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SHOPPING ETHNOGRAPHY
5 Reasons to get out of the lab and into the field (and how to do it)

2.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
1. Users are in their natural environment
‣ Observe users in context
‣ IN LAB... users are remove from their environment and place into an area that
does not reproduce the same mindset as a natural setting
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Photo: www.bangui-hotels.com

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ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
2. External factors can influence behavior
‣ External factors include: co-shoppers, contextual dynamics, situational, mood
‣ IN LAB... these factors do not exists, cannot see the full customer experience
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Photo: coolspotters.com

4.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
3. Identify the “real” user
‣ “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely
different things...” - Margaret Mead (Anthropologist)
‣ IN LAB... users are asked to recall or predict their actions, and does not accurately
judge what they did or will do
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What people say they do
What people do
Photo: http://emotionaladroit.wordpress.com/

5.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
4. Follow the story lines
‣ Researchers can see the whole customer journey (entering store to point of sale)
‣ IN LAB... one hour sessions lead to incomplete fragments of the users’
experience
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Photo: http://blogs.falmouth.k12.ma.us/

6.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
5. Project team immerses in the user setting
‣ Walk a mile in the users’s shoe to better understand how customers shop your
brand
‣ IN LAB... project team sits behind a mirror (no direct interaction with participant)
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Photo: https://asunews.asu.edu/

7.
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
1. DEFINE what you want to observe (objectives/goals)
2. CHOOSE who you will observe
3. IDENTIFY which approach works best
4. OBSERVE
5. ANALYZE findings

8.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
1. DEFINE what you want to observe
‣ What are your objectives and goals?
‣ Keep it broad, but focused so it can allow you to make new insightful
discoveries
‣ Example: If you sell coffee; observe spaces where people consume coffee
(cafes, on the streets, in the office) and look at the role coffee consumption
plays in the users’ lives
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9.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
2. CHOOSE who you will observe
‣ Who’s perspective do you want to understand?
‣ Example:
‣ Gen Y and their mobile addiction
‣ First time parents and baby shopping
‣ Patients waiting in hospitals
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10.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
3. IDENTIFY which approach works best
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IN-STORE
OBSERVATIONS
INTERCEPTS SHOP-ALONGS
Unobtrusively observe customers as
they browse, and purchase – see the
entire shopping experience
Researcher:
‣ Do not talk to shoppers
‣ “Invisible”
Shoppers:
‣ Unaware being observed
Interview customers after the point of
purchase - understand motivations
behind purchase decisions
Researcher:
‣ Observes and interview after
shopper makes a purchase
‣ “Interviews”
Shoppers:
‣ Aware of observation (after
purchase decision have been made)
Researcher shops alongside actual
customer (shopper can be recruited
in advance or on site)
Researcher:
‣ Observes and interviews
throughout shopping experience
‣ “Moderates and probes”
Shoppers:
‣ Aware of observation

11.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
4. OBSERVE
‣ Create an observation checklist
‣ USE EYES and EARS
‣ Example:
‣ If you’re the MTA looking to improve the mass transit experience, look
at commuters, how they interact with the environment (subway trains),
other commuters, with ads - where do pain points occur, etc.?
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12.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
... Now, how do you conduct ethnographic research?
5. ANALYZE findings
‣ Look for common themes and patterns in observations and story lines to
find what drives behavior
‣ As you analyze the findings, think about what you can do to improve the
overall experience?
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13.
ETHNOGRAPHY | 2013 | PAGE:
When conducting ethnographic research remember...
DOs
‣ Be unobtrusive (observe discreetly)
‣ Use your eyes – non-verbal cues (observe the
environment and how the customers interact in
that space)
‣ Use your ears – verbal cues (listen to what is
said)
‣ Preserve objectivity- create a persona for
yourself (away from your demographics/brand)
to remove any preconceived notions
‣ Find themes among behaviors/patterns (even in
unexpected patterns)
‣ Work with other researchers on the floor
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DON’Ts
‣ Be obvious (when taking pictures/recording
videos)
‣ Be too concerned with note-taking (instead focus
on data naturally occurring)
‣ Follow only one customer (instead observe
different customers/situations)
‣ Be biased (focusing on past knowledge can alter
results instead keep an open mind)
‣ Make observations with answers in mind, do not
make validation a goal (use ethnography to gain
deeper understanding of the bigger picture)
‣ Generalize actions of individuals to reflect a larger
majority

14.
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