Our Approach

First and foremost, we prefer to avoid discussing "retail" in a simple sense to talking more about "shopping," because that is what consumers are engaged in. We think of shopping as a process, from the time of the first interest in a product to its purchase, which in some cases can extend out for months. We describe the shopping process - in its entirety - to illuminate points of opportunity within it for various types and categories of goods. The goal is to "align the stars" for consumers by understanding how lifestyle, knowledge-gathering, decision processes and other parts of the shopping experience fit together and help retailers turn that understanding into increased customer satisfaction.

In simple terms, we make it "all come together" at retail by understanding how it does come together for consumers, helping them make easier and more intuitive decisions, and, in transcending traditional categories, giving them relevant choices they did not know they had.

We address topics and questions such as...

Consumer-Driven Store Design

  • How should a retailer integrate consumer lifestyle-based preferences into the design of a retail space?

  • What themes, messages, and symbols should be reflected in a retail space, so that it is not just “good for shopping” but “good for thinking” as well?

Consumer and Retail Trends

  • What consumer trends are most relevant today? How are trends impacting consumer shopping patterns? How should a retailers incorporate or stay ahead of those trends?

Category and Product Mix

  • Which categories should be in a store? What should the mix between them be? Within categories, which products should be present? Which ones should be most highly visible or promoted?

In-Store Experience and Interaction

  • Which parts of a store should be prioritized for rich consumer experiences? What interactive knowledge /information and experiential features should be deployed? (Just as importantly, what areas are less relevant and show potential for wasted efforts?)

Competitive Landscape

  • How do retailers compare across any of the above dimensions?

Ultimately, we integrate consumer lifestyle, thought processes, product interaction, and retail experience into every project, to build a big, full picture so that retailers can understand and pull the right levers in constructing the most relevant retail environment.

Quantitative Integration

While our approach stems from qualitative, holistic, and ethnographic viewpoints, it also serves as a “grand narrative” that may play “host” to other types of data and research. When appropriate, we often use complementary quantitative methods such as sizing and frequency measures (frequency of occasions, categories shopped, retail channels, et cetera), segmentation (occasion or consumer-based), demographics, perceptual mapping, gap analysis, trade-off analysis, and vignette analysis, and so on. Quantitative components may be “plugged in” in appropriate places to reinforce and validate qualitative findings, strengthen assertions stemming from those findings, and deliver a higher level of confidence to decision makers.

Qualitative Toolkit

We use a variety of techniques for the primary qualitative research that often informs our analysis and consulting, including ethnographic (semi and unstructured) Interviews, structured interviews, ethnographic observation (in-home and while shopping), experience audits, product set engagements, and other tools and techniques. Analytically, we also use a diverse set of analytical tools, including World and Cultural models, semiotics (linguistic and symbolic analysis), decision modeling, and process description (AKA “process mapping”).