method has its roots in the dynamic systems development method -- an Agile project delivery framework that aimed to improve rapid application development processes.

Software development expert Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW method while working at Oracle , the multinational computer technology corporation. Clegg initially designed the prioritization technique for timeboxed projects and initiatives within releases.

Editor's note: This article was reformatted in 2023 to improve the reader experience.

Continue Reading About MoSCoW method

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The MoSCoW method for prioritization: A guide for agile teams

In the messy world of technology, there is an immeasurable demand for the resources from product and development teams. This is where prioritization comes into play.

Prioritization is one of the core responsibilities of the product manager. With the proper prioritization framework and/or criteria, the product manager can save their team resources while moving closer to the business goals.

In this article, we will dive deep into one of the most widely used prioritization techniques, the MoSCoW method.

What is the MoSCoW method?

The MoSCoW method (also known as MoSCoW analysis) is one of many qualitative prioritization techniques used to prioritize features, user stories, and requirements.

The MoSCoW method groups the features into four groups:

• Should-have
• Could-have (or nice-to-have)

1. Must-have

Features or stories are critical for the product’s success. These features represent the non-negotiables which, if not implemented successfully, might put the product at risk of failing.

For example, let’s say you are the PM of a university’s e-learning system. A must-have feature might be the assignment submission feature because it serves a primary and essential need for both ideal customer profiles.

2. Should-have

This classification represents the features that are important, but not as crucial as the must-haves. These features, if not implemented, can cause a severe risk to the product’s success, but their risk is lower than the must-haves.

Typically, product teams use this classification for minor bug fixes and/or performance improvement initiatives.

Returning to our example, a should-have feature for our e-learning system might be an integrated plagiarism tool for teachers to use. This can be a should-have because it would not stop the teachers from doing their work, but not implementing it might lead them to churn and move to other platforms that save them time.

3. Could-have (or nice-to-have)

This classification represents desirable features that are not important to the core function of the product. Not implementing this feature will not cause any risk or failure.

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Could-have features might help your product or do nothing at all. Features that are tagged with the could-have classification end up deprioritized and treated as a sprint filler.

For our e-learning, one feature could be the ability for the teachers to message other students through the platform. This is nice-to-have because this problem is typically dealt with through email and other platforms.

4. Won’t-have

This classification represents features that are not aligned with the vision and the strategy of the product. These are the features requested by other departments or stakeholders, but are entirely irrelevant.

If we were to reflect this in our e-learning example, this might be a feature that enables teachers to develop a curriculum collaboratively on the platform. This feature is a won’t-have because it doesn’t align with the vision of the product because the product is intended to mainly serve the students.

MoSCoW prioritization template

The MoSCoW prioritization method can be used to prioritize both the product backlog and the sprint backlog . This tells engineers what they need to deliver first and gives them an idea of what task could potentially spill over into the next sprint.

Below is a simple template that can get you up and running with the MoSCoW prioritization technique:

History of the MoSCoW method

The MoSCoW method was introduced first in 1994 by Dai Clegg , a British business consultant and software engineer.

Clegg was working on a software project with the British government and was looking for a method to prioritize the system requirements based on their urgency and criticality. He came up with the MoSCoW method to rank and prioritize the features and ensure the right investments were put into the top features.

How to use the MoSCoW prioritization method (5 steps)

Using the MoSCoW in the real world is more than tagging features with four different tags. It requires additional steps to ensure the proper prioritization is put into place and that features align with your stakeholders.

To apply the MoSCoW prioritization method in product management, take the following steps:

1. Groom your features

It is always a best practice to start by listing your features in your product backlog. Add some details to them like the basic idea of the feature, some simple user flows, and wireframes, and meet with your engineers/technical navigators, or system analysts to check on the technical feasibility and the edge cases.

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2. Prioritize initially

After you have all of your features groomed, start prioritizing them. Classify them into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have. Prioritize based on the available resources and insights gathered from any user research and product analytics.

3. Align with your stakeholders

Present your initial priority to your stakeholders. Gather their input and try to persuade them of your priority based on the insights and the data you have.

Don’t leave the meeting without alignment on the priority of each feature. The outcome of the meeting should be a prioritized list agreed on by each and every stakeholder.

4. Adjust your roadmap and announce

After finalizing the backlog, make sure to give it a final review and announce it publicly using your internal roadmap and any communication channel that includes all the stakeholders.

5. Communicate continuously

We are in the agile era . That means we should embrace change and understand that changes happen all the time.

A feature that is a could-have in this quarter might be a must-have in the next one. So make sure to communicate changes in the business and feature priorities continuously with your stakeholders.

Ensure all the related documents, like the roadmap and the backlog , are updated accordingly and on a timely basis to avoid any miscommunication and to make sure that everyone is aligned on the timeline and the priorities.

Final thoughts

The MoSCoW method is one of the most powerful and widely used prioritization techniques worldwide. It helps classify features and initiatives into four groups.

For the MoSCoW method to be applied effectively and deliver the intended value, it should include a lot of stakeholder alignment and involvement. The product manager should dedicate more time to the must-have features to come up with a killer solution that helps solve the major problem for the users.

