It should be stated
right off the bat that the team at Accelerant Research has enormous
appreciation for quantitative segmentation research. We LOVE conducting these sophisticated
quantitative research studies for our full-service clients which result
in elegant, highly targetable, easily digestible segments of the target
customer population. Large-scale
segmentation studies have a long shelf life, internally, and provide a ton of
strategic value to organizations. However,
in our role as white-glove qualitative research recruiters we’ve noticed
a disturbing trend in the insights industry when it comes to blindly relying on
segmentation algorithms to identify segment members for participating in focus
groups or other qualitative research studies.
For those with less
experience in such research studies, a segmentation algorithm is a shortened,
summary version of the larger-scale segmentation results, which can be inserted
into future screening questionnaires to identify customer segmentations among
the survey population. The segmentation
algorithm is a fantastic, on-the-fly means to identify segment members, which
can be used in a plug-and-play fashion for future quantitative surveys. However, using these algorithms for
qualitative research is not so simple.
Often, we are handed
a segmentation typing tool to use during our recruiting process in order to
identify members of a given segment, but if we rely solely on this quantitative
type of assessment, clients are often disappointed when individual recruits
don’t behave in their interview as a member of their segment is expected to
behave. Segmentation output is very
elegant and strategically impactful, but the individual data points that
comprise your segments are messy. The
final segmentation analysis is based on hundreds or even thousands of cases,
which is what makes them so powerful.
However, when you deconstruct the segmentation and go back to look at
individual survey participants, the results are far less clear – sometimes a
small shift in a survey response (e.g., selecting 6 instead of 8 on a 10-point
survey scale) can jettison a research participant from one segment to another. When recruiting participants for qualitative
research, we’re right back to that messy, individual-level assessment of
participants’ “fit” with a given segment.
As such, relying strictly on a segmentation algorithm or typing tool to
definitively define these segment members for qualitative research can be a
recipe for disaster.
If we’re not careful,
this can lead to an awkward disconnect in the backroom of a focus group
facility, where participants are correctly segmented based on the algorithm,
but in their interview, they say and do things that make them sound like they
should be members of a different segment.
What can be a simple
and highly effective tool in bringing your segments to life is sharing the
segment profiles with your qualitative recruiters, in addition to the typing
tool algorithm. What these profiles do
is allow us to focus on recruiting participants that behave like the segment
should, rather than blindly recruiting into a segment without the benefit of
such context. When we use the
segmentation algorithm as a starting point of identifying segment membership,
and the segment profile information for refinement, we create a powerful
one-two punch that ensures research participants who sit down for qualitative
interviews are exactly the right audience. This type of recruiting rigor requires
partnership between Accelerant’s recruiting team and the client to make sure
these details are communicated properly, but when that partnership is in place,
it makes for a fantastic client experience at the end of the day.
The consultative
partnership described above is just one example of Accelerant’s approach to
service that we take on each qualitative recruiting project (i.e., we sweat the
details). We invite you to request a
cost estimate from us as a first step and experience the difference that we
provide for yourself. Simply give us a
call (704-206-8500) or send us an email (info@accelerantresearch.com).
