Let’s Go Shopping: Using Mobile Qualitative Research for Shop-Alongs
Mobile qualitative research and shopping were made for each other. Using more traditional methods, a researcher must accompany a shopper on a shopping trip, which can make for an awkward experience, or a shopper must recall what he or she remembers about the shopping trip and relay that information to a researcher at a later time, which can mean losing valuable insights. Luckily, there’s now a better way, thanks to mobile qualitative research tools like Qualanywhere from 20|20 Technology, which allows researchers to probe respondents at the point of sale via text message.
Uses for Mobile Qualitative Research at the Point of Sale
In addition to helping you understand shoppers’ buying habits at the point of sale, mobile qualitative research allows you to get product-specific feedback (text and photos) regarding displays, shelving, product packaging and other visuals. It can also be helpful for on-the-shelf competitor comparisons or for an ethnography study to understand the overall shopping experience. (Or, as we like to say, a mobile shopography!)
Richer Insights
Because the communication is happening between just the respondent and the moderator, and because the respondents are shopping in their natural environment, insights can be far richer using mobile qualitative research than if you used more traditional methods. That’s because there can be more one-on-one interaction, and
probing can be tailored specifically to a participant’s response to the previous question or questions.
How a Mobile Shop-along Works
While the moderator no longer needs to be on-site to conduct a shop-along, typically a representative from the project still will be present to register respondents as they enter the store. If the goal is to understand the shopper experience, the client may be the one to recruit participants and greet them when they arrive. Once they’re checked in, respondents shop just as they would if they weren’t participating in a research project. As they shop, they receive text messages from the moderator prompting them for information about their buying habits, products that they see and/or their overall shopping experience.