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FIVE DIMENSIONS OF PRACTICAL RELEVANCE IN CONSUMER RESEARCH

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCING PRACTICAL RELEVANCE

General discussion, practical relevance in consumer research.

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Wayne D Hoyer, Echo Wen Wan, Keith Wilcox, Practical Relevance in Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research , 2024;, ucae023, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucae023

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There has been a continuing and growing concern over the relevance of the articles published in the Journal of Consumer Research ( JCR ). “Relevance” has been addressed in a number of editorials over time: Mick (2003) , Deighton (2007) , Dahl et al. (2014) , Inman et al. (2018) , and Schmitt et al. (2002) . There is an opinion that, over many years, the articles in JCR have trended toward the interests of academics and do not address the actual problems faced by consumers, firms, and public policy-makers ( Inman et al. 2018 ). Also, there has been concern that much of what appears in JCR is narrow in scope, both in terms of theory and the empirical methods employed. Further, the dependent variables investigated are often lacking in real-world significance.

These concerns have led to calls to increase relevance in consumer research. For example, Wells (1993) argued that “any given piece of research should be designed from the start with a consideration of how it will be useful to audiences it seeks to address” ( Dahl et al. 2014 , iii). According to Dahl et al. (2014) , a single mantra for JCR should be to “make it meaningful” to its audience. The audience includes academics from the founding fields as well as scholars in other fields, consumers, marketing managers, and public policy-makers. Nevertheless, despite these calls, JCR was recently rated the lowest of the premier academic marketing journals on one measure of practical relevance ( Jedidi et al. 2021 ).

In light of this long-lasting dialogue, it is not clear to us that JCR stakeholders possess a good understanding of what “relevance” actually means. For example, Dahl et al. (2014 , iv) argued “there is no single formula or paradigm for producing meaningful consumer research, and we therefore encourage a wide variety of approaches across papers.” Later, Inman et al. (2018 , 955) claimed “Despite long-lasting and heartful ambitions to create a big tent for impactful, consumer-relevant research, we are still far from obtaining that goal.” Finally, according to the current editorial team ( Schmitt et al. 2002 , 753), “the mere fact that it [ relevance ] is revisited with such frequency makes us wonder if speaking about the need for consumer research to be relevant has not been enough. What more can be said?” Moreover, Schmitt et al. (2002 , 754) state “As a field, we need to push ourselves to see how the areas we find personally fascinating link to real-world problems or serious important decisions that people have to make in the marketplace.”

The goal of this article is to introduce a framework for increasing practical relevance in consumer research and illustrate it with recent articles published in JCR . We see this as a necessary (and long overdue) first step in gaining clarity on this issue and advancing the debate. Our framework focuses primarily on experimental research with empirical data. However, we believe it can also be applied to qualitative research. To accomplish this, we begin with a review of the literature on practical relevance. We then present our framework, explain its key dimensions, and identify representative examples from recently published articles. Finally, we close with several recommendations for marketing scholars keen on improving the relevance of their work.

What is practical relevance? The answer to this question is not an easy one as there are numerous views on the topic. Jedidi et al. (2021) recently proposed “an objective and easy-to-use measure of practical relevance” (22) of articles, which they call the Relevance to Marketing Index. Their measure assesses practical relevance in terms of topicality: “the degree of the topical relation between the topics contained in an academic article and topics of marketing practice at a given time” (23). Their perspective hinges on the belief that topical connection (or relation) between academic research and marketing issues, which is context and time dependent, is critical to practical applicability. One can see how topicality is useful, as it simplifies indexing and classification, which is the goal in their paper. Their view is consistent with information science’s objective take on relevance as being “on the topic” (Harter 1992) and the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary’s definition of relevance as being in “relation to the matter at hand” ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevance ).

Although topicality is a necessary component of practical relevance, many definitions of relevance used by business scholars also focus on whether the information can be utilized as a basis for action. For example, in the marketing literature, Jaworski (2011) defines managerial relevance as “the degree to which a specific manager in an organization perceives academic knowledge to aid his or her job-related thoughts or actions in the pursuit of organizational goals” (212). Similarly, in the management literature, Keiser et al. (2015) argue that research results can be considered practically relevant “if they influence management practice; that is, if they lead to the change, modification, or confirmation of how managers think, talk, or act” (144). The notion that relevance should facilitate action is also discussed in the accounting literature where research is considered relevant if it can be used to either guide practice or set accounting standards ( Leisenring and Johnson 1994 ).

Kohli and Haenlein (2021) suggest that, while relevance matters, importance plays a more significant role in whether research is used by managers. They argue that while most academic research in marketing can be considered “relevant” to the profession, the importance of the research issue determines whether the research will influence practice. Like Jedidi et al. (2021) , they define relevance in terms of topicality (i.e., whether it is connected to an issue). They consider importance to be the number of stakeholders the research affects and the magnitude of the expected change ( Jaworski 2011 ; Kohli and Haenlein 2021 ). They suggest that academics’ extensive focus on relevance, rather than importance, has contributed to the observed decline in the usefulness of academic research in recent years. We agree with these authors that importance matters. We believe that the importance of the issue is a factor that contributes to topicality.

