The Problem
Serving to folks perceive the distinction between why customers say issues however don’t do them is a vital a part of the job for a researcher. The restrictions of “say” analysis have to be understood and used appropriately with “do” metrics
The prevalence of digital buyer journeys has supplied a lot information on the journey between a said intention to trial or buy a product (Consideration) and a sale (product bought). Objects like webpage landings, product enquires, functions and in the end utilization fill within the blanks between intent (say) and motion (do).
Whereas most researchers perceive the distinction between the measures of say and do, most businesspeople (purchasers) don’t. Sadly, I believe this has led to the worth of researchers and analysis to be undermined.
The straightforward logic used to evaluate the worth of analysis is that it’s thought that researchers ask folks what they suppose and can do, in survey or in qualitative analysis. There’s a perception that researchers do no evaluation or screening of say versus do of their evaluation. The media narrative on latest debates about political poling and election outcomes in recent times or the cynicism about “focus teams” reinforces this view.
Sadly, this notion could be strengthened by just a few issues similar to when researchers are requested to have a look at a specific difficulty and so they solely have entry to survey metrics & qual analysis whereas a unique sort of data employee e.g., an information analyst has entry to inside behavioral information. Function sorts and differential entry to information property could make synthesis of outcomes troublesome in giant organizations.
It’s for these causes that I at all times speak about analysis as being proof based mostly, as a result of proof can are available in all totally different varieties and modalities, and researchers ought to peer by means of the lens of all information sorts in understanding a difficulty. There may be hardly ever one unbiased supply.
It additionally worthwhile highlighting whereas metrics like said intention (say) and gross sales (do) differ. Folks appear to anticipate them to say the identical factor however as a researcher I’m stunned by that.
Whereas I anticipate finding a generalizable fact within the information, I don’t anticipate that say and do metrics will recommend the identical end result on a regular basis. So as clarify why they might not say the identical factor, one wants a framework to do that.
The Conduct Change Wheel – The COM-B Mannequin
An important framework for understanding the say-do hole is the COM-B Mannequin, The Conduct Change Wheel. The COM-B mannequin is a synthesis of 83 habits change frameworks from the literature into one mannequin. It was initially designed for well being sciences & public well being with the aim of attempting to enhance folks’s preventative well being habits.
It’s software to the say-do downside is twofold. The three most important dimensions of the mannequin, Functionality, Alternative & Motivation present explanation why say might not translate into do. The second Use case follows on from that in designing interventions to encourage totally different behaviors. I’ve used this mannequin a number of instances to clarify why folks might not behave a sure method in a selected context and timeframe.
The three dimensions of the COM-B could be additional dealer down:
- Alternative consists of the environmental context & sources and social influences.
- Functionality consists of data, cognitive & interpersonal expertise, reminiscence, consideration & determination processes, and behavioral regulation.
- Motivation consists of reinforcement, emotion, Social & skilled identification, beliefs about penalties, optimism, intentions, and targets.
Fascinated with a scenario the place I typically see a distinction between say and do are the place the model & advertising metrics similar to path intention (consideration), ad-recall and advertising exercise might have elevated or declined, and product adoption (gross sales) may not behave because the advertising metrics might recommend. How have I discovered The Com-B mannequin helpful to clarify the distinction?
By way of Alternative numerous path intention metrics are requested of everybody, and even those who point out they possibly in marketplace for a brand new product. Completely different merchandise have totally different buy cycles. In banking for instance, folks have a tendency to buy a brand new product on common each 4-5 years, that means that Consideration is being measured in a bunch a lot bigger those that are in market to buy.
Additional, if the shopper is being suggested by one other particular person their enter into the choice is influenced by others. In Australia for instance, Mortgage Brokers assist roughly 60% of all new house mortgage candidates discover a house mortgage, up from roughly 40% 10 years prior, highlighting the relevance of recommendation and different influences. Folks don’t ring their dealer when the fill out a survey!
Alternative can be related to the vendor. I do know not too long ago due to COVID associated provide chain points many individuals to tried to buy items and companies solely to seek out the order couldn’t be crammed in an affordable timeframe.
Within the case Functionality, realizing a couple of specific product supply could be difficult. Most advertising campaigns, even profitable campaigns have ranges of efficient attain of between 30-60% relying on measurement of the marketing campaign and relevance of the supply highlighting many individuals have no idea a couple of specific supply.
If the product or supply is predominately bought in digital channels, there may be nonetheless a big group of people that want to use different channels for a variety of causes.
Choice making processes and cognitive expertise are additionally related, in lots of classes the quantity of knowledge accessible to analyse in order customers could make selections, even from a restricted set of manufacturers could be advanced and time consuming. This time and complexity are normally the explanation shopper might outsource the choice and take a suggestion from product selection web site or simply take probably the most handy selection.
One of many ironies of digital buy environments is that whereas salespeople are taken out of the method through automation and product data, typically customers admire it if an individual can advise the shopper and make the method simple.
Motivation can be related to buying choices. Usually an incentive motivates somebody to behave allows the choice to enter the market and buy and nicely as affect the selection away from what might have been within the authentic “consideration set” of manufacturers.
Of observe is that for a lot of of those dimensions, I’ve normally been capable of finding proof to help these totally different dimensions in qualitative analysis on buyer journeys typically generally present in venture archives. Additional I’ve normally discovered quantitative information factors accessible to confirm these dimensions as supporting proof as to why metrics on say versus do might not align.
Extra importantly, the evaluation results in a higher understanding of the acquisition journey and might unite numerous components of a enterprise (Advertising and marketing, Product & Channel) who typically have totally different reference information sources, to unravel friction within the buyer expertise and assist place the position of analysis in any venture or firm.
