$ Spending Spree $
Note: This article was originally published on August 2, 2017. The original article can be found here. We have updated it to reflect current trends and data
The much-maligned Millennial generation has been talked about endlessly, and accused of killing every market - from napkins to golf. So when Millennials, along with their younger siblings, Gen Z, aren’t busy destroying industries, where is their money going? We decided to take a look at TraQline’s data to see how Millennials compare to the generations who’ve gone before. While it’s hard to generalize what millions of Millennials spend their money on, we can examine which categories they’re outspending other generations, what brands they’re spending on, and how they’re buying those products. These first waves of digital native shoppers are spending in categories that reflect their current lifestyles and needs and are drawn to brands who echo their ease with technology and willingness to go beyond brick and mortar to find what they want.
Where Millennials Spend Their Money
The top 3 categories purchased by Millennials account for 61% of all the dollars that the generation spent across the 9 broad TraQline categories:
- Major Appliances (26% of Millennial dollars spent)
- Consumer Electronics (22%)
- Computer/Communication/Home Office (13%)
On the other hand, Millennials spend significantly less in the following categories:
- Home Improvement (9% of Millennial dollars spent)
- Building or Plumbing supplies (1%)
- Kitchen & Bath Improvement (1%)
The Generation That Grew Up With Tech Comes of Age
Millennials tend to be digital natives, and their spending reflects that. Just over one fifth of Millennials’ spending mix goes to consumer electronics and 13% on computing and home office products. Not only do Millennials place a high value on their tech, but an increasing number of workers choose to telecommute, and/or continue to do work from home during evenings and weekends. We previously hypothesized that spending on home offices could increase due to telecommuting trends, however, this spending on home office setups is starting to shrink somewhat.
A recent survey indicates that 36% of younger American Millennials are homeowners, and 61% of the older members of their cohort (along with the youngest members of Gen X) have purchased homes. With more Millennials starting up their own households, spending mix is significantly higher in categories such as Major Appliances (these expensive purchases make up 26% of Millennials’ dollars spent). These products designed for upkeep and upgrades are naturally purchased more often by people who own rather than rent their homes, and require regular maintenance. On the other hand, Gen Z’s spending on home improvement type products is similar to what we saw amongst Millennials at this time in 2017.
Brands that Millennials Prefer
With tech and appliances being the top purchases for Millennials; and given that tech companies such as Samsung and LG also make successful “tech-y” major appliance products, the top three brands might be obvious. Accounting for about 28% of their dollar mix – these three companies historically are perhaps best known for their consumer electronics. Samsung, which wins the largest percentage of Millennial dollars, has married technology and design to help attract Millennials, as have #2 and #3 – Apple and LG.
These same three brands account for 32% of Gen Z’s dollar mix, though Apple edges out Samsung for number one. Gen Z’s top two are much closer in dollar mix than the top two Millennial brands.
When breaking out major appliance purchases, it’s not all high-tech gadgets and consumer electronics for the younger generations though. In terms of dollars spent, General Electric and Whirlpool both rank highly with Millennials and Gen Z.
Millennial Influence On Renting and Homeownership
Do Millennials Shop More Online Than Other Generations?
As noted earlier, Millennials and Gen Z are digital natives. Most Millennials grew up with the rise of the internet, and were in high school or college for the ascendency of smartphones. All but the oldest members of Gen Z may not remember a time before the ubiquity of the internet and smartphones. As a result, they are more likely to shop online than any other generation. Additionally, almost 24% of all dollars spent by Millennials on consumer durables is spent online. Gen Z– just now growing into adulthood – spends almost as much money online as Millennials.
That isn’t to say that other generations aren’t shopping online. In fact, Baby Boomers (approximately age 55 or older) are more likely to shop for power tools online than the more e-commerce savvy Millennials. Additionally, members of Gen X are significantly more likely to seek out exercise equipment and automotive products like batteries or tires online.
Millennial Spending Overview: TraQline Market Insight
Retail for consumer durables is shifting and reconfiguring as new generations come of age. Millennials are still participating in the economy, despite the doom and gloom of some news reports. Where they concentrate their spending may be new or different, and reflects their lifestyles, but there’s still plenty that is familiar to older generations. We may even see a shift in how Millennials spend as they begin to establish households, though the brands themselves may vary from what previous generations have preferred. What have you noticed about the Millennial and Gen Z consumers coming to your stores or buying your products?
For more industry statistics and personalized market research, contact the professionals at TraQline today!
We’d love to have your insights to add to our data! Leave us a message on LinkedIn, or tweet us @TraQline!
From Proposal to Final Product: Understanding the Research Process
I am often contacted by clients who are interested in doing a research project, but who may not have much experience doing research (or, if they have some experience, it was far in the past). Because of this, often their first question is “What’s the process for doing a research project?”
