Tips for using a Mobile Qualitative Research app as a tool for Gen Z research
Category : Mobile Ethnography
Every brand is trying to understand this Gen Z consumers. This is no surprise given that a recent Forbes article cited Bloomberg research which estimated that US Gen Z consumers have an estimated $360 billion in disposable income.
The title of the Forbes article: “As Gen Z’s Buying Power Grows, Businesses Must Adapt Their Marketing”.
Our take: not only must brands’ marketing adapt to attract this cohort, their research must too.
Mobile Qualitative research is the best method to understand Gen Z
Given the spending power of this demographic, and the constantly shifting trends in their behaviour, it is imperative for Market Research and Brand Insights teams to find relevant and meaningful ways to connect with Gen Z research participants.
Clients are demanding more innovative, digital approaches and as a result, qualitative researchers need to be creative and innovative in how they research Gen Z. Not only is it critical to understand the various Gen Z personas, it’s imperative to understand the context in which the Gen Z consumers experience influencers, choice and decision-making.
We recently worked with a research consultancy who used our Mobile Qualitative Research app in a Gen Z research brief. The brief required them to capture more ‘in the moment’ insights specifically focused on the University decision journey.
Having tried traditional approaches in the past, our client was blown away by the results. In their words: “what we got in return was a new app that is easy, familiar and as engaging as the best social networking apps”.
Our client does a lot of research with people of all ages and backgrounds, but they struggled in the past with engaging with Gen Z consumets.
In their experience, Gen Z participants can find traditional research methods more intimidating.
Being digital natives, and often experiencing life, brands and services in a different (digital first) way from previous generations, our client felt young people would be the perfect audience to test a mobile qualitative research app and see if it delivered what they needed.
Using social media, our client recruited 16 respondents, and set the scene by giving them a little background about the project. Rather than giving too much away, they simply directed the Gen Z respondents to the Indeemo app so they could see for themselves how interactive and easy it was to use.
In our experience, this particular research consultancy set a new standard in terms of moderation and engagement with Gen Z respondents.
They recorded selfie videos to introduce themselves to the Gen Z participants. They delivered some of their tasks using video to make it a more engaging experience. They were active and positive in their moderation and leveraging the push notification comments / probes of the Indeemo platform, they actively moderated and encouraged the respondents.
As a result, the Gen Z participants brought our client into their everyday lives via the Indeemo app in a way that completely exceeded our client’s expectations.
“It was interesting seeing the change over the period of the research – they quickly grew in confidence and became more relaxed and confessional”
Mobile Qualitative Research enabled our to gather a huge amount of data – over 200 uploads – and there some very consistent themes emerged:
“Gen Z participants appear naturally reflective and considered”.
“Their aims and ambitions are conventional”.
“Experiences matter more than things”.
“Life is all about the memories you create. You can own possessions but when all is said and done, you’ll have little to show for it.”
“They shared photos, text comments, and selfie video vox pops, that really blew us away – we doubt we would have gained the same rich insight had we used a face-to-face approach.”
Tips on using Mobile Qualitative Research with Gen Z participants
Having supported a vast array of Gen Z research projects, the following tips should be considered when working with this cohort:
Be transparent
Be transparent about the purpose of the research and why you want them to take part. This is a cohort that cares deeply about many topics and if you can resonate with their principles and passions, engagement in the study will be transformed.
Introduce yourself
This cohort is extremely privacy conscious and will not share data easily. As a result, we strongly recommend you include a selfie video of yourself in your task list welcoming them to the study, explaining the purpose and outlining what you need them to do.
Be responsive
From music to entertainment to food delivery, this cohort is used to having everything on demand and can be reluctant to wait around for things. As a result, it’s critical to be active in your moderation of the study and to choose partners who provide extremely quick responses to any support requests.
Be flexible
Give them options for how to respond. Some participants will be extremely comfortable recording video, but interestingly, these privacy conscious Gen Z participants are increasingly being more selective in their use of selfie videos when giving feedback. Instead on insisting on video responses for every task, allow them to write notes or upload a series of images with captions instead.
Leverage screen recording
Gen Z are digital natives and according to Pew Research, 95% of teens now have access to smartphones. As a result, designing research tasks that leverage mobile screen recording is a powerful way to understand the role that smartphones play in every aspect of their lives.
Give video to get video
The more you use video selfies to deliver tasks the better. This is a cohort that communicates primarily asynchronously using video. As a result, don’t be afraid to record all your tasks as selfies instead of writing long reams of text instructions. The best projects always have a mixture of video and text instructions.
Be real!
Make sure you are actively engaged during fieldwork and on top of moderation. Thank them for their uploads. Ask follow up questions where needed. Don’t adopt a stiff / formal language when commenting on their posts. Be yourself, be real. The more authentically yourself that you are during the research, the more they will connect with you and engage.
Client feedback on using Mobile Qualitative tools for Gen Z Research:
If you follow the tips above, then you will also experience what our client experienced. Here are some of their comments:
“It feels instantly familiar so it breaks down barriers.”
“It doesn’t feel like hard work – it feels more like fun for the participant.”
“It puts the researcher in control.”
“Because mobile is how so many people communicate, so we get an amazing, natural glimpse into their world.”
Our client’s conclusion was that new mobile qualitative research approaches (such as Mobile Ethnography or a Mobile Diary Study) can help any organisation understand how Gen Z consumers experience a brand, product or service and that apps like Indeemo are not limited to a particular age group.
They are using actively Indeemo with all types of consumer and for all kinds of research.
Let us support you
Are you thinking of using mobile in an upcoming qualitative research project?
If so, get in touch and we will share our experiences of how apps like Indeemo can enrich your mobile qualitative research offering.
Tag : Millennials & Gen-Z
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