May 22, 2025
In this edition of ‘FAQs with Jenny’, our Founder and CEO, Jenny Karubian delves deep into the world of Ethnography research.
She answers fundamental questions like: What is Ethnography research? Why use Ethnographic research over other methodologies? How does Ethnography help us understand the consumer? What are the origins of Ethnography as a market research method?
Read on to find out the answers to all these questions and more on Ethnography.
Jenny shares that ‘Ethnography is the practice of using observational research as part of data collection.’
She goes on to elaborate what this means as she says, ‘This is the opportunity to engage with consumers in what we might call’ - she playfully quips using air quotes - ‘their natural ‘habitat’’.
So essentially, market researchers are deployed into environments in which a brand would like to observe a consumer’s natural behavior in a given setting. It could be to observe consumers in a grocery store, in their homes, at a restaurant, or at the gym, basically anywhere where a brand is curious to know how their consumers act in certain settings.
Jenny says, ‘The setting is very important.’ She then goes on to talk a bit about the Ethnography research projects we, at Ready to Launch Research, have had the pleasure of working on. She says, ‘Our agency has done work in a variety of settings. We’ve done work at music festivals, at restaurants, we’ve done them at major retailers like Walmart and Target. We have conducted Ethnography at drive through restaurants.’
Our Founder and CEO, then talks about a specific type of Ethnography: Shop Alongs. She says, ‘We’ve done Ethnography where we go shopping with people. Sometimes we call those Shop Alongs so we can see how they pick out products on the shelf and put them in their cart.’
Ethnography ‘is very much based on observational research and it’s very much based on context.’
Interestingly enough, Ethnography as a research methodology has its routes in Anthropology. Jenny says, ‘Now you maybe wondering where Ethnography comes from. Ethnography is actually a methodology that’s borrowed from cultural anthropology. Much in the way that anthropologists have classically gone and lived amongst indigenous peoples in far off places. That same methodology has been adopted by the business world to do participant observation with people in our culture. Again picking up cultural nuances and looking at different cues that are based on context.’
Ethnography is a qualitative market research method. It leads to the generation of rich insights into consumer behavior unlike those garnered from its qualitative market research counterparts like Focus Groups, In-depth Interviews, or Market Research Online Communities (MROCs).
Another differential factor is that the role of the Ethnographer is to immerse themselves in the research setting for relatively long research durations. While other market research methods can take hours, it’s not unusual for Ethnographic studies to span several days, even months. This allows the researcher to draw out more contextually grounded insights into consumer behavior.
Ethnographic research is predominantly observational. In other types of qualitative market research methods, the research participant is asked questions and their answers form the basis of data collection. On the other hand, with Ethnography, researchers will only draw insights and data based on participants’ behavior making this methodology purely observational.
Answering the question, ‘Why do it this way, why not just ask people questions?’, Jenny says, ‘Well what’s very interesting is that consumers are not always fully aware of the things that they are doing. Observational research can pick up on nuances that we get from the environment without asking people to recall their habits and practices. It also allows us to ask people questions about how they feel about the environment that they’re in and weigh that against some of the observations that we’re making while we are in the field.’
Jenny, sharing some insights into the Ethnographic research process using a retail store shopping experience as an example, reveals how it helps to unravel the consumer psyche.
She says, ‘Ethnography Research is a wonderful methodology because it really allows us to get into consumer psychology. If you want to understand how your brand appeals to people who are shopping at a store, it is very helpful to see,
… and so Ethnographic research really gives us that contextual data that we need to give a very in-depth analysis of consumer behavior.’
Jenny shares how leveraging Ethnography can lead to creating consumer demand as she says, ‘Ethnographic research is vital for creating consumer demand. In conducting Ethnographic research we can get a much more holistic perspective of consumers, we can get a deeper understanding of their decisions, we can understand their decision making processes, we can also see how they may interact with other people in their environment and how other people may influence their purchase decisions.’
In addition to creating consumer demand, Ethnography as a market research method has a plethora of other benefits to be derived. Here’s a summarized list of the top 10 benefits that businesses and brands can expect to gain by leveraging Ethnography as their market research methodology of choice:
1.Uncovers Deep, Contextual Insights:
Ethnography goes beyond surface-level responses by observing consumers in their natural environments. This reveals the "why" behind their actions, uncovering motivations, pain points, and unmet needs that traditional methods might miss. Brands gain a rich understanding of the context influencing consumer choices.
2. Reveals Unarticulated Needs and Desires:
Consumers aren't always aware of or able to articulate their true needs and desires. By observing their behaviors and interactions, Ethnography can identify latent needs that businesses can then address with innovative products or services.
3. Provides a Holistic View of the Consumer Journey:
Ethnographic research maps the entire consumer experience, from initial awareness to post-purchase behavior. This holistic perspective highlights crucial touchpoints, potential friction points, and opportunities for improvement across the entire customer journey.
4. Identifies Cultural and Social Influences:
Consumer behavior is heavily influenced by cultural norms, social trends, and group dynamics. Ethnography helps businesses understand these subtle yet powerful influences, enabling them to tailor their offerings and messaging for greater resonance.
5. Generates Authentic and Nuanced Data:
By immersing researchers in the consumers' world, Ethnography gathers firsthand, authentic data that is less prone to biases inherent in self-reporting methods. This nuanced understanding provides a more accurate reflection of real-world behavior.
6. Facilitates Empathy and Customer-Centricity:
Witnessing consumers' lives firsthand fosters empathy within the research team and the broader organization. This deep understanding of the customer perspective can drive more customer-centric decision-making across all aspects of the business.
7. Uncovers Unexpected Opportunities and Innovations:
By observing consumers in their natural settings, Ethnography can reveal surprising behaviors and unmet needs that can spark new product ideas, service enhancements, or even entirely new business models.
8. Validates or Refutes Existing Assumptions:
Ethnographic research can serve as a powerful tool for validating or challenging pre-existing assumptions about target audiences and market dynamics, leading to more informed strategic decisions.
9. Provides Rich, Qualitative Data for Storytelling:
The detailed observations and narratives gathered through Ethnography provide compelling qualitative data that can be used to create powerful stories about consumers. This human-centered approach can be highly effective in marketing and internal communication.
10. Offers a Competitive Advantage:
By gaining a deeper and more nuanced understanding of consumers than competitors relying solely on traditional research methods, businesses using Ethnography can develop more effective strategies, create more relevant offerings, and ultimately gain a competitive edge in the market.
If your brand is looking to leverage any or all of these benefits of Ethnographic research, get in touch and we’ll help you set up a consultation call with one of our expert researchers seasoned in Ethnographic research and analysis.
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