Helping a client get from “I need to do some research” at the beginning to having the final report in hand involves several steps:
1) Initial Discussion
To begin, we start a series of discussions with our client, whether in person, over the phone, or through email, where our client gives us the details we need to draft a proposal. Typically, this will include information like:
- Business objectives
- Questions to be answered
- Stimuli to be tested
- Who needs to be interviewed
- How difficult interviewees may be to find
- Timing constraints
- Cost constraints
Once our team has the information we need in hand, we can move the next step.
2) Research Proposal
Using the details we received in our initial discussion, we then develop a detailed proposal for our client. This document includes all the specifics of the project—methodology, sample size, sample composition, topics to ask questions about, deliverables, timing, and cost. This often leads to some back and forth between our team and our client. The client might need to ask clarifying questions, or the proposal may need to be revised as project needs get redefined.
3) Survey Development
Once our client has approved the final research proposal, we begin to write the actual survey, using the outlined in the proposal as a guide. A word document draft of the survey is sent to our client so they can review the survey, ask questions, or propose changes. This becomes an iterative process as we make changes based on our client’s feedback and begin the cycle again. For qualitative projects, there is a similar step where we develop a screener to recruit respondents and craft a discussion guide to be used.
4) Programming and Link Testing
Because the majority of quantitative studies are carried out online these days, once the survey is approved, it moves to programming. This creates a test link that shows exactly what respondents taking the survey will see. We test the link thoroughly to make sure it accurately reflects what was laid out in the word document. We also send the link to our client—we highly recommend that clients review the test link. Testing the link can help identify edits that were difficult to spot in the original document. How questions appear in a word document can sometimes differ from how they look once they’re programmed. Additionally, questions that will be used for complex analyses (like conjoin or maxdiff analyses) are hard to parse in a word document. Seeing them online helps to “bring them to life” and makes the flow of the survey easier to understand.
5) Fielding
Once the survey link has been approved, the study goes to field, and respondents start taking the survey. During this time, we monitor the progress being made and ensure that any sample quotas (i.e. demographic splits) are successfully being met.
At the same time, we begin report planning more fully. While we already have the framework for reporting based on client needs and stated in the research proposal, we also discuss with our client any additional topics and sub-groups they want included in the reports.
6) The Final Report (and other deliverables)
The research process winds down when we deliver the final report to our clients (some clients also like to receive the raw data from the study in excel or SPSS form as well). We often present the report to our clients and their teams in person or on a conference call.
However, this isn’t necessarily the end of the research process. Often, our clients have follow-up questions. They may also have requests for additional data runs or analyses. The project isn’t fully complete until all of our client’s questions have been answered. This might happen two weeks later or two years later (or sometimes even longer). In our experience, it isn’t unusual to get questions about studies that are months, if not years, old.
One Last Thing
Once we’ve provided the report, we also send our clients an invoice. Here at TSC, we typically don’t invoice the project until it is complete. Although, with very large projects , we sometimes invoice 50% at approval and 50% at completion.
From those initial conversations to the final report, our team makes sure to support our clients’ goals every step of the way. If you’d like a more in-depth discussion on any part of this article, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always here to help you navigate a research project with confidence.
Help! What Determines How Much My Research Will Cost?
“How much will this cost?” is an age-old question in marketing research. The answer typically isn’t simple because depending on what you want to learn and who you want to learn it from, pricing can vary from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. When working with a professional market research team, both researchers and clients should communicate expectations and understand any constraints that might be involved ahead of time – this will help ensure clear expectations and accurate pricing. With that in mind, below are a few questions that should be considered when planning your research project.
Who is your target audience?
Are you looking for recent purchasers of a product or service? Or are you looking for people who perform a specific activity or have a particular attribute? Clearly defining the target trait(s) and having some understanding of the incidence of these people in the general population (i.e. how hard are they to find) will play a part in determining the appropriate methodology for the study, which influences the cost. The more exclusive the characteristic, the more it will cost to find your target audience.
Many databases exist to help locate the right audience. Your options range from giant online panel providers that cater to a more quantitative method (high number of participants, who usually take a shorter survey), to qualitative companies (low number of participants, who are usually engaged in a longer discussion). Each of these options have their own benefits and cost implications.
What kind of concept are you showing your audience?
Are you presenting your audience with a concept that can be explained with text or images only? Do you need an audience to weigh in on visual design, user-interface, or hands-on experiences? Answering these questions will allow a determination of the correct study methodology … which dramatically impacts cost. For instance:
- If your concept is an abstract idea that will come to realization in a local market, conducting a few focus groups with 8-10 participants might be appropriate.
- If the concept can be communicated via text or images and has a more geographically diverse market, maybe several hundred or several thousand people can be interviewed via an online survey. This may be a more low-cost option, depending on how large the incentives are.
