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Partnering to understand the whole post-COVID consumer
Corporations deserve more than a one-dimensional look at the humans at the heart of their existence. There’s no greater time to gain a more complete picture of consumers than now.
To that end, Los Angeles-based DISQO and metro Detroit-based Gongos have partnered to analyze online behavioral data through the lens of 10,000 Americans’ ongoing browser activities, beginning January 1, 2020. Together, they have crafted a compass to guide companies into the future by marrying behavioral data, via passive online tracking technology, with primary research data, via surveys and online community activity.
Understand the power of joining the “what” with the “why” as they illustrate five key facets of life:
- Work and school.
- Spending.
- Travel.
- Food and cooking.
- Hobbies and entertainment.
Discover how people are adapting to change through weekly insights such as:
- Many consumers are experiencing “forced brand disloyalty” due to out-of-stock products (e.g., toilet paper, hand sanitizer, coffee), which may result in unsolicited brand switching or discontinuation of long-term loyalty.
- With many families foregoing travel and visits to adventure and entertainment destinations, zoo websites experienced a 58% increase in online visitors to watch live streaming and educational videos of the animals.
- Educational sites such as blackboard.com and freckle.com are seeing visit increases up to 288%, demonstrating that parents need additional resources to help homeschool their children.
Continue to leverage these findings to fuel more meaningful customer experiences for the road ahead. For further information on this data or to unearth more just like it, e-mail Carl Van Ostrand (carl.vanostrand@DISQO.com) DISQO or Lisa Speck, Gongos (lspeck@gongos.com).
The tracking study began on January 1, 2020 and is updated weekly.
Participant expectations amid COVID-19 pandemic
Jackson Research, a bicoastal data collection agency, remains at the forefront of emerging trends. In April/May 2020 we surveyed clients and respondents in order to better understand their expectations of research amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is intriguing to view the results of these concurrent studies together, as it shows a significant difference in attitudes from the public to the professional sector.
Participants are willing to take part in face-to-face research studies with people they don’t know (as long as there are precautions in place) but researchers are more reluctant to do so.
Both groups accepted the temporary need for virtual platforms and both expected face-to-face to be more comfortable in the near future (within four-to-six months) but participants – especially those in the 18-29 and 50-69 age ranges – appeared more interested in in-person connections even at the height of the pandemic.
It’s possible, as more is learned about this particular virus and states begin to open up, that we will see the significance in their position come closer together. We will let you know what we find.
We have always believed Jackson and its clients operate as partners, providing the information and insights corporations need to make decisions. We stand by that belief and we are ready when you are.
The research was conducted in April and May, 2020.
Decision Analyst: Consumer reactions to COVID-19
Three-fourths of Americans tell us their area is beginning to relax shelter-in-place orders. Consequently, some are starting to venture out more. Among these people, the most common “re-entry” activities have been to utilize delivery/curbside pickup from a restaurant and curbside pickup from a retailer. About one in four have shopped in a previously closed store. As more establishments begin to reopen, we will likely see usage behavior increase. Despite relaxed policies, nearly six in 10 Americans remain very concerned about COVID-19 – a figure that appears to be falling among those aged 30-49 and rising among those aged 50-59. The Decision Analyst Consumer Reactions to COVID-19 Report contains our observations from surveying over 4,500 U.S. consumers over seven waves.
In mid-March, when COVID-19 began to have a bigger impact in the U.S., we decided to field a research study to understand a number of issues Americans are facing:
- Who is being impacted by the onslaught of changes?
- What behaviors are changing and why?
- How are people feeling about what is happening around them?
- What are their biggest concerns?
- How do they expect their behaviors to change going forward?
Across the waves, some parts of our survey have remained constant, while other topics have been added or removed. Each page in our report presents the results from each wave in which that data was captured.
Our Consumer Reactions to Covid-19 report contains our observations from surveying over 4,500 U.S. consumers since mid-March 2020.
For more information about our report, please visit: https://www.decisionanalyst.com/press/2020/covid19panelpulse/.
The research was conducted in waves from March 17 - May 20, 2020.
Ready, set… don’t go! The coronavirus is still controlling consumer behavior
We hear story after story about people longing to dine out again or get a salon haircut instead of one lovingly given by a family member. Yet as consumer researchers, we know that what people say is not often the same as what they do. At InsightsNow we are monitoring behaviors and attitudes closely as we begin the early stages of reopening in the United States, focusing tightly on what activities people are actually emotionally ready to do. The extremes are easy – no one wants to take a cruise right now. But what about some of the staples in life? Going to restaurants, taking walks in the park, getting a haircut? How many people are truly ready to get out of the house and get close to other people?
We asked our forward-thinking community of Clean Label Enthusiasts® (CLE) just how likely they would be to resume some of their typical activities when restrictions are lifted in their area. The answer is: not many. Seventy percent say they are not yet emotionally ready and want to stay home because going out and doing their normal activities makes them feel uncomfortable. If fact, the negative response was so great that it is clearer to report on what CLE are NOT willing to do than what they are willing to do.
The research was conducted from May 15-18, 2020.
Opening up … and looking ahead!
ACUPOLL’s tracked the everyday lives, hearts and minds of consumers since March 18 across 13,000 consumers, with questions no one else is asking. Some of the Report IV learnings include:
- Two-thirds of those who stopped going to stores and restaurants won't return until they feel safe, even after everything reopens.
- We explore the top three steps venues can take for making people feel safe again, based on TURF analysis of 18 specific actions.
- The No. 1 single emotion “today” – in general, not COVID-related – is actually “happy,” as people continue with their lives and maintain a positive outlook. Negative feelings are diminishing, except among those with reduced/lost income.