Consistent with these perspectives, we view topicality as being necessary for research to be “relevant” to its audience which, as we will discuss, includes marketers, consumers, or policy-makers. However, for research to be deemed “practical” it must also be useful. Therefore, we consider research to be practically relevant when the findings can, and will, be used as a basis for action by its intended audience. We included “will” in our definition because although the intended audience of a research study may be able to implement its findings, they must also find the insights meaningful enough for taking action. Our framework takes a holistic view to propose that practical relevance in consumer research is shaped by every facet of the research process; from the research problem formulation to how the studies are executed and communicated to the audience. Next, we introduce our framework that focuses on five dimensions of practical relevance.

A number of articles have examined different dimensions of practical relevance. For instance, Benbasat and Zmud (1999) characterize relevance along the dimensions of “interesting,” “applicable,” “current,” and “accessible.” Klein, Jiang, and Saunders (2006) conducted a comprehensive examination of the literature on relevance to propose three dimensions of practical relevance: “importance,” “applicability,” and “accessibility” (see also Rosemann and Vessey 2008 ). We developed our framework ( figure 1 ) using Klein et al.’s as a starting point. However, our model incorporates different stages of the research process (i.e., the research question, study design, and manuscript preparation) since practical relevance is often determined by the way the research is executed.

The first dimension of practical relevance is targeted . As mentioned, while practitioners are the primary audience for most academic research in business fields, the audience for consumer research is broader, encompassing practitioners, policy-makers, and consumers. Since these groups have distinct motivations, interests, and goals, practically relevant research should consider the needs of a specific audience. As illustrated in our model, the extent to which the target audience will use research as a basis for action depends on whether they believe they can apply the findings (i.e., “can I take action?”) and whether the insights are meaningful enough to encourage them to act (i.e., “should I take action?”). Therefore, being targeted not only facilitates action but also motivates action.

The second dimension is topical , which is consistent with Klein et al.’s conceptualization of “importance.” Topical research addresses important issues that its intended audience currently cares about. Thus, this dimension builds off Jedidi et al.’s (2021) definition of topical by incorporating Kohli and Haenlein’s (2021) definition of importance. The more topical the audience finds the research the more motivated they will be to apply the findings. Practically relevant research often begins with the formulation of a topical research question.

The third dimension, actionable , is based on Klein et al.’s dimension called “applicability.” Actionable research makes it easy for its intended audience to apply the findings by offering tangible insights that can be directly translated into a set of actions. Although there are numerous ways to make research more actionable, our framework considers study design to be a particularly relevant aspect of the research process for actionability.

The fourth dimension is consequential , which refers to research that has a meaningful influence on consumer behavior in the real world. If the audience believes the research will have a consequential impact, they will be more motivated to implement the findings. Thus, dependent measures with real-world significance enhance practical relevance. We view study design to also be important for consequential research.

The fifth dimension is interpretable , which Klein et al. refer to as “accessible.” Interpretable research presents every facet of the research, from the definition of the key constructs to the findings, in a manner that can be easily understood by its intended audience. Making research interpretable not only helps the audience understand the findings but also motives them to take action. As such, the manuscript preparation stage of the research process is crucial for making research interpretable.

In the sections that follow, we highlight recent papers that are representative of each dimension. Some papers are discussed multiple times because they are a good illustration of more than one dimension. Table 1 provides a summary of each dimension and the representative papers for each dimension.

REPRESENTATIVE ARTICLES FOR EACH DIMENSION

Targeted research involves clearly identifying a specific group which has special needs or interests related to the research being conducted. A key aspect is that the more specific the audience, the more relevant the research findings will be. Targeting general or multiple audiences will dilute the impact of the research. The target audience must first be ascertained before a discussion of the other four criteria becomes meaningful.

As mentioned previously, there are three main audiences for JCR . These include consumers, marketers/retailers, and corporate responsibility/public policy-makers. In the case of consumers, research has relevance when it can improve consumer welfare or consumers’ lives. In other words, does the research help consumers make better decisions, improve their consumption experience of certain products or services, or improve the quality of how they live their lives? In terms of marketers/retailers, do the findings of the study inform them and help them to make improved decisions and develop more effective marketing strategies? Finally, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/public policy involves companies who wish to make a positive impact on societal issues. It also deals with public policy-makers who want to develop policies and initiate legislation that will protect consumers and improve their lives. In the current section, we will discuss a sample of recent JCR articles which are particularly strong on the targeted dimension for each of the target markets.

In terms of consumers, a particularly critical issue relates to obesity and food consumption. It has been estimated that in the US alone, approximately 42% of the population would be considered obese ( Trust for America’s Health 2022 ). This is a critical issue because obesity can cause long-term health problems and cause economic pressures in society. In light of this, a number of these consumers have the desire to lose weight and become healthier. However, this is often found to be a very difficult task and these consumers are always looking for new and better ways to accomplish this. Van de Veer, Van Herpen, and Van Trijp (2018) propose and find support for one such method which involves mindfulness. This involves an enhanced attention state which enhances consumers’ focus on physiological cues. This is an excellent example of targeted research because mindfulness training can be very useful for consumers who wish to effectively lose weight.

