Qualitative research is well known for uncovering nuanced insights and reliably unearthing the “whys” of human decision-making and behavior. Time-honored consumer research techniques such as shop-alongs and focus groups give participants the flexibility to engage with open-ended questions. This allows for new, unanticipated aha-moments.
Quantitative research, on the other hand, takes a different approach. Survey answers are often limited to static data sets in order to clearly identify critical patterns and causal relationships across broad populations. While some quantitative methods may include open-ended questions, they typically do not dive as deep as qualitative discussions. That said, quantitative outputs effectively generalize insights, making it an invaluable approach.
But rather than choosing one or the other, quali-quant research, a fusion of the two, leverages the strengths of both approaches to simultaneously achieve depth and breadth.
What can quali-quant look like?
In general, quali-quant methodologies are suitable across a full range of business and research objectives. By cleverly blending quantitative surveys with a set of in-depth interviews, focus groups, or shop-alongs, researchers can bring shopper insights to life and unveil the deep range of emotions people experience. Let’s consider three scenarios.
- Package design research: Packages must effectively communicate the most important features of a product while also appealing to the target audience. The end goal is that the package gets noticed, liked, and leads to a purchase. Even with careful guidelines, designers have the difficult task of creating the perfect package from an unlimited combination of colors, fonts, images, and styles. In such cases, starting with qualitative research allows the research team to gain nuanced insights for perhaps 6 to 10 package designs and then narrow the options down to the 2 or 3 most effective ones. After making any necessary tweaks, those 2 or 3 designs can then be tested quantitatively against the current design to reliably choose the single package that will be most effective in delivering against objectives.
- Path to purchase insights: Purchase paths are no longer the straightforward journeys they used to be. With text messaging, thousands of online review forums, and millions of social commerce platforms, shoppers have unlimited opportunities to research, review, and change their shopping journeys. In order to better understand what the customer journey looks like for a specific product or retailer, it’s often a good idea to start with quantitative research. This helps to pinpoint the generalizable steps shoppers take prior to purchase. Once that path has been detailed, qualitative research can be used to excavate within each stage and better understand consumer mentality.
- Retail store designs: In order to be successful, new stores and redesigned stores must create a pleasant and effective experience for shoppers that also facilitates findability and drives sales. By starting with quantitative in-situation store intercepts, shoppers can provide researchers with an overall read on the new flow or new store elements. After understanding the layout on a broader scale, qualitative techniques can then be brought in to provide deep-dive insights into specific sections of the store or gain a more nuanced understanding of the impact of renovations.
Benefits of Quali-Quant
Holistic insights. By combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies, brand leaders benefit from a more holistic picture of the issue resulting in more actionable business decisions. With cross team collaboration and analysis through a single research partner, the resulting output has a deeper rationale and context, and the story is more comprehensive and unified.
Accessible reports. Just as some researchers might be more or less comfortable with quantitative or qualitative research, brand partners can also be more or less comfortable with narrative vs numerical results. By incorporating both components into a single, combined report, the insights become more accessible to a wider range of readers. From CEO and CMO to brand manager and marketing manager, the best report is the one that is understood in a meaningful way regardless of numerical fluency.
Adaptive insights. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques in a consecutive manner creates a fantastic opportunity to adapt the second stage based on the results of the first. For example, a qualitative study might reveal previously unknown attributes that should be measured on a larger scale. Or, a quantitative study might reveal a rare occurrence that should be studied in more depth afterwards with a qualitative phrase.
Continuity of participants. Depending on the research needs, quali-quant studies give research teams the option to recruit qualitative participants from among people who have already completed the quantitative component. This is particularly beneficial when the quantitative portion identifies participants who have unusual experiences or perceptions. A completely separate set of respondents can also be pre-recruited to the qualitative portion to ensure appropriate segmentation, articulacy, and technology skills (for virtual studies).
Tips for maximum Quali-Quant success
Don’t mimic the quant in the qual. Qualitative methods, whether shop-alongs or interviews are not about larger numbers. They are about talking to people who meet very specific targeting criteria and who have excellent articulation skills allowing them to engage in deep and thoughtful discussions. This is how the research team will gain deeper, contextual insights.
Consider virtual qual. Where national representation is necessary, virtual qualitative research can be a benefit. Conducting or observing multiple qualitative sessions across the country in a single day via virtual groups or interviews can save on time and travel costs. Additionally, it allows brand partners to tend to their daily tasks without significant interruptions. In recent years, virtual solutions have greatly improved allowing the research team to attend IDIs and groups with just as much flexibility and involvement as in-person options.
Expect differences. In a perfect world, the results from the qualitative and quantitative components will match perfectly. However, that doesn’t always happen. Statistically, smaller sample sizes generate more volatile results, national averages are never fully applicable to regional nuances, and quantitative data cannot be as nuanced as qualitative data. Researchers should expect that the qualitative and quantitative results won’t always align perfectly and that’s okay. The key is to uncover where the differences lie, why they might be occurring, and blend those results into one cohesive and insightful story.
Plan carefully. There is no predetermined, correct order for the two components. Sometimes it makes more sense for the qualitative component to come first. Other times, the quantitative component should lead. In order to maximize the impact of the results, carefully consider the objectives of the research to determine which component should feed into the other, and how that will take place.
Leverage a unified team. Working with a single research team for both the qualitative and quantitative components of a study has many advantages. Rather than struggling to coordinate two groups of people with two sets of mind frames and two different work processes, leverage a supplier that has specialists in both qualitative and quantitative research. This facilitates instant collaboration and cross-checking, resulting in a clearer and more cohesive story.
Summary
By combining the large sample sizes and statistical generalizability of quantitative research with the small-scale depth and nuance of qualitative research, researchers can benefit from the advantages of each method.
If you’re ready to gain a deeper understanding of your shoppers, the qualitative and quantitative shopper insights experts at Explorer Research are ready to help. With our deep knowledge of the human experience and an array of tools to measure conscious and unconscious perceptions and behaviors, we’ll help you understand your shoppers, and ultimately optimize your shopper strategies and activations. Get in touch with us to explore your opportunities further.
