mobile market research Archives | Video Chat Network

Video Chat Network is putting two qualitative market research methods to the test to reveal which produces the meatiest consumer insights. We conducted a study to compare the nature of consumer feedback provided in real-time via smartphone vs. after-the-fact via webcam.

VCN Founder & CEO Rachel Geltman will be presenting our findings at the MRMW and CASRO conferences in Chicago on May 28th and 29th, as part of each conference’s focus on emerging technologies in qualitative market research.

Titled “The Visceral Power of Mobile Insights”, our study reveals smartphones to be the ultimate qualitative research stimulus.

Read on to learn more about the study and what we’ve learned so far!

The Study:

VCN conducted video chats with consumers in real time through their mobile phones. Consumers were interviewed in 3 different scenarios: trying a new type of coffee at Starbucks, driving in a new SUV and shopping for a new mobile phone.

VCN then video chatted with another set of consumers who also had these 3 types of experiences – the only difference being that these interviews were conducted post-experience via video chat at home.

The Findings:

A key insight that emerged from our study is that consumers became more descriptive, passionate, and creative when describing a product experience in real time via mobile vs. after-the-fact.

When trying a new coffee drink at Starbucks, our mobile respondents used colorful descriptions like “caramel-y”, and “sunshine in a cup!” They described the experience of tasting a new drink with vivid language: “I get the foam and the vanilla drizzle on my lips!”

Respondents that were interviewed after-the-fact were able to recall much less about the product experience. “I don’t remember anything about the aroma,” admitted one respondent. The insights they gave were more generic: “it’s like a reward” and “it’s kinda my starter for the day.” These insights reflect the type of expected opinions that could describe any coffee-drinking experience.

Mobile video chats were consistently more effective in capturing the subjective aspects of the consumer experience. Not only did shoppers become more descriptive in their language, they were also more likely to bring up subjective product benefits.

Our real-time chats with consumers shopping for a new mobile phone show how latent motivators surface when consumers describe a product experience in real time.

“I like getting a feel for the phone… I love the colors!” said one of our mobile respondents. Visual and tactile characteristics were a more expressed priority to this group: “I’ve got to have it in my hand to know how much it weighs and how it’s made.”

In contrast, the respondents we chatted to after their shopping experience were more likely to recall and focus on functional benefits like price, features, and services. They did not recall the experiential elements of browsing phones so much as the conversations they had with store salespeople. “I learned about additional features,” said one respondent, “He said the HTC was the one people are going for now…I could get one for only $20”.

Besides surfacing product features that are less conventional than what is standardly heard in qualitative research (e.g., steering wheel and knob on climate control), mobile respondents were more likely to communicate traditional category benefits in more unique ways.

Our video chats with consumers driving in a new SUV exemplify this contrast. When interviewed after the driving experience via webcam, consumers had conventional ways of describing category benefits: “I feel comfortable putting my kids in there… It’s reliable, dependable.”

The connection between family safety and vehicle reliability is an obvious one that is frequently driven home in car commercials. Mobile respondents made more surprising connections between product features and benefits: “I love how it feels… It lets me be more aggressive, for me that’s practical.”

The notion that a practical car is one that allows the driver to be more aggressive is a much more unexpected consumer insight. Mobile respondents were repeatedly more likely to choose descriptive words that led to these unique spins on mandatory features: “So smooth, easy… It just makes it effortless.”

The description of a smooth driving experience as being “effortless” offers a more unique consumer insight for marketers to leverage. On the other hand, non-mobile respondents spoke to the product benefits in a much more conventional way: “I like that feeling of being higher on top of the road.”

Want to learn more about our findings with this groundbreaking study? Watch Rachel Geltman present on the power of mobile market research at this year’s MRMW and CASRO conferences and be on the lookout for a link to the presentation in the coming weeks!

Key Takeaways for Marketers:

In marketing to mothers, brands should be aware of the pressures that moms feel in balancing the needs of their profession, their families and themselves. Snack food marketers should reinforce product benefits like convenience and portability to appeal to the consumer perception of being constantly on-the-go and out-of-time.

Brand messaging should communicate the emotional benefit of avoiding chaotic and unpleasant moments through proactive snack food purchases. Whether an on-the-go snack is serving as a pacifier or a reward, it’s always wise for a mother to have on hand.

Video Chat Network was tasked with understanding what’s important to moms when it comes to on-the-go eating. Here are the top 4 reasons our virtual focus group respondents gave for why they eat on the go:

1. We Multi-Task:

Being a mother is a full-time job, and for most of our respondents – not their only job. In juggling their professional and personal responsibilities, mothers are inclined to multitask in an attempt to get everything done. As such, on-the-go eating emerges as a solution for saving time.

“It’s a matter of saving time, but still getting something to eat when we are on the way to someplace else.” Tracy C.

2. We Are Always On-The-Go:

The rushed sensation that there’s always “someplace else” to be supports another key consumer insight: we eat on the go because we are always on the go!

“Nowadays, everyone is so busy. It used to be that people did most of their eating at home but now we do so much of it outside of our home.” Tara R.

There was a general perception across online focus group respondents that the sit-down meal was a thing of the past. Modern moms feel like every moment is a means to an end, leaving little opportunity for family meal occasions designed to be an end in themselves.

“I guess it’s a reflection of our multi-tasking society. When we are on-the-go, we aren’t sitting at a table and just eating. We’re running to the store, going to soccer practice, visiting grandma, or a thousand other things!” Lauren C.

3. We Avoid Problems:

Our online focus group respondents all recognized the chaos associated with their jobs as mothers. Eating on the go emerged as a solution for minimizing this chaos by avoiding problems associated with hungry children!

“Sometimes it’s pretty important to have an item, like after a soccer game when the kids have used so much energy and all they can think about is a snack and a drink.” Tara R.

Mothers recognized the value of proactively planning their day ahead of time to avoid stressful situations. Packing food for on-the-go eating was seen as a solution for keeping their children happy without having to resort to more expensive or less healthy options like fast food.

4. We Seek Rewards and Treats:

While several mothers in our panel considered on-the-go eating a part of their family’s routine, there were respondents that approached it more as a treat or reward for their child.

“Our first on-the-go occasion was treats after the orthodontist.” Jamie B.

Mothers that described themselves as more health-conscious (vs. time-strapped) were more likely to teach their kids about good eating habits. This could translate to a more mindful approach toward eating, where multi-tasking is not the optimal solution if it results in less conscious eating of more unhealthy and expensive snack foods.

Are you looking to uncover real consumer insights for your brand? VCN’s qualitative research methods leverage video chat technology to reach consumers in their comfort zones – getting you real insights into your most important marketing questions. Our webcam focus groups and mobile marketing research tools reach consumers at-home, on-site, or anywhere you need them!

Click here to request a quote and start leveraging real insights from real people today!

The Visceral Power of Mobile Insights: Comparing Insights from Real-Time Mobile vs. Post-Experience Webcam Studies

Marketing to Moms: Top 4 Reasons for On-the-Go Eating

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