Nikki Baird

Observing Consumers Beats Listening to Them

February 19, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Nate Bolt, co-founder and chief executive of user research firm Bolt Peters, argues that while tech entrepreneurs are encouraged to listen to potential customers, observing is a much better tool to see whether a new product will succeed in the market. What are the merits of observation versus listening in testing new products?      [more...]

It sounds like a case of "observe first, listen second"--and I agree. I've sat behind the glass at focus group sessions, and even the most well-prepared session can go off the rails at the drop of a hat, and you'll never get to what you're looking for. But the Apple example underscores the point--throw it out there (set expectations that it's early generation), and then watch what they do with it, and then listen to their feedback.

This is exactly why I am amazed when I hear retailers say, "We're not doing X (X=some consumer-facing technology investment) because we don't see the ROI." Well, you won't, unless you get it out there and see what consumers do with it.