- If your concept is more hands-on/user-interface oriented, maybe a central location test (CLT) is needed. A CLT invites participants to a location to evaluate stimulus in person, which is typically a more costly option.
What and where is the target audience?
Is the target a user of local services? If so, you might choose to conduct a handful of cost-effective focus groups. Are you targeting recent purchasers of a nationally available product? You may choose to conduct a nationally representative online study. Project scope will play a major factor in selecting the appropriate methodology which will greatly impact project pricing. However, the scope (national versus local, for example) isn’t always the deciding factor in costs. Again, the more exclusive the target audience and larger the sample size the higher the project price.
When do you need results?
If extremely quick turnaround of results is a major factor, study methodologies become more limited and the project price will typically increase. A good strategy to reduce project costs is planning at least a several week window for results delivery. Depending on project scope, longer lead times enable researchers to utilize methodologies and sampling that may take longer than those required for quick turnaround.
Why are you doing this research, and what level of detail do you need?
What do you want to learn, and what do you intend to do with the data? Are you looking for proof of concept? Is it how many products you can expect to sell in a specific range of prices? Answering these kinds of questions will help determine the correct study methodology, determine the level of survey detail, and impact the appropriate number of participants, all of which dramatically impact project cost.
If your project is a simple satisfaction survey, you may only need to engage a participant for less than 5 minutes in a survey. If you are looking for design guidance, proof of concept testing, or other more detailed feedback, you may need to speak to participants for up to several hours. Since one of the factors that influences respondent incentives is the amount of time spent on your study, the longer you speak to participants the greater the cost will be.
How many people do you need to speak to?
Typically, the larger the sample size the greater the cost. In order to make preference decisions, you should have statistically significant results. This means that a larger group is needed to rule out random selection. However, in certain cases, you may not need to speak to many respondents. For example:
- Ideation sessions on potential services, features, etc.
- Design iteration
- Proof of concept testing
- Product innovation
These cases often call for qualitative research where the benefit is to have a smaller number of respondents engaged in a discussion who can bounce ideas off of one another, and potentially create new avenues and topics to explore.
How do I complete my research project?
This may the easiest question to answer. Contact The Stevenson Company to discuss the best way to implement your project. If you’re not sure how to be certain we’re the right choice for you, you can also check out our ultimate guide to selecting a research partner. Feel free to ask us your questions, we’re ready to consult with you today!
Majority of American Consumers Feel Comfortable With Smart Home
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAJORITY OF AMERICAN CONSUMERS FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH SMART HOME
56% of American consumer report feeling extremely or very comfortable with smart home products.
LOUISVILLE, Ky (February 13, 2019)—Internet connected homes have gone beyond niche early adopters, with the majority (56%) Americans feeling comfortable with IoT technology. In TraQline’s inaugural Smart Home survey, 69% of household reported owning a smart product. Further, 35% of consumers reported having bought a smart product within the past six months. TraQline’s Smart Home survey covers not only penetration and purchase of smart home products, but the usage and attitudes of consumers—including who’s using the products and how often.
“Of the 2,045 households surveyed, nearly 70% owned a smart home product. For those smart products owned, over 60% of the time consumers are extremely interested or very interested in buying another,” says Brennan Callahan, a director of National Accounts for TraQline, “This shows the value consumers place on the convenience of smart home products”
Other takeaways from this recent survey include:
- The top three factors that influence a consumer’s smart product purchase are Price (68%), Ease of Use (50%), and Security concerns (37%).
- 39% of consumers surveyed indicate that they plan to purchase a smart thermostat within the next six months (44% intend to purchase a smart home security camera).
- 40% of smart products are used two or more times a day.
TraQline Smarthome provides additional usage and attitudes for 27 different categories, measuring attributes such as: why people purchase, who in household uses smart functions, type of devices controlled by Alexa and Google, importance of smart home features, features desired, and more.
About TraQline
Syndicated by The Stevenson Company, the TraQline™ suite of market data delivers improved market intelligence for US retailers and manufacturers. TraQline™ launched its Smart Home survey in November 2018 to capture consumer purchases and usage/attitudes of smart home products. When combined with 300,000 TraQline US respondents, this bi-annual survey is the largest of its kind.
TraQline’s syndicated survey solutions provide consumer market research and insights that can be customized based on the individual needs of the retailers and manufacturers. For more information, please visit http://www.traqline.com or follow us on Twitter (@TraQline) for updates on our products and consumer trends.
For more information, contact Eric Voyer: 502-271-5267 or ericv@traqline.com.