A second target group is that of marketers and retailers. Consumer research has practical relevance when it can help inform or improve marketing strategies which attempt to influence consumer behavior. For example, improving customer satisfaction is a key goal for marketers and retailers. An interesting study by Packard and Berger (2021) offers a prime example of targeted research. The authors demonstrate that a simple shift in the language used by employees can have a positive impact on satisfaction. They found that using more concrete language can improve customer satisfaction and increase willingness to purchase. This finding has clear implications for retailer employee training programs.

Finally, donation behavior or charitable giving and corporate social responsibility have been areas of research with targeted audiences. As one example, companies often engage in CSR efforts by supporting and donating to important causes. A critical question in this regard concerns the type of donation to make. Essentially, companies can make either monetary donations or in-kind contributions (goods or services other than money). An interesting study by Hildebrand, Demotta, Sen, and Valenzuela (2017) is an especially good example of targeted research. The authors find the effectiveness of CSR strategies depends on the type of issue. In-kind contributions are more effective (in terms of consumer evaluations of the company) when the CSR issue is less controllable. Monetary donations lead to more positive consumer evaluations for issues that are more controllable. Again, this information provides useful guidance for any company engaging in CSR activities.

Topical is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “of interest at the present time; relating to things that are happening at present” ( https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/topical ). Topical research for JCR examines consumer behavior that is situated in the present social and economic environment, relates to the current consumption modes, and is shaped by technological advancement. Topical research also examines current consumer behavior to shape marketing practice and consumer welfare. As mentioned, we view the importance of the issue as playing a role in determining how topical the audience perceives the research to be.

In this vein, Bardhi and Eckhardt (2017) introduced the concept of liquid consumption to help explain consumer behavior in the fast-growing sharing economy enabled by digital revolution. The past decade has witnessed the proliferation of sharing economy across a wide range of products and services. While sharing economy is transforming business, it also raises the question about consumer preference when consumption is through temporary access in the sharing economy which differs from the traditional economy’s consumption through permanent ownership. The authors defined liquid consumption as ephemeral, access based, and dematerialized, and solid consumption as enduring, ownership based, and material. Their conceptualization of ownership along a continuum facilitates understanding consumers’ preference shift in the digital economy, such as shifting from constructing a linear and durable identity to a liquid self in fluid and dispersed social networks, shifting toward fluid attachment to objects, and putting more weights on the usage value (vs. identify value) of the products. Moreover, the authors alert consumers about the potential negative impact of liquid consumption on consumer welfare and propose solutions to address these challenges.

Another excellent example of topical consumer research is Melumad and Pham (2020) that examine consumers’ relationship with the smartphone, a technology device that has gradually become indispensable in consumers’ lives. Early research has mostly accounted people’s attachment to smartphones as a behavioral addition that leads to negative consequences such as disruption at work and degrading interpersonal interactions ( Bianchi and Phillips 2005 ; Vahedi and Saiphoo 2017 ). However, the literature was silent on the psychological mechanism of consumers’ dependence on smartphones. Moreover, as the mobile internet technology evolves (e.g., 5G network debuted in 2019), consumers’ relationship with smartphones also evolves.

Melumad and Pham (2020) identify the unique features of smartphone, in comparison to other technology devices such as laptop, tablet, and voice speaker. First, smartphones are portable. Users can access the vast array of functions on smartphones virtually anytime and anywhere, which makes smartphones highly dependable and reliable. Second, a smartphone offers a sense of privacy. The small screen of the device enables users to engage in activities of their own choosing in a private manner. Third, smartphones are highly personal. People use their smartphones for personal activities, customize the apps according to their personal interests, and keep their own smartphones as personal possessions throughout the day. Fourth, smartphones provide haptic benefits. The ergonomic design and the touching interface make it easy and pleasant to use smartphones. Drawing on the unique combination of these properties, the authors document that smartphones offer psychological comfort to consumers and actually can help relieve stress. Thus, Melumad and Pham (2020) not only offer an explanation for consumers’ seemingly obsessive behavior with their smartphones but also offer a timely update on consumers’ knowledge about the emotional and psychological benefits they can derive by using the device.

Actionable research refers to research that can be directly applied in real-world contexts ( Pearce and Huang 2012 ). It offers tangible insights and provides specific recommendations to guide the actions of the audience. The way the independent variable is presented and operationalized is particularly important for producing actionable research because it is the process of translating the independent variable into a set of actions that allows the audience to influence consumer behavior in the real world. Therefore, research is actionable when the independent variable is presented in an accessible manner and the operationalization of the independent variable is grounded in realism.

An article by Thomas and Kyung (2019) offers a particularly strong example of actionable research because it presents the independent variable in an accessible manner. The authors examine how payment responses elicited through slider scales differ from those elicited through open-ended text boxes. The authors propose that when consumers are asked to provide payment responses on slider scales, they display an end point assimilation effect such that payment responses biased by the visual end points of the scales. As a result, slider scales are shown to elicit higher willingness-to-pay (WTP) responses than text boxes when the scales are in an ascending format (i.e., $0 to a $500 end point). When the scales are in a descending format (i.e., $500 to a $0 end point), however, they elicit lower WTP responses.

