Observational research
Stake out one consumer (or two) as he or she navigates through a grocery store or big-box retailer and observe and compare his or her behavior in different situations.
This approach is most likely to yield insights in a store with varied environments.
• Where did you go and when?
• Briefly describe your observations and the interpretation of those observations.
What did you discover beyond what we already know? (If you think most classmates would report the same conclusions based on mere introspection, dive deeper into your observations.)
• Briefly describe the potential implications that your observations may have for marketers. Think about the consumer decision-making model. How could the marketing strategy influence the behavior you observed? What novel recommendations could you make to a retailer, manufacturer, or other firm?
• Briefly describe what novel insights your observations may provide into consumer behavior more generally, beyond the specific context you examined.
• Finally, assess how some of the behaviors you have observed might be influenced uniquely by the COVID-19 pandemic. How might they have been different before the pandemic? Which of these behaviors newly instituted during the pandemic might last beyond the pandemic?