Statistical Testing: 6 Questions You Need To Ask First
Statistics plays an important role in research projects: without them, you may be making decisions based off the roll of the dice. The more in-depth you go with statistics and data, the more confusing it can seem. It’s easy to make mistakes without ever realizing it. If you don’t already have that PhD in Statistics, we’ve got a few questions you should consider when thinking about data and statistical testing, whether from your own research or something your competitor has published:
1. Do you understand the difference between correlation and causation?
The classic example used to explain the difference between correlation and causation is that as ice cream sales increase, so do shark attacks. Therefore, ice cream sales must cause shark attacks! Thankfully for ice cream lovers everywhere, this is a case where correlation does not equal causation. Correlation describes the size and direction of a relationship between two variables (the ice cream sales and shark attack rates in our example). Causation indicates that one is the result of the other.
In more practical terms, if you see your sales go up when you lower your price, you have a correlation between your sales and your price. But lowering the price may not have caused the sales increase. Other factors that could have contributed include:
- Seasonality: Is this a time of year when your sales increase anyway? (such as in the example of shark attacks and ice cream sales)
- Competition: Did competitive actions impact your sales?
- Product: Did you introduce a new product with new features?
The point: If you see correlation, make sure you look at the bigger picture before assuming causation.
2. Are you using the right terminology?
Describing results in stats testing is one case where being nit-picky about word choice is important. For example, if a measure in your research goes from 5% to 10%, that is a 5 percentage point increase, not a 5 percent increase. The latter is often incorrectly cited in research (for the record—this is actually a 100% increase). Being exact is necessary when describing data and trends, so that you can make informed decisions based on your research.
The point: Using the right terminology will allow researchers and non-researchers alike to more objectively understand the results.
3. Are you overdoing the stats analysis?
It’s tempting to do every analysis you can think of with your data. You want to be thorough and make sure you extract every last detail from the numbers.
Sometimes those additional analyses are completely unnecessary. Often, simple cross tabs can provide all the insights you need to make a confident decision. Think of it this way: review your objectives for the research. If analyzing cross tabs provides answers to all your on-going questions, then you likely don't need to go any further by delving into more complex statistics.
The Point: Spending time on additional, unnecessary multivariate analyses can prolong your timeline and add additional costs that don’t give you any extra benefits.
4. How large is the denominator?
You may see brands claiming things like, “It’s the fastest growing brand in the market”. While probably true, statements like that can be very misleading. For example, if a brand had 1% share and increased to 2%, that would be a 100% increase—which could make it the fastest growing brand, but only because it started with such a small share. That large increase is due to the denominator in the calculation being so small (1% in the example: 2%/1% = 100%). The claim sounds great and is technically correct. However, the brand still only has a 2% share, which doesn’t exactly make it a major player.
The Point: Statistics can be used to manipulate takeaways. Don't fall into this trap. Use stats transparently and honestly and your results will be replicable and reputable.
5. What’s the confidence level vs. sample size?
One question our team is frequently asked is “What sample size is statistically significant?”
As your sample size increases, the stat testing will become more sensitive- smaller differences between two scores will be significant.
Technically, you can get statistical significance at almost any sample size. However, to determine the sample size you need when measuring share of preference, you need to ask two specific questions:
- What confidence level do you want? (95% and 90% confidence levels are the most commonly used)
- What size difference in two data points do you expect to be or want to be statistically different
Confidence level: Confidence level can be defined as the repeatability of the experiment. In plain English: at a 95% confidence level, for every 100 times you complete the experiment, you will receive the same results 95 times. As your confidence level decreases, you need smaller differences for statistical significance because the criteria relax somewhat.
Put into practice, at a 95% level of confidence with a sample size of 100, you need a difference of around 10 points for a significant difference between two market share numbers*. With a sample size of 200 and the same level of confidence, there only needs to be a difference of about 7 points. However, there is a level of diminishing returns with sample size. Past a sample of 500 or so, your gains in sensitivity become very small.
Size difference: When you’re basing you study size on a necessary confidence level, it’s important to make an assumption about how close the preference levels may be. Using our example above, you can see that if you expect preference between two brands to be only 7 points, a sample size of 100 will not yield significant results at 95%. Guessing at the share difference isn’t always easy, so it may be best to consult with a statistician to determine the trade-offs between sample size, cost, and significance.
*The exact difference needed varies depending on the actual numbers, but that's a stat lesson for another day. To further drive home the complexity: the difference needed to determine statistical significance can vary depending on the exact question.
The point: When you’re deciding on a sample size, the correct number for your study will become a question of how much sensitivity you want versus how much of your budget is allotted for paying for sample.
6. Which tests are you using?
T-test. ANOVA. Chi-square. 1-tail. 2-tail. Independent samples…there are numerous options when it comes to statistical testing. With so many choices, it’s easy to feel uncertain when you’re doing all the testing yourself. Partnering with a research supplier often means that there is a statistician on hand who can help guide you through your options. While we’re not going to go in-depth to explain these different tests now, you can look forward to another stats lesson in a future post.