The nature of the independent variable makes it accessible since marketing managers (and academics) are familiar with slider scales and text boxes. Yet, it is the way the authors provided evidence for the end point assimilation effect that illustrates how to ensure accessibility. The authors’ theory suggests that if consumers are biased by the visual end points of slider scales, extending the response range should enhance the bias. To test this prediction, the authors had participants engage in an auction for a bottle of wine. Approximately half of participants were asked to bid between $20 and $1,000 on either a slider scale or via a text box. The remaining participants were asked to bid between $20 and $500 on either a slider scale or via a text box. As expected, respondents’ bids on the slider scales were higher compared to those in the text box conditions. Importantly, the difference was larger when the end point was $1,000 compared to when it was $500. These findings not only provide evidence for the authors’ theory but do so in a manner that makes it easy for managers to implement the findings in the real world.

Many studies examining consumer behavior operationalize their independent variable using stylized, artificial scenarios that do not involve actual behavior. Therefore, it is not surprising that audiences of consumer research may ask themselves whether the insights are true ( Morales, Amir, and Lee 2017 ). If the audience doubts the findings will have the desired effect on consumers in the real world, they are unlikely to rely on them, which reduces the practical relevance of the research. Consequently, research becomes actionable when the operationalization of the independent variable is grounded in realism to closely match an actual consumption experience.

The most realistic way to operationalize the independent variable is to conduct a field experiment where the independent variable is manipulated in a real-world setting and participants are unaware that they are taking part in a study during the manipulation. There are times, however, where conducting a field experiment is neither possible nor appropriate. In such situations, researchers can take steps to increase the realism of their study, even if it is conducted in a behavioral lab.

Another excellent example of actionable research is offered by Cian, Krishna, and Elder (2015) because of how the authors enhanced the realism of a lab experiment. The authors examine how warning signs (e.g., “school crossing,” “caution children”) that differ in dynamism influence consumers’ vigilance. The authors show that consumers are more vigilant (e.g., faster to slow down their car) when warning signs (e.g., “caution children”) are designed with dynamic imagery that implies motion compared to similar signs that use static imagery. This occurs because dynamic images indicate more perceived risk to oneself and others.

The topic of the research made it difficult for the authors to test their findings in a real-world setting. A field experiment involving signs that could have different effects on public safety would have a hard time getting approval from most Institutional Review Boards (IRB). Moreover, even if the study received IRB approval, it would require additional approvals from stakeholders, such as government agencies or local businesses, and would require overcoming numerous logistical issues. Therefore, the authors tested their theory in a lab setting, while ensuring the operationalization of their independent variable was grounded in realism. For instance, in one study (study 2), they designed a realistic driving simulation that showed respondents a video from a first-person driving perspective to mimic what people see out of the windshield of a moving car. As participants were “driving,” the simulation presented warning signs and informative signs (e.g., “lodging,” “food”) on the side of the road. Respondents were instructed to press the “w” key anytime they saw a warning sign and the “i” key anytime they saw an informative sign. The time it took respondents to push the correct button after seeing a sign was the dependent measure. Consistent with their theory, respondents’ reaction times were faster when they saw dynamic warning signs compared to static warning signs or informational signs. Thus, even though the study was not conducted in the field, the realism embedded in the operationalization of the independent variable makes this research actionable.

Consequential

Consequential research offers findings that allow the audience to make a meaningful impact on consumer behavior in the real world. Research can be considered consequential when it focuses on demonstrating external valid findings with tangible outcomes that allow for the assessment of its effectiveness and impact. Therefore, the nature of the dependent variable and how it is presented to the audience are important for research to be considered consequential since it is the change in the dependent variable that allows the audience to determine whether the insights will have a meaningful impact.

Research is consequential when the outcomes assessed in the studies are representative of behavior in the real world ( Morales et al. 2017 ). These outcomes frequently involve behaviors that have actual costs (e.g., financial, social) instead of self-reports that do not carry any consequences ( Klein and Hilbig 2019 ). This may involve observing consumer behavior in a field setting or having participants perform a task involving actual behavior in the lab. However, simply because an outcome examined in a study involves actual behavior does not mean it is representative of behavior in the real world. For instance, researchers often use the Stroop task as an outcome variable in studies on self-control ( Chae and Zhu 2014 ). Performance on the Stroop task involves actual behavior (e.g., reaction times) and it is an effective way to provide evidence for a reduction in inhibitory control ( West and Alain 2000 ). However, Stroop task performance is an outcome that has limited practical relevance since the task is not representative of many real-world behaviors.

