Customer research is a systematic process that involves gathering and analysing first-hand information about a company’s target market, including customer preferences, needs, behaviours, and motivations. The aim of customer research is to gain insights into the factors that influence the actions of potential customers so that businesses can tailor their products and services to meet the needs of their target audience better. 

It starts with talking with real customers about their experiences with a brand and the larger industry. For example, if a business has a financial product, we will talk to customers and potential customers about their experience with the product, but also about their larger financial understanding, needs, and concerns.

Where customer research is different to ‘just chatting with customers’ is the way in which the interviews are conducted and the data is processed. We can’t just ask customers what they want. We need to figure out the unmet need by exploring the whole customer landscape, uncovering what currently works and doesn’t work, what areas are missing and what potential desires customers have that they might not know they have.

There are many different techniques in customer research that we use, but all of them are 1-on-1. We prefer these methods over group research, like focus groups. Find out more about our in-depth customer research.