There is a lot that goes into interpreting statistics and data from market research. While it may feel overwhelming, you usually don’t have to have a PhD Statistician like we do to understand everything. Remember: Keeping it simple will often give you most of the data you’re looking for. If you do need more in-depth analysis, partnering with the Stevenson Company’s analysts will offer a free consultation and give you the additional resources and support you need to make informed decisions. Are there other parts of statistical analysis that are confusing you? Shoot us an email and we can help point you in the right direction.
Six Times You Might Want to Choose A Research Supplier
SurveyMonkey can be a quick and inexpensive vehicle for research projects. What’s more is they’ve done a fantastic job of building out tools you need to both acquire respondents and analyze the data they give you. They’ve even provided robust tutorials for neophytes who are planning their first projects. That said, there are times when it may not be the right fit for your project. We’ve outlined a few situations where partnering with a research provider may be optimal for your situation:
1) You might not have any previous experience with surveys and/or research
When creating a survey on SurveyMonkey, you are the survey writer. And writing an effective survey, even a simple one, takes practice. Tips for writing clear surveys abound (including on our own site!), and the more you practice, the better you’ll become. Make sure you write your questions and have someone read them over to ensure they aren’t misleading or fall into some other common traps. If you’ve never written a survey before, it may be safer to use an experienced research supplier. Otherwise, you may be making costly mistakes without realizing it.
2) You have a very specific and hard-to-find target
Between deciding what your niche is and finding your niche, reaching the right audience can be difficult. The narrower in scope your research sample target is, the lower your effective sampling incidence becomes. SurveyMonkey is one panel. While it does have tools for reaching a target audience, depending on how specialized your target is, they may have difficulty finding your target and helping you hit your goals. This can have implications for both cost and basic feasibility. For example, you may need feedback from recent purchasers of your product. But if your product has a purchase cycle that is years in length, something like major appliances or automobiles, finding recent purchasers will be more difficult. Working with an experienced research supplier can help mitigate any frustration, as they’re accustomed to this and have solutions. They’re more likely to be effective at finding your specific sample target.
Additionally, a research supplier can help you think more broadly about who your actual sample target is. For example, an appliance manufacturer may be introducing a new line of high-end appliances. The most obvious target is current owners of high-end appliances. However, there may be other targets/other way to think about targets. You may want to interview owners of mid-tier appliances who are looking to upgrade. Or you may want to talk to people building new homes who will need to furnish their entire kitchens. As before, research suppliers can help identify and find these alternate, but potentially important sample targets.
3) Your study is a B2B Study
Finding and getting responses from professionals for your survey is much more difficult than your standard consumer survey. As in the example of finding narrow consumer samples above, a research supplier will have professionals they can access for surveys, and know how to incent them to respond.
4) Your survey is long and/or complex
It’s critical to keep a respondent engaged while they’re taking your survey, especially if the survey is long. You can’t list question after question and expect the respondent to stay focused and give thoughtful answers. It takes skill to craft a survey that is as engaging on its last question as it was on its first.
Additionally, you may be planning intense statistical analysis. Questions designed for studies that utilize conjoints or MaxDiff questioning are difficult to write well and are also tricky to program. Your research supplier will be an expert at survey writing and ensure the appropriate handling of your survey regardless of length or complexity.
5) Your back-end statistical analysis is complex
The statistical analyses offered by services like SurveyMonkey will suit the needs of simple surveys. However, if you need a more robust analysis on the back end, this can be difficult if you’re not already an accomplished statistician. You could take a stats class to learn how to do multivariate analyses such as conjoints, MaxDiffs, regressions, or factor or cluster analyses, but is that the best use of your time? A research supplier will have statisticians on staff specifically to help with these in-depth analyses.
6) You simply don’t have the time to do it all yourself
Developing a survey, analyzing its results, and writing reports on those results take time—sometimes more than you initially anticipated. This can be especially true if you’re new to the process. You need to be realistic about resources, and whether you’ll have the time to devote to fully running a research project. Don’t forget, your time is valuable as well. If you weigh the opportunity costs, you may find that your time is better spent working on other tasks while a trusted research supplier runs your project.
In the end, SurveyMonkey is an excellent tool for basic research. If you’ve already got some survey writing experience, aren’t planning any complex statistical analyses, and have the time to dedicate to the reporting, SurveyMonkey will help you plan your research at a reasonable cost. If you need to go above and beyond, reaching out to a trusted research partner like The Stevenson Company will help you achieve those complex goals. Want to know whether your project would benefit from having a research supplier? Contact us today and we’ll help you determine what’s best for your project!