Van den Bergh et al. (2016) offer a great illustration of consequential research because the outcomes assessed in their studies were representative of real-world behavior. The research examined how changing the flooring in retail spaces influences the pace of in-store traffic. The authors propose and demonstrate that the number, nature, and relative salience of progress markers along a path (e.g., an aisle in a store) can communicate goal progress to consumers and therefore increase their motivation to reach their destination. Consistent with their account they show that customers walk faster when fewer (vs. more) markers are placed in a path because fewer (vs. more) markers give consumers a greater sense of goal progress as they are walking down the path. This research is a great example of consequential research because in the studies, which were conducted in both field and lab settings, actual markers were placed on pathways and participants’ walking speed was observed and recorded. The use of an unobtrusive measure of actual behavior (i.e., walking speed) illustrates how researchers can examine outcomes that are representative of real-world behaviors, even if the study is conducted in the lab. This method was similar to that used by Melumad and Pham (2020) who unobtrusively measured participants’ cellphone interactions in a lab setting.

Consequential research also focuses on outcomes that allow the audience to easily assess its impact. In most experimental studies of consumer behavior, the dependent variable is measured by having respondents indicate a numerical response on a scale. This allows researchers to quantify the impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable. However, it is often difficult to translate responses on many of these scales (e.g., a “5” on a 7-point scale) to outcomes in the real world. Therefore, when the measurement of the dependent variable is directly related to a tangible, real-world outcome, research becomes more consequential.

A study by Yang and Hsee (2022) offers an excellent illustration of consequential research that focuses on a tangible outcome. In their research, the authors examine how consumers respond to charitable campaigns that allow donors to publicly communicate their charitable acts (e.g., displaying a donor pin). In a series of studies, they show that obligatory publicity campaigns (e.g., requiring the display of a donor pin) are more effective at getting consumers to participate than voluntary publicity campaigns (i.e., only encouraging the display of a donor pin). This occurs because requiring consumers to publicly display their charitable acts allows them to overcome their concerns about the negative dispositional inferences that others may make about them for engaging in self-promotion.

In one study (study 2), the authors provided evidence for their theory in a field setting on a university campus involving an actual blood drive. Part of the campus was exposed to messages promoting the blood drive that included language indicating that wearing a donor stamp was voluntary. The other part of the campus was exposed to a similar message indicating that wearing the stamp was obligatory. The researchers recorded the number of blood donations received each day. They then constructed the donation rate from the different promotional campaigns by dividing the number of students who participated in the blood drive by the total number of students in each population. This study was consequential not only because the dependent variable (i.e., donation rate) involved actual behavior but also because the measure was directly related to a tangible outcome in the real world. The audience for this research (i.e., charities) can easily determine that the insights will have a meaningful impact in their own charitable campaigns.

Interpretable

Research output cannot have practical relevance if the target audience fails to understand or interpret it. This requirement applies to all the components of a typical scientific article: the core construct, the empirical methods used to tackle the objective, the research findings, and so on. For an article to be interpretable by the intended audience, the authors often must employ language that is less technical (without sacrificing accuracy) and add explanations and examples to help the audience make sense of what they are reading.

Packard and Berger (2021) offer a good illustration of research that is interpretable. As mentioned, the authors examine how linguistic concreteness influences consumer attitudes and behavior. The authors made their insights more interpretable for their target audience (i.e., marketing managers) in several ways. First, they clearly explain that “concreteness describes how much a word refers to an actual, tangible, or ‘real’ entity.” They support their definition with examples that contrast concrete language (e.g., kiss or home ) with abstract language (e.g., love or anywhere ). Additionally, in one experiment (study 4), they manipulate multiple levels of concreteness to illustrate that as language becomes more concrete this increases consumers’ satisfaction and willingness to purchase. Importantly, their description of this study is supported by a table and a figure that clearly displays the language used to manipulate each level of concreteness. Finally, in the General Discussion, they provide a table that provides clear examples of how to make language more concrete. This allows the audience to translate a somewhat ambiguous concept (i.e., linguistic concreteness) into a specific course of action. Cian et al. (2015) offer another example of how to make an ambiguous concept (i.e., dynamic imagery) easy to interpret through their use of images and figures.

Research findings in many articles in JCR can be difficult for the audience to interpret because authors frequently employ complex experimental designs to effectively test their theory and explore boundary conditions. Such designs may provide theoretical richness to the empirical package, but this often comes at the expense of practical relevance since it may be difficult for the audience to understand how the findings can be applied in the real world. To enhance the practical relevance of their findings, authors frequently begin their empirical package with a study that provides illustrative evidence of their theory.

Cai, Bagchi, and Gauri (2016) provide an excellent example of this in their study on boomerang effects for low price discounts. The authors propose that while low price discounts (e.g., 5% off) tend to be effective at promoting sales for essential purchases, low price discounts are less effective than offering no discount for nonessential purchases, which they refer to as a boomerang effect.

They initially tested their theory using illustrative evidence based on scanner data from essential (e.g., cereal) and nonessential (e.g., canned soup) product categories. The authors examined the volume of purchases within each category at different levels of price discount. Consistent with their theory, the results show that in the essential categories, the volume of purchases increased as the price discount increased. However, in the nonessential categories, volume decreased, relative to offering no discount, sales decreased when price discounts were low (i.e., less than 5% off), but then increased once the discounts reached a certain threshold (e.g., over 5% off). One could argue that the findings of this study are open to multiple interpretations (e.g., it could be unique to the categories examined). Yet, their choice to begin the empirical package with evidence from scanner data makes it easier for marketing managers to interpret their findings. They then supported this study with a series of controlled experiments to test their theory and explore boundary conditions.

