SHOPPING ETHNOGRAPHY

5 Reasons to get out of the lab and into the field (and how to do it)
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1.Users are in their natural environment

‣ Observe users in context
‣ IN LAB... users are remove from their environment and place into an area that
does not reproduce the same mindset as a natural setting

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 2

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2. External factors can influence behavior

‣ External factors include: co-shoppers, contextual dynamics, situational, mood

‣ IN LAB... these factors do not exists, cannot see the full customer experience

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 3

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3. Identify the “real” user

‣ “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different
things...” - Margaret Mead (Anthropologist)

‣ IN LAB... users are asked to recall or predict their actions, and does not accurately
judge what they did or will do

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 4

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4. Follow the story lines

‣ Researchers can see the whole customer journey (entering store to point of sale)
‣ IN LAB... one hour sessions lead to incomplete fragments of the users’
experience

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 5

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5. Project team immerses in the user setting

‣ Walk a mile in the users’s shoe to better understand how customers shop your brand

‣ IN LAB... project team sits behind a mirror (no direct interaction with participant)

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 6

... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

1.DEFINE what you want to observe (objectives/goals)

2. CHOOSE who you will observe
3. IDENTIFY which approach works best
4. OBSERVE
5. ANALYZE findings
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

1.DEFINE what you want to observe

‣ What are your objectives and goals?

‣ Keep it broad, but focused so it can allow you to make newinsightful

discoveries

‣ Example: If you sell coffee; observe spaces where people consume coffee (cafes, on
the streets, in the office) and look at the role coffee consumption plays in the users’
lives

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 8

... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

2. CHOOSE who you will observe

‣ Who’s perspective do you want to understand?

‣ Example:

‣ Gen Y and their mobileaddiction

‣ First time parents and baby shopping

‣ Patients waiting in hospitals

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 9

... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

3. IDENTIFY which approach works best

IN-STORE
OBSERVATIONS
Unobtrusively observe customers as
they browse, and purchase – see the
entire shopping experience
INTERCEPTS SHOP-ALONGS
Interview customers after the point of Researcher shops alongside actual
purchase - understand motivations customer (shopper can be recruited
behind purchase decisions in advance or on site)

Researcher: Researcher: Researcher:

‣ Do not talk to shoppers
‣ “Invisible”
Shoppers:
‣ Unaware being observed
‣ Observes and interview after
shopper makes a purchase
‣ “Interviews”
Shoppers:
‣ Aware of observation (after purchase
decision have been made)
‣ Observes and interviews throughout
shopping experience
‣ “Moderates and probes”
Shoppers:
‣ Aware of observation

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 10

... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

4. OBSERVE
‣ Create an observation checklist

‣ USE EYES and EARS

‣ Example:
‣ If you’re the MTA looking to improve the mass transit experience, look at
commuters, how they interact with the environment (subway trains), other
commuters, with ads - where do pain points occur,etc.?

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 11

... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?

5. ANALYZE findings
‣ Look for common themes and patterns in observations and story linesto find what
drives behavior

‣ As you analyze the findings, think about what you can do to improvethe overall
experience?

ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 12

When conducting ethnographic research remember...
DOs
‣ Be unobtrusive (observe discreetly)
‣ Use your eyes – non-verbal cues (observe the
environment and how the customers interact in that
space)
‣ Use your ears – verbal cues (listen to whatis
said)
‣ Preserve objectivity- create a persona for yourself
(away from your demographics/brand) to remove any
preconceived notions
‣ Find themes among behaviors/patterns (even in
unexpected patterns)
‣ Work with other researchers on the floor
DON’Ts
‣ Be obvious (when taking pictures/recording
videos)
‣ Be too concerned with note-taking (instead focus on
data naturally occurring)
‣ Follow only one customer (instead observe
different customers/situations)
‣ Be biased (focusing on past knowledge can alter
results instead keep an open mind)
‣ Make observations with answers in mind, do not make
validation a goal (use ethnography to gain deeper
understanding of the bigger picture)
‣ Generalize actions of individuals to reflect a larger
majority
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE: 13
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