Consumer Loyalty High For OPE Repair Parts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONSUMER LOYALTY HIGH FOR OPE REPAIR PARTS
While brands like Stihl and WORX inspire loyalty, others have room to grow.
LOUISVILLE, Ky (November 30, 2018)—According to TraQline’s most recent Maintenance and Replacement Parts™ (MRP) survey, on average 35% of people who own a specific brand of OPE product will buy replacement parts or products that are the same brand as the OPE product. The survey, which tracks purchasing and consumer behavior for upkeep of outdoor power equipment products, also revealed which brands are more likely to inspire consumer loyalty than others. For example, more than half of consumers who are purchasing replacement parts for a WORX or Stihl branded OPE will choose that brand for the replacement or maintenance product as well.
“We’ve seen some brands that have inspired consumer loyalty,” says David Garcia, a Director of National Accounts for TraQline™, “However, while third party brands are doing well with most products, the majority of OEMs have ample opportunity to increase loyalty to their respective brands.”
Other takeaways from this recent survey include:
- Replacement and maintenance parts are most frequently bought for mowers (both walk-behind and zero turn/riding), and least frequently bought for hedge trimmers and snow throwers
- The most commonly purchased repair and maintenance parts are oil and spark plugs for lawn mowers, trimmer lines for line/string trimmers, and chains for chain saws.
- About 16% of consumers don’t know the brand name of the replacement parts they purchased.
About TraQline
TraQline™ delivers improved market intelligence for US retailers and manufacturers. TraQline™ launched its Maintenance and Repair Parts (MRP) survey in January 2018 to capture consumer purchases of OPE maintenance and replacement parts in retail stores. Its syndicated survey solutions provide consumer market research and insights that can be customized based on the individual needs of the retailers and manufacturers. For more information, please visit http://www.traqline.com, or follow us on Twitter (@TraQline) for updates on our products and consumer trends.
For more information, contact Eric Voyer: 502-271-5267 or ericv@traqline.com.
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8 Tips For Writing A Questionnaire
When writing a survey, the goal is to make it as easy as possible for your respondents to give you accurate information. If your respondents are confused or frustrated, you won’t be able to collect information that you can act on. With more than 75 years combined experience in writing surveys, the Custom Research team has highlighted their top tips for writing an understandable questionnaire that will get you actionable data:
Ask only one question at a time
You want to get as much information as possible from your respondents, and it’s easy to be tempted to cram a lot into each question. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to determine what the respondent is actually saying. If a restaurant’s questionnaire asks “Rate your server’s friendliness and efficiency on a scale of 1-10,” there’s no way of knowing if the respondent’s rating correlates with “friendliness” or “efficiency”. Asking two separate questions, “Rate your server’s friendliness...” and “Rate your server’s efficiency…” will give you a more accurate understanding of the traits you’re seeking to measure.
Use easy-to-understand language
It’s tempting to use technical jargon when writing questions- after all, this is your product or service that you’re writing about, so you have a deeper familiarity with it than a potential survey respondent. However, while this may be perfectly clear to you, respondents may be puzzled. When you write survey questions, it’s best to be as simple and clear as possible. If you’re not certain that your question is easily understandable, ask an outsider! Consider asking a friend or family member (or even a coworker unfamiliar with your product or service) the question to make sure they understand it.
Don’t lead the witness
Make sure you’re not asking questions that inadvertently suggest what sort of answer you want to receive from the respondent. For example, you should avoid phrases like “Most people say… Do you agree?” or “Wouldn’t you say that…” This type of phrasing encourages respondents to answer in certain ways, regardless of what their true opinion is.
Don’t give away the answer
Sometimes you’ll need to ask both open ended (respondents answer with their own thoughts) and closed ended (respondents react to specific ideas/statements you provide) questions about a topic. In those cases, make sure the open-ended questions are asked first. For example, suppose you want to know what’s important to consumers when they’re shopping for your type of product. First, ask them the question and allow them to respond with whatever comes to mind (this would be the “open-ended” question). You could follow up with a closed-ended question asking them to select qualities that might be important to them from a list you provide. By asking the open-ended version of the question first, you’re ensuring that you’re getting qualities that are top-of-mind for the respondents. If you’d asked the closed-ended version first, they may just be repeating the qualities that you listed, without mentioning what’s truly important to them.
Make it easy for them to be honest
It’s important to keep your identity under wraps when conducting a survey. You want honest opinions on your products and services, so you need respondents to remain unbiased. If respondents know that this is your survey, one of two things could happen:
- Respondents may be “nicer” than they would otherwise be, so as not to seem mean OR
- Respondents may be even harsher than usual, as a way to “get back” at you over negative past experiences. (Not that this feedback isn’t important, it’s just more valuable when the respondent doesn’t have an ulterior motive)
In both cases, you’re not getting an accurate reflection of the respondent’s views. One way to camouflage your own involvement and get honest responses is to ask questions about your competition in addition to your own products. Not only do you get useful competitive information, it makes it harder for respondents to discern who created the survey (which is much easier for them to do if your product or service is the only one being asked about).
