Virtual communities, MROC, Consumer Panels, Online Communities, DXP (Digital Experience Platform), Pop-up communities… A jumble of names to refer to the same idea: understanding the opinions of a group of customers and taking them into account in decision-making.
Jeff Bezos has significant quotes related to Customer Centric. Not in vain, Amazon boasts of leading the ranking of companies with the highest level of customer satisfaction (FXI), and this is achieved, among other things, through an ambitious vision: being the largest (or best) customer-centric company in the world.
But it’s not the only company with this mindset; there are many more cases. Customer-centric companies continue to grow year after year, and with them, the tools that help implement these strategies. In the latest Grit Report Q3-Q4 2018, a reference in the field of market research, so-called «Online Communities» top the table of research methodologies or techniques that generate the most interest, closely followed by «Mobile First Surveys.»
We live in a transitional period where more traditional methodologies combine with new techniques. The challenges for brands involve reaching new customer niches, combining quantitative and qualitative data, and the increasing use of DIY (do-it-yourself) tools. And achieving greater agility. Above all, the latter. But are we only talking about research techniques? Or does it go beyond?
In my opinion, insight communities are more than just research methodologies. They are new ways of conceiving innovation, of creating bonds between the brand and its customers. They create relationships that are also part of marketing strategies, sometimes even turning customers into brand ambassadors.
There are numerous examples of how this can be done well: Bankia, Liberbank, Lego, Shepora, Starbucks, Play Station… All have opted to create brand online communities from which they obtain a type of information that was previously out of reach while generating engagement with their customers. These are companies that invest in innovation, improving their relationship with customers, and aiming to be the leaders of tomorrow.
At We are testers, we believe in online communities. In fact, our name itself comes from creating one of the largest consumer communities in Spain. Now we want to offer the technology for brands to create their own.
WAT Lab is our Online Communities tool, a customized platform for each brand where they can interact with a wide range of their customers (potential and real), quickly gathering their opinions on various topics: new product launches, communication evaluations, customer experience analysis, testing new digital channels…
The use of this tool aligns with some of the major trends such as Lean Startup (reducing risk in creating new products), Open Innovation (embracing bidirectional collaboration in innovation processes), and Co-creation (aligning with customer needs by incorporating their voices).
If you are or want to be one of those companies, we can help you. Contact us, and we will help you achieve it through WAT Lab, our online communities tool.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.wearetesters.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/javier-turrado.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Javier Turrado is CEO of We are testers and an expert in user experience analysis techniques.</author_info] [/author]
Update date 14 April, 2024
