Nike. Starbucks. Bumble.
The list can go on.
It still surprises me how brands that were once so culturally relevant and wildly successful have started losing their shine. These were brands that broke category barriers, shaped culture, and created offerings that people genuinely loved. But somewhere along the way, many consumers started feeling disconnected from them.
Over time, I realized that one of the biggest issues these brands face is that they are no longer evolving alongside their consumers. They are losing relevance because they no longer fully understand the people they are designing for or the realities those people are living through.
Working with marketing teams across different brands has shown me just how common this disconnect can be. Decision-makers often have very fixed ideas about who their consumer is, what they care about, and how they behave. But sometimes, those assumptions are far from reality.
That’s what made me think more deeply about the importance of consumer research — and more importantly, doing it the right way.
Consumer research can be one of the most powerful ways for brands to stay close to the people they serve. But a lot of research today still relies on traditional methods that create distance rather than closeness. Sitting behind one-way mirrors, reading through lengthy reports, and distilling human behavior into numbers can sometimes take brands further away from understanding what consumers actually feel and desire.
Based on my experience in consumer research, here are some ways brands can get closer to their consumers and ultimately design more meaningfully for them.
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Table of Contents
1. Work with insights, not assumptions
In many conversations I’ve had with stakeholders across brands, I’ve noticed that teams often carry long-held beliefs about their consumers that have never actually been tested. Over time, these assumptions start getting treated as facts even when they may no longer reflect reality.
Brands need to actively surface these assumptions and validate them through consumer research. One simple way to do this is by bringing stakeholders together for a working session where teams can openly share their perceptions, questions, and hypotheses about the consumer. These can then be translated into clear research objectives and explored further through consumer conversations.
2. Avoid overgeneralizing consumers
Consumer insights are only valuable when they genuinely reflect the brand’s core audience. That’s why representation matters when conducting consumer research. Brands should ensure they’re speaking to a balanced mix of people across age groups, genders, race, and geographies — avoiding a skew towards a certain demographic.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that brands often become overly fixated on whichever generation is perceived to be the most culturally influential at the time (Gen Z being the current obsession). However, that does not mean that every person of that generation is a consumer of that brand. Individuals within the same generation can have completely different behaviors, values, motivations, and lifestyles. Understanding these nuances is critical when deciding who to include in research.
3. Balance data with human stories
Research can be both quantitative and qualitative, and each has its own merits. While numbers provide scale, stories provide meaning.
Quantitative data helps brands understand what is happening — trends and behavior patterns at scale. Qualitative insights reveal the why behind those behaviors by adding context, nuance, emotion, and texture. It is important to thoughtfully shape the research methodology from the beginning so that you get a fuller understanding of the consumer, depending on the research objective.
For example, if the goal is simply to identify the most frequently consumed beverage flavors, then a quantitative study would provide sufficient data. However, if the goal is to explore why certain flavors are preferred, then a qualitative study would help arrive at themes by understanding cultural nuances, the lives people lead, their behaviors and desires, among other aspects.
4. Conduct research that bridges the say/do gap
Traditional research often relies on what consumers say they do instead of understanding what they actually do in real life. People are not always fully aware of their own motivations or decision-making patterns and may sometimes respond based on what sounds acceptable. In order to go beyond stated responses, brands should consider using research approaches that help observe their real behavior, such as shopping journeys, in-situ immersions, video ethnographies, etc. This includes recruiting a group of people who fit the profile of a typical consumer and observing them perform assigned activities in natural settings — you can learn so much just by watching people’s behavior!
5. Bring teams into the field
The reality is that most stakeholders might never have really met the consumers they are designing for. A lot of brand decisions are made in meeting rooms far removed from people’s everyday lives. Giving stakeholders the opportunity to spend time with consumers in person can be incredibly eye-opening and grounding.
I have conducted several such in-person immersions with brands where stakeholders were able to directly engage with consumers, whether through shopping journeys or in-home visits. Another interesting way to do it is by inviting consumers for a speed dating style discussion with brand teams. Setting aside some time for such immersive sessions can make a meaningful difference in how teams think and make decisions.
6. Make consumer research an organizational asset
Finally, once the research has been conducted, learnings should not remain with the marketing and insights teams. They need to be shared widely across the organization. Consumer insights can be incredibly valuable to several functions, from product and merchandising teams to sales and leadership teams. The more teams are exposed to real consumer voices, behaviors, and experiences, the more aligned the organization becomes around designing better products, services, and experiences.
The goal is not to conduct more consumer research simply to collect more information. It’s about doing thoughtful research that genuinely helps brands stay connected to their consumers.