Try and keep your scales consistent
The types of questions you’re asking will generally help you determine what kind of scales to use. Depending on the questions, you will need to consider:
- Scale Polarity
- bi-polar (have a middle/neutral response with positive and negative options on either side)
- unipolar (responses are all positive to different degrees)
- Number of options
- 5, 7, or 10 options are typical
- Even number of options (forces a positive or negative response) vs. odd number of options (allows for a neutral response)
By keeping scales consistent (i.e.; a bi-polar scale with 5 options) as much as possible, you’ll make things easier for the respondent, which in turns means you’ll receive more accurate responses from them. When the scales are similar across the board, the respondent quickly gets familiar with the task, and can answer questions confidently. If each question has different scales, the respondent will constantly have to “relearn” the task, which is frustrating at best and confusing at worst—and could lead to less accurate responses.
Randomization and Rotation
As we mentioned with setting up the order of open-ended and closed-ended questions, the very order of questions in your survey can introduce bias. One of the ways to avoid that is to randomize and rotate the order that questions appear to different respondents. With a list of attributes, randomize the order for each respondent—though the list should appear in that same order for the respondent every time in order to minimize confusion. This way that over the course of getting all the completed surveys, each attribute will have opportunities to appear at the beginning, middle, and end of lists. If you’re evaluating multiple stimuli, such as two brands or concepts, rotate the order in which they appear in the survey. For example, half of the respondents may see Option A followed by Option B, while the other half see Option B followed by Option A. (As a side note, don’t go back and forth between options with your questions. Ask all your questions for Option A and then move onto Option B. This allows respondents to keep their focus on a particular option.) Methods like randomization and rotation help eliminate the inherent bias that’s introduced if everything is always shown in the exact same order
Make sure your answers are mutually exclusive
If the same answer appears in two options in a question, it will confuse the respondent and result in data errors. For example, suppose you want to know how much someone spends each week on groceries. The respondent wants to answer $50. If you use this scale:
- $0-$50
- $50-$100
- $100-$200
- More than $200
The respondent won’t be sure which option to check since each of that amount appears in 2 different places. By slightly adjusting your scale to:
- Less than $50
- $50-$100
- $101-$200
- More than $200
You’ve solved the problem and made it easier for the respondent to give you an accurate answer.
Ultimately, the quality of the data you collect will only be as good as the effectiveness of the survey you use. As a final tip, once you have written and programmed your survey be sure and test it yourself and with others. This will confirm it is working the way you envisioned and provide reassurance regarding the data you are gathering.
Need help writing your survey? The Stevenson Company’s experts can give you an unbiased view of your survey. Our experts have decades of experience writing, implementing, and analyzing surveys. Contact us today for your free consultation.
Kenmore is the Diamond in the Rough for Sears
In its heyday, the Kenmore brand once commanded the largest share of major appliance sales. However, Sears, Kenmore's parent retailer, last had a profitable year in 2010. At the beginning of its steady decline beginning in 2009, Kenmore’s share was 20%. Today, it holds just over 10% of the market share. Recent reports of Sears’ CEO Eddie Lampert offering to buy the brand name and Amazon’s deal to sell the brand on their site, have further increased speculation of a brand which is gasping for air. However, these are signs that Eddie Lampert may know what many people do not - that there is evidence that indicates that Kenmore is still holding on to some of its cultural currency, especially with regards to loyalty.
Kenmore Market Share and Shopping is Down
Currently, nearly 70% of Kenmore’s product mix is made up of three products: refrigerators, washers, and dryers. In fact, dryers recently saw 3 quarters of significant year over year growth before stabilizing in Q1 2018.
In the last three years, the market has been in a give and take with manufacturers like GE, Electrolux, and Whirlpool, while Korean Appliance manufacturers Samsung and LG have gained share (6% combined share gain from 2015 to present). Conversely, Kenmore's brand share for major appliances has fallen significantly each quarter, but still holds 10% of the market (units sold in Q2 2018).
With Kenmore being a cornerstone of the Sears Appliance store, the closing of Sears stores across the nation (78 more closings in September) has taken its toll on the percentage of people shopping the Kenmore brand (online or brick and mortar). This percent of shoppers, once in parity (or above) all other brands now rests at 17% for the most recent quarter – well below its primary competitors.
A Case for Kenmore and Brand Loyalty
Despite fewer people shopping for the brand, Kenmore still consistently closes its sales with more than half of the people who shop it. In fact, Kenmore’s close rates surpass both Samsung & LG, though it’s still slightly lower than brands like Whirlpool, General Electric, or Frigidaire.
