With over 30 years of experience, REAL Insight has led projects across a variety of industries that successfully identified consumer behavior and expectations, helping CPG companies, retailers, and other clients understand how consumers act in a variety of contexts.
The Say-Do Gap is real. I used to think it was all about whether people were being honest about their behavior—but now I realize it’s more about how unaware we actually are of what we do. And that gap gets even wider when we try to predict what we would do in the future. More…
Introduction Every package—sustainable or not—needs to nail three key functions to be effective: When considering sustainable packaging, if the design doesn’t meet these goals, it doesn’t matter how sustainable the offering is: it’s missed the point entirely. Protect The most sustainable packaging is the one that actually keeps a product intact until it is used. When products…
Back to Nature Redesigns that represent a major departure are always a watch-out for us, but the true risk is completely related to who the brand is and what the objectives are for the redesign. If you are a strong brand with specific equities that mean something to shoppers, you will want to tread carefully.…
Watching video footage of panel-recruited respondents “shopping” in a recent conference presentation reminded me of the unfortunate truth that for all the benefits of operational efficiency, there is a significant cost of respondent re-use: data validity. I could tell the behavior shown wasn’t “real”, even though it was captured in a real store. A few…
In my non-profit board work, I have been learning a lot about fundraising best practices and the need to build strong, long-term relationships. In sales training, I have been learning the same. Relationships make life better, but the challenge is that, as humans, our capacity—and willingness—to nurture them is limited. This fact is super relevant…
Our industry thinks a lot about qualitative vs. quantitative, but is that the right focus? More often, it is more important to focus on the quality of the methods. Quality that reflects validity should be table stakes in our industry, but it isn’t. Moving quickly in the wrong direction doesn’t build brands or unlock growth. …
Part of the human condition is the inconsistency between what we say we want to do and what we actually do. It both makes us who we are, and frustrates parents, partners, policy makers, teachers, coaches, and marketers. This is especially true in matters concerning sustainability. We want a healthy planet, but there are friction points…
Prior to the pandemic, we were spoiled by in-store design research that gave us the depth to understand the “whys and hows” and deliver actionable consumer insights to our clients. We know the value and authenticity that being in-store provides, so when the pandemic hit and we needed to innovate, we had very high standards…
Think about the products in your home and how you use them. What do you do when those items have no other purpose? Or when you have consumed them? A huge challenge in the sustainability space centers around what happens to a product and its package when it reaches the end of its life cycle. But…
Holidays are a unique time for shoppers. Habits change for a short time, and consumers tend to feel more empowered to make less socially permissible purchases or to splurge on things they normally would not consider purchasing. Be it Halloween, Valentine's Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, or Fourth of July, expectations change around the major holidays of the year.…