The value of needs research
By conducting a needs assessment, you can identify the factors that strongly influence the choices your customers or prospects make. A needs assessment lies at the basis of success when launching a new product on the market, optimizing a customer journey, repositioning your brand, and so on.
It is important to realize that people purchase products or services to fulfill their needs. These needs are by no means always functional, most needs are also emotional. For example, we visit a restaurant not only because we are hungry, but also because we need sociability or want to be culinary surprised. A needs assessment brings these needs to the surface, as well as the deeper needs, called motivations.
What is a needs assessment?
A good needs assessment identifies the needs and motivations that your customers or prospects have in the context of your product or service. In doing so, it is important to realize that most people are not aware of their needs; they reside in our subconscious brain. The simple assignment: 'Tell us what your needs are' usually yields an incorrect or incomplete answer. We therefore apply neuroresearch techniques to penetrate the subconscious brain. It requires intensive, qualitative research, in which we conduct individual in-depth interviews that often last an hour or more. The result is a report with an overview of the most relevant needs, their interrelationship, and the drives (deeper needs) to which they are related.
Needs assessment model
In needs research, we use a needs assessment model developed by Bain & Company. In this model, the deeper customer needs (drives) are clustered in a pyramid, distinguishing 4 levels. At the bottom of the model are the functional drives. These exist at all times and with all products and services. Above them are the emotional drives, followed by life-enriching drives and social impact. The higher up the pyramid, the stronger the drive, but also the more specific and selective the group to which the drive relates. Successful brands know how to capitalize on multiple drives and levels.
Forum Research has extensive experience in needs research and the application of the needs assessment model in both B2C and B2B markets and in profit and not-for-profit markets.