Kenmore’s value to its loyal customers remains high. 51% of Kenmore buyers are replacing an appliance of the same brand. Despite Sears outlets fading, more than half of all Kenmore buyers only shopped the one brand. That puts them nearly 10% ahead of those who only shopped for Samsung and slightly ahead of Whirlpool, GE, and Maytag for buyers who only shopped one brand.
In addition to inspiring loyalty, consumers who buy Kenmore feel that they’re getting good value for their money. When asked about why they chose to buy Kenmore, customers cite Kenmore’s good brand name as frequently as those who buy Whirlpool or GE. They’re also more likely to cite having previously owned the brand than those who purchased other brands. The competitive pricing on Kenmore’s products also endears them to consumers. With an average price of $649 for major appliances, Kenmore is on the lower end of average prices for appliances. But the lower average prices don’t make consumers feel that they aren’t buying a quality product. In TraQline’s surveys, consumers buying Kenmore indicate that the quality of the product influences their choice as often as those who buy GE or Whirlpool.
The Future of Kenmore | Market Research Data
Sears has had a rough time lately, but there is still value in its in-house appliance brand. Kenmore major appliances may not occupy the same cultural cachet they once had, but they’re still relevant in the market. In fact, with their recent alliance with Amazon, Kenmore appliances are more likely to be bought online as compared to major appliances as a whole (17% for Kenmore vs 15% for the market, per TraQline market research data in the R4Q June 2018). By making inroads with loyal demographics and expanding their availability through e-commerce alliances like the one they’ve developed with Amazon, they can continue to reach consumers.
TraQline keeps you in the know about the appliance industry with detailed market trends and consumer insight. Use this industry insight to access the data you need to reach your target market and make informed business decisions surrounding the latest trends. Contact the industry research experts at TraQline to get started today.
What Takes a Research Supplier's Report From Good to Great
At the end of a study, you’ve ideally been given a report that is both thoughtful and full of actionable insights. Depending on your past experiences with research suppliers, you might not be familiar with the hallmarks that separate a good report from a great report. Here, we’re outlining the steps we take to ensure that our own clients receive optimal reports that allow them to achieve their business goals.
The report tells a logical, comprehensive story
When surveys are written, they’re designed to flow logically for the person taking the survey. This flow helps respondents understand and answer questions accurately. However, this doesn’t mean that the report should follow the survey’s flow. Instead, the report should address the objectives and answer the key questions around which you’re basing your decisions. On The Stevenson Company’s end, we use the report as a story to tell the reader what we’ve learned while conducting the study.
There aren’t too many pages
We call it “research by the pound” - many people associate a long report with a better report. While being thorough is important, trudging through a data dump is counter-productive. Instead, a focus on answering the questions that will help you make your decisions should be the main section of the report. Data that’s been gathered that isn’t as vital to your decision-making process is included in an appendix. Using this layout ensures our reports have the most important information and action items in the main section of the report, but all the data is available in an appendix to anyone who wants to dive into the minutia of the study.
The charts and tables are understandable
Tables and charts are sometimes accused of being too esoteric to easily understand. It’s easy to get lost in overstuffed tables and lose sight of the really important information. The research team at The Stevenson Company believes that the key data in reports should practically leap off the page. Overstuffed graphics can cause readers to glaze over and lose focus, but a well-placed infographic or fine-tuned table can help readers visualize the data more easily. Save the heavy-duty tables for the appendix.
The key information is at the top of the page
All too often, the first thing at the top of a page in the report will be the title of a chart, or the question name. While this information is important, it’s better positioned a little further down the page. Instead, our research team puts a statement or bullet point that summarizes the key findings from that page. This way, the reader will still be able to absorb the most important information even when just skimming the report. The more detailed data will still be available for when they have the time or inclination to read it.
The executive summary is effective
At The Stevenson Company, we believe that a good executive summary does two things-
- It presents all the key learnings from the study without being too long. If someone only reads the executive summary and doesn’t look any further, they’ll still have a strong grasp of what the study learned.
- It includes both implications and recommendations. The results should provide you with actionable data, and the executive summary should list those recommended action steps.
After reading the executive summary, you may not agree with all the recommendations that your supplier makes. You’ve got insights into your business that your supplier doesn’t have. On the other hand, they have an outside perspective that just might prove valuable from a consumer’s perspective. Regardless, the suggestions and implications should give you food for thought as you consider what actions to take after completing the study.
A lot of time, care, and effort goes into creating the deliverables that you receive at the end of a study. Every research provider will have a unique take on what they feel is most important. The Stevenson Company feels that taking steps to ensure that the deliverable is logical, easy to follow, and actionable helps improve your experience.