Ethnographic research : HOW TO DO IT

Studying people’s behavior in their natural setting put’s forward an interesting perspective on product usage and decision-making. Ethnography research is a qualitative market research method and it helps study the intricacies of human behavior and how this is affected by parameters like culture, values, surroundings, and social interactions. Ethnographic sessions could be conducted at home, offices, shopping malls, clinics, garages, while traveling, and a lot of other places.
Market Researchers rely on detailed participant observation when they are engrossed in their daily activities or sometimes even participating in such activities and learning more about the decision-making process. Sometimes paired observations are also conducted to replicate the casual setting and see how social dynamics can change the way people interact with products. Some examples could include observing a participant cooking, washing or even shopping along with participants to understand their shopping patterns, preferences, and behavior.
Observing participants in their own environment provides useful insights that help businesses to gain knowledge that may not be gathered from traditional market research methods like face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, etc. Researchers can also put up follow-up questions to understand their reasoning. Researchers may notice participants facing some issues using the product even though the participant doesn’t complain about it verbally.
Compared to online market research methods, ethnography research involves some logistics like traveling to participants, accompanying them to shopping malls etc. Research methods like mobile diaries have made it possible to get into the daily lives of consumers online.
Our team of senior market research moderators at EMERGINGMR makes sure that we build a rapport with the participants and engross in their daily lives to gain rich insights. With experience conducting Ethnography research in Asia and African countries, we can definitely add local colors to your market research studies.