- There’s been a dramatic shift in consumers’ core motivations when buying products over just the past few weeks, as top priority shifts from taking care of families and health towards saving money.
- 70-80% of consumers are willing to make sacrifices for others’ health … but fewer for certain demo groups.
Report V explores:
- Changes in snacking … as one-third of people have gained weight during this period, mostly attributed to snacking more.
- While protests dominate the headlines, 91% of Americans are willing to follow – or even insist on – procedures to keep people safe by wearing masks.
- Job losses continue to be heavy and sufferers are split almost 50/50 in their confidence that they will get their job back soon.
Download the reports to see the rest of what we’ve learned and sign-up for ACUPOLL’s twice-monthly updates!
The research began on March 18, 2020 and is collected weekly.
Banking during COVID-19: How consumer behaviors are evolving
COVID-19 has impacted all facets of everyday life, from grocery shopping and dining out to how we work and socialize. Banking is no different. Recently, Schmidt Market Research completed a study to learn how banking behaviors have changed since COVID-19 in terms of how consumers are engaging with their banks and making payments. The study also looked at how banks and advisors are reaching out to consumers to address any concerns they have with how their finances are being handled. This study was fielded through Pittsburgh Speaks, Schmidt Market Research’s proprietary consumer panel. Pittsburgh Speaks was developed to provide a voice to the Western Pennsylvania region through high-quality recruitment solutions.
The research was conducted from April 15-24, 2020.
How COVID-19 escalates the need for behavioral insights
Consumer insights and analytics teams must become more strategically relevant by placing data in context and telling the stories that explain the “why” of the current state and inform the “what’s next” forecast of customer behavior.
The COVID-19 pandemic has both reinforced and accelerated underlying shifts in recruiting demand that we detected nearly two years ago. Even before the onset of the crisis, forward-thinking consumer packaged goods companies (CPG) rekindled interest in building their behavioral insights teams – but with key differences in their requirements.
Now we’re in overdrive. Professionals and organizations realize they must evolve more quickly and radically to address the seismic changes in consumer behavior in the post-pandemic marketplace.
Behavior vs. logic
Emotion is driving consumer behavior more than logic is today. CPG leaders are telling us that data-driven insights will continue to play an important role in their consumer insights teams. But analytics alone cannot provide the “why” and “so what” needed to understand human behavior emerging from the pandemic. Many of the companies we work with are actively seeking next-generation consumer insights talent to address their:
- Belief that most of the data analytics coming out of this crisis won’t deliver enough insight to help business leaders make smart decisions about where consumers are headed.
- Need for professionals who are skilled at actually communicating with consumers as they grapple with the big changes in their lives.
- Goal to get ahead of this change before they fall behind their competitors in the emerging marketplace.
Keeping the pulse of the consumer and COVID-19
The business impact of COVID-19 has been seen across all industries. Now, more than ever, it is vital that businesses connect and understand their consumers – what they are going through, what they need and how they feel.
At ENGINE, we have the real-time pulse of the consumer, today and always. Throughout this pandemic, we will be offering weekly insights from identifying important data points and trends from the voice of the consumer.
This Online CARAVAN® omnibus survey was conducted May 29-31, 2020. Approximately 1,000 adults selected from opt-in panels were surveyed each time. The results are also weighted to U.S. Census data to be demographically representative.
Post-COVID in-person research: How are consumers feeling?
We at C+R Research have been working on our own plans for what in-person research could look like in this new normal, but we are also curious to know what research participants are thinking and what their comfort levels are with doing face-to-face research again. So, we partnered with Fieldwork to conduct an online survey among nearly 2,000 consumers from their focus group facility databases in 10 cities across the U.S. To note, the sample consists of consumers who have participated in in-person research in the past.
We found that the majority of consumers will definitely/probably participate in all types of in-person research when allowed (of course, assuming all CDC, city and state safety measures are followed). This includes all types of in-person methodologies: one-on-one interviews, triads, focus groups, CLTs, shop-alongs and even in-home interviews. And, their “must-haves” to ensure their comfort during fieldwork are reasonable and easily attainable, such as providing hand sanitizer and seating people 6 feet apart to maintain social distancing guidelines. To see the full results, click here.
The research was conducted on May 15-17, 2020.
Open-source idea bank for COVID-19 business and beyond
“When your car goes into a ditch, you have to focus on getting out of that ditch. But as soon as you do, you’ve got to start worrying about what’s coming down the road at you next.”
That’s how Kevin Flaherty, vice president of digital marketing, MOD Pizza, describes what his company and thousands of others are facing.
A group of 22 senior business executives have developed a free solution: The Instant Think Tank Idea Bank. It’s an open-source collection of more than 200 ideas for surviving, emerging from and thriving after the pandemic. All the participants volunteered their time and brainpower.
“A crisis is an opportunity to demonstrate your values in your actions,” says Kelley Styring of InsightFarm, who moderated the online ideation sessions and compiled the results. “We aren’t doctors or nurses. This is how we can help.”
“No matter what size or what type of business you’re in, you can take something away from this bank of ideas,” said Flaherty. “I found wonderful nuggets throughout the 200 ideas that allowed me to riff on my own company and ways we can apply this. It has so many applications.”
“We know that businesses have been focused on simply surviving and may not have had the energy to think about what comes next,” says Styring. “The Instant Think Tank can jump-start your own thinking.”
The free report, which includes all 200+ ideas, is available to download at https://insightfarm.biz/ITT/.
Editor's note: This is the first collection of sponsored reports regarding the new consumer. To view Part 2, click here.
