Korus Consulting helped identify the real needs of customers of the Ascona online store

2022: Conducting marketing research and identifying the needs of customers of the online store

GC KORUS Consulting"" announced on October 5, 2022, a qualitative marketing study for GC Ascona"," a large Russia vertical integrated manufacturer retailer goods and for sleeping. With the help of in-depth interviews, IT the company determined the values, specific and unmet needs of customers. online store The project resulted in recommendations for positioning goods, expanding services and improving the capabilities of the Ascona online platform.

One of the key values ​ ​ for Ascona is customer-centric, so the brand constantly examines consumer experience, collects feedback communication from customers and, based on the results data , refines processes and services to better meet needs. In 2022, amid the departure of Western players in the DIY segment and changes in the purchasing power of the population, there was a need for improvements. Ascona decided to review the positioning of the main product categories and expand the possibilities of digital interaction with customers. To do this, the company wanted to study the needs of its customers who contact Internet the store, learn more about their values, needs, difficulties in making online purchases and how the selection criteria have changed. KORUS Consulting became a partner in the project, together with which the manufacturer develops its online store.

The IT company conducted in-depth interviews with 30 customers of Ascona, geography - from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka. For the study, respondents who made a purchase in an online store within the last week were selected. In the conversation, interviewers used the projective Laddering method, which allows using clarifying questions to determine the deep reasons for the purchase and its significance to humans. This approach helped to compile five detailed portraits, taking into account the values ​ ​ and needs of customers.

For example, one of the client groups is in the process of moving or arranging housing. They are stressed due to large spending and lack of quality control of purchases, since they cannot always accept the order themselves. Important criteria for them are a reliable brand, short deadlines for registration and delivery. KORUS Consulting specialists have determined why such clients choose Ascona and how to increase their loyalty to the company (for example, add the possibility of delayed delivery or increase the return period for goods under a special subscription).

During the study, KORUS Consulting experts identified alternative consumption scenarios after the departure of large brands from Russia. It turned out that most people who want to buy household goods know very little about domestic and foreign manufacturers. They make fewer impulsive purchases and adhere to wait-and-see tactics.

Also, employees of KORUS Consulting interviewed respondents about their perception of the Ascona online store and identified drivers and purchase barriers. Among the features, many buyers noted good service and convenient options, such as a smart assistant that selects a mattress or pillows based on the individual needs of buyers. As for the difficulties, buyers, for example, could not exclude an extra version of the filler from the filter when looking for a mattress, which is why they had to look at the entire assortment in search of a suitable model. These and other cases have expanded Ascona's idea of ​ ​ what to bet on when positioning, and what difficulties to pay attention to. Experts also gave recommendations for improving the user experience, including: adding filters to the search, enriching the smart assistant with certain characteristics, and much more.

The company got a clear and detailed idea of ​ ​ the product preferences of customers, better understood their fears, unmet needs and what is important for them when making an order. Moreover, thanks to customer feedback, the company has other proposals for the development of our online store, which will increase the level of comfort of online purchases, noted Alexander Leshchinsky, director of the omnichannel development of Ascona Group of Companies.

Such qualitative customer research provides a deep understanding of the target audience, criteria for selecting goods and unmet needs. The projective method of Laddering made it possible to distinguish semantic territories for positioning goods and strengthening the brand of'Ascona' as one of the key and reliable players in the industry, commented Maria Bar-Biryukova, Deputy General Director of KORUS Consulting Group.