“Market Research VS Testing”

A popular form of market research is using a “Focus Group”. Many people are gathered together and asked what they like & what they don’t like. The answers are compiled, and given as Market Research.

There is a flaw in this system.

People saying that they would buy is a heck of a lot different from people really buying.

People will tell you what they think you want to hear, or what they think will make them sound hip, cool, smart, sophisticated.

Saying that you would buy takes no commitment and costs no money. Actually giving money is much harder.

Then how do we know what people will really like & buy?

By testing.

You run an ad. If people come in to buy, you’ll know it is a good offer. If you get people say to you “Yup! That’s a great deal…..and when I’m ready, you’ll get my business” that means they don’t want it badly enough to buy now.

Always build your advertising and offers to get the shopper that is considering buying at all, to buy your thing now.

You will still build your Brand with the ad. You will still be helping your Image.

Sometimes, in our store, we'll test an add-on or a impulse counter item. We’ll put a stack of spot remover (for example) on the counter & offer it to everyone who buys anything. At the end of the day, we’ll know if we have a winner. If 15 people say they will get some later, or that they will get one when it goes on sale...we pull it off the counter. If 5 out of 15 buy one, we have a winner. We used to offer a powder that you sprinkle on your carpet (that smelled fresh) for $5.99. Almost everyone would buy one. I suspect that the price was low enough that there wasn’t enough resistance to say “No”.

Remember; Offer it for sale. Demonstrate it. That’s testing. In the mail, the number of actual buyers will give you the information you need. Neat.

A popular form of market research is using a “Focus Group”. Many people are gathered together and asked what they like & what they don’t like. The answers are compiled, and given as Market Research.

There is a flaw in this system.

People saying that they would buy is a heck of a lot different from people really buying.

People will tell you what they think you want to hear, or what they think will make them sound hip, cool, smart, sophisticated.

Saying that you would buy takes no commitment and costs no money. Actually giving money is much harder.

Then how do we know what people will really like & buy?

By testing.

You run an ad. If people come in to buy, you’ll know it is a good offer. If you get people say to you “Yup! That’s a great deal…..and when I’m ready, you’ll get my business” that means they don’t want it badly enough to buy now.

Always build your advertising and offers to get the shopper that is considering buying at all, to buy your thing now.

You will still build your Brand with the ad. You will still be helping your Image.

Sometimes, in our store, we'll test an add-on or a impulse counter item. We’ll put a stack of spot remover (for example) on the counter & offer it to everyone who buys anything. At the end of the day, we’ll know if we have a winner. If 15 people say they will get some later, or that they will get one when it goes on sale...we pull it off the counter. If 5 out of 15 buy one, we have a winner. We used to offer a powder that you sprinkle on your carpet (that smelled fresh) for $5.99. Almost everyone would buy one. I suspect that the price was low enough that there wasn’t enough resistance to say “No”.

Remember; Offer it for sale. Demonstrate it. That’s testing. In the mail, the number of actual buyers will give you the information you need. Neat.