Multiphase U&A

Case Study

Client Challenge

A major electronics manufacturer was significantly behind the industry leaders and wanted to gain a better understanding of the Canadian marketplace in order to identify areas of opportunity for growth in anticipation of a new product launch.

Charlton’s Approach

In order to address the breadth of this challenge, Charlton used a three-phased approach.

  • Phase 1: Retail Shop-Alongs. Charlton consultants accompanied respondents in various markets while they shopped at different electronics retailers. This allowed Charlton to observe honest reactions and generate clear insights into the consumer’s path-to-purchase by exploring their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes in the proper context. It also allowed for observations of sales associate interactions and responses, a key point of interest to the client
  • Phase 2: Online Quantitative. A national survey was conducted among recent and soon-to-be purchasers of the product to gain a better understanding of those who purchased or were considering different manufacturer brands. In particular, Charlton was able to define the difference between a client purchaser/considerer and rejectors, and develop a profile of potential switchers for the client to target.
  • Phase 3: Focus Groups. Deep-dive focus groups were conducted with recent purchasers of the product. Groups were held in major markets across the Canada, and included purchasers of both the client and key competitive brands. Multiple projective techniques were used in order to gain a better understanding of the path to respondents’ final purchase decision. The client’s new product was also tested, allowing Charlton to identify the most appealing product benefits to be communicated at the time of the product’s launch.

The Result

Using the insights generated from this research, the client was able to generate momentum with its new product and market share increased dramatically.