New F2F Technique Sifts 'Ear Candy'

UK agency Shopping Behaviour Xplained has developed a new technique called Xtraviews, which claims to capture and analyse not just what people say, but how they say it and what they really mean.

Precise details of how Xtraviews works are confidential, but the process combines four different analytical tools and includes analysing respondents' body language and voice tone.

Using the system, the firm recently undertook a project to analyse the validity of consumer responses during face-to-face interviews. More than 2,000 shoppers were questioned about how they shopped, what aspects of the processes they recalled and why they did or didn't buy. The researchers subsequently compared the observational information with the interview responses of each participant.

For instance, shoppers' reactions to a new packaging solution for beauty products were examined. Even though the entire category had been re-merchandised, and shoppers were interviewed both before and after the changes were made, only a single respondent out of nearly 200 said they'd noticed a difference to the packaging on the shelf.

'We have developed the Xtraviews technique in order to greatly improve our ability to accurately identify which is meaningful interview data and what is rationalised ear candy,' MD Phillip Adcock explained. 'During our research project we asked shoppers how often they visited a certain store, then immediately afterwards, how often they bought something from that store. An interviewee incredibly stated that he visited the store a couple of times a week, but bought something from it every day of the week. Xtraviews was able to immediately identify which was the really meaningful response.'

Based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, the firm is online at www.sbxl.com while more information about its new technique can be found at www.xtraviews.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.