Not just what they want, but why they want it: Traditional market research to deep customer insights

This paper aims to explore advantages and disadvantages of both traditional market research (TMR) and deep customer insight (DCI) methods to lay the platform for revealing how a relationship between these two domains could be optimised during firm-based innovation.

The paper reports on an empirical research study conducted with 13 Australian-based firms engaged in a design-led approach to innovation. Firms were facilitated through a design-led approach where the process of gathering DCIs was isolated and investigated further in comparison to TMR methods.

Results show that DCI methods are able to provide fresh, non-obvious ways of understanding customer needs, problems and behaviours that can become the foundation of new business opportunities. Findings concluded that DCI methods provide the critical layer to understand why customers do or do not engage with businesses. Revealing why was not accessible in TMR methods.

The theoretical outcome of this study is a complementary methods matrix, providing guidance on appropriate implementation of research methods in accordance with a project’s timeline to optimise the complementation of TMR methods with design-led customer engagement methods.

DCI methods provide fresh, non-obvious ways of understanding customer needs, problems and behaviours that can become the foundation of new business opportunities. It is hoped that those in a position of data collection are encouraged to experiment and use DCI methods to connect with their customers on a meaningful level and translate these insights into value.

This paper provides original value to a new understanding of how design techniques can be applied to complement and strengthen existing market research strategies. This is crucial in an era where business competition hinges on a subtle and often intimate understanding of customer needs and behaviours.