Implicit in our discussion of the five dimensions are suggestions for improving the practical relevance in consumer behavior research. In this section, we provide more specific and actionable recommendations for doing so (see table 2 for a summary). These include: (1) define the intended audience upfront, (2) start with the problem, (3) clearly identify the relevant consumer sample, (4) select independent variables that are realistic, (5) employ dependent variables that have impact, and (6) make the findings easy to interpret.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAKING CONSUMER RESEARCH MORE PRACTICALLY RELEVANT

Define the Intended Audience Upfront

Before conducting the research, the authors should clearly delineate who the intended audience for this research is to be. Is it a study that will inform consumers on key issues or consumption problems they are facing? Or can this research provide important insights that help consumers to live more fulfilling lives? Alternatively, is the topic of this research something that will provide useful information to marketing or retailing managers? Could specific meaningful and implementable suggestions for strategy be developed for this research? Or is the audience individuals or companies interested in corporate social responsibility or public policy issues? If so, can the research help to improve the effectiveness of CSR or public policy initiatives?

The key point is that defining the intended audience upfront provides the research with an important sense of direction which can provide guidance for the research process. This, in turn, will help to increase the practical relevance of the research.

Start with the Problem

The most typical way in which research on consumer behavior has been conducted over the years is to begin with a theoretical perspective or potentially interesting phenomenon and then conduct empirical research to test this theory or examine the phenomenon. Then, at the conclusion of writing the paper, there is an attempt (and sometimes struggle) to come up with implications for either managers, consumers, or public policy.

An alternative approach would be to start with a key problem facing one of these constituencies. These should be issues or topics that the targeted audience truly cares about. From a managerial perspective, there are a variety of ways to identify key issues facing managers, including attending industry conferences, inviting managers to classes, and reading key business and marketing industry publications. In doing so, consumer behavior researchers should evaluate these sources from the perspective of how consumer behavior research can inform or provide useful information on these problems.

A similar process can be applied to the other audiences as well. Researchers can conduct Google searches, regularly read consumer-related publications, or the Wall Street Journal and similar publications to identify key consumer problems that can benefit from input from consumer behavior research. Likewise, researchers can conduct searches to ascertain key areas or initiatives which could be potential avenues for corporate responsibility efforts. Further, important public policy issues could be identified by attending public policy conferences or conducting internet searches.

The key point here is that researchers need to start with the problem and then apply consumer behavior theory and research to inform these issues rather than vice versa. By doing so, the probability that the research is relevant and meaningful increases greatly.

Clearly Identify the Relevant Consumer Sample

For many years, consumer (and psychology) research was mockingly referred to as the “study of college sophomores.” This was because academic researchers were often short of funds to conduct their research and college students represented a readily available, convenient, and cost-effective pool of research subjects. Despite these advantages, the use of these subjects has been heavily criticized over the years.

The purpose of the present treatise is not to revisit this extensive debate; rather to state that to increase practical relevance, researchers need to employ samples of “actual” consumers to whom researchers wish to generalize findings. This first involves providing a clear definition of the relevant population and then developing a sampling plan to collect data from these consumers. Fortunately, in today’s world, there are a number of research services which enable data to be collected on “real” consumers such as MTurk, Prolific, and Clickstream. While there have been critical debates about problems associated with these samples which would not be discussed here, the key point is that these services allow researchers to acquire more real-world samples and data in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

This is not to say that college students should never be employed as subjects. The general consensus is that these subjects are a relatively homogenous group, and they can be very useful in establishing cause–effect relationships (i.e., internal validity) which can then be tested on more realistic samples. Moreover, since many products’ target customers are people at college age (e.g., 18–22), college students can represent some types of real-world consumers.

Select Independent Variables That Are Realistic

As mentioned previously, many studies examining consumer behavior operationalize their independent variable using stylized, artificial scenarios that do not involve actual behavior. When this is the case, the relevant audience may fail to see how the research will change consumers’ behavior and the findings are not informative of the key issues at hand. Consequently, research becomes practically relevant when the operationalization of the independent variable is grounded in realism to closely match an actual consumption experience. Essentially, this involves translating the independent variable into a set of actions that allows the audience to influence consumer behavior in the real world.

As mentioned earlier, one of the most effective ways to implement this suggestion is to conduct field experiments. By conducting the research in real-world contexts, actual consumer responses to real stimuli can be observed in a realistic setting. In particular, actual behavior can be observed and this helps increase the audience’s understanding of how the findings can meaningfully impact their target consumers.

Admittedly, there are critical issues concerning field experiments. They can be expensive and difficult to implement. Further, strong internal validity is more difficult to achieve than in lab experiments. In other words, internal validity is sacrificed for external validity. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing trend toward conducting lab studies first to establish internal validity and then conducting a field experiment which is more externally valid.

In addition, advances in technology and software now enable the development of independent variable stimuli which are impressively realistic. Realistic advertisements, packages, and any other type of marketing communication can be easily and cheaply produced to present to consumers. Visual simulations can also be produced which closely resemble real-world contexts. Further, these stimuli can be manipulated and changed very quickly and effectively when using online surveys.

Select Dependent Variables That Have Impact

In many consumer behavior studies, researchers rely on self-report measures such as attitudes, behavioral intentions, or reported choice as dependent variables. This has occurred because they are rather easy to measure and they have demonstrated moderate predictability or explanation of consumers’ behavior. However, it is common knowledge among consumer researchers that “people don’t always do what they say they do” for a variety of reasons. They might not want to reveal to the researcher what they really do or perhaps they are not really sure.

To be practically relevant, it is important to employ dependent variables that have real consequences. In other words, the dependent variables should be directly related to real-world outcomes. These types of dependent variables are more representative of behavior in the actual consumer decision-making situations. For example, rather than asking consumers what they would choose, a more practically relevant dependent variable would be to measure actual choice with real costs involved. This could be done in a field study by observing actual choice behavior or in a lab study where there are actual consequences for making a choice. A key point is that the closer the dependent variable is to actual behavior in the decision funnel, the stronger the practical relevance.

Another possibility is to employ unobtrusive measures which are based on data that are collected without the participation or knowledge of the people or groups that generated the data. These can involve simple observation, archival data, content analysis, or physical traces. A key advantage of these measures is that they involve observations of human behavior in their natural context without any interference from researchers and are therefore indicative of real-world outcomes.

Make the Findings Easy to Interpret

The final recommendation involves the communication of the findings. The key principle is that in order to have practical relevance, the research needs to be reported in a manner that is easy for the target audience to understand. This involves using less technical language and concrete examples. In a sense, this reflects a well-known marketing principle to “speak the customer’s language.” Fortunately, JCR and other marketing journals have recognized this and have authors develop simple summaries of their research that can be directed toward journalists and the relevant audiences. In the case of JCR , this is called “The Pitch.”

We believe that, despite the continuing call to increase relevance in consumer research, JCR stakeholders still lack a clear understanding of what “relevance” actually means. As such, in the present article, we propose a framework that defines five dimensions of practical relevance in consumer research: targeted, topical, actionable, consequential, and interpretable. We illustrate the framework with recently published JCR articles. Importantly, this framework takes a holistic view that practical relevance is shaped at each facet of the research process, ranging from formulating the research questions, to designing and conducting the research studies, and to communicating the research to the audience. We then reviewed all articles published in JCR during 2015 and 2022 and identified 11 representative articles to illustrate how consumer research can achieve practical relevance by focusing on the five dimensions at different facets of the research process. Based on this holistic perspective, we develop six recommendations for enhancing practical relevance of consumer research.

Consumer researchers may find that the utmost challenge in enhancing practical relevance is attaining the dimensions of “targeted” and “topical.” Without identifying the research questions that the targeted audiences truly care about currently, the research findings cannot be important enough to be “actionable” or “consequential” to them. We do see that many papers published at JCR introduce the research question in a consumer, managerial, or policy-relevant way. However, a critical question to ask is how many of these publications have become the basis for action for real-world consumers, marketers, and policy-makers. Being “targeted” and “topical” is more than framing the research question in a practically relevant way. It requires the researchers to understand the prominent issues in the real-world consumption, marketing, and policy practice. As illustrated in the recommendation of “Start with the Problem,” interacting with the consumption and business world, in one way or the other, is the key to learn what truly matters to the audiences.

We would also like to particularly emphasize three aspects of our framework. First , practical relevance of consumer research does not mean managerial relevance only. JCR has a broad audience that encompasses consumers, practitioners, and policy-makers. Thus, practical relevance of consumer research is relevance to consumer welfare, managerial practice, or general public’s welfare. Second , we believe that enhancing practical relevance by focusing on the five dimensions does not compromise the academic rigor of the research. Studies with actionable and consequential design still need to ensure the methodological rigor. Third , the framework of practical relevance we have proposed applies to all types of JCR papers, including conceptual papers, theory-driven empirical papers, substantive phenomena papers, consumer culture research papers, and (multi-)methods and empirical quant papers. To illustrate how practical relevance is shaped by each facet of the research process, we have reviewed mostly empirical papers and only one conceptual paper. However, we believe that any types of consumer research could enhance the practical relevance by focusing on the five dimensions when these dimensions fit into the entire research process. Taking all this together, consumer behavior researchers are encouraged to move forward and “make it meaningful” ( Dahl et al. 2014 ).

Wayne D. Hoyer ( [email protected] ) is the James L. Bayless/William S. Farrish Fund Chair for Free Enterprise at the McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.

Echo Wen Wan ( [email protected] ) is a professor of marketing at the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Keith Wilcox ( [email protected] ) is the Macy’s Foundation Professor at the Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

All authors contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order. They would like to thank Bernd Schmitt and Marco Bertini for their helpful comments and assistance.

This research curation was invited by editors Bernd Schmitt, June Cotte, Markus Giesler, Andrew Stephen, and Stacy Wood.

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