Vehicle clinics are conducted at various stages to support the Vehicle Development Process. Starting with early-stage clinics to understand market gaps and opportunities, then designing and vehicle prototype clinics, culminating in launch clinics. As Vehicle Development is an agile process, our research approach must be equally agile.
We take pride in being one of the best at supporting client teams in their New Product Development decisions through Product Clinics. Vehicle Clinics differs from other research projects as all stakeholders come together to witness customer feedback sessions live. It’s more like a cross-functional workshop.
At Wiserfeed, with our extensive experience in the market research world, we believe that the most valuable insights come from real-world interactions. Our recent field research project in the automotive industry is a testament to this philosophy. Our dedicated team of seasoned researchers has conducted numerous field studies, gathering invaluable data to inform our clients’ strategic decisions.
Here are some essential practices for conducting successful Vehicle Clinics or CLTs
Venue Selection
The first step in taking research beyond the boardroom is ensuring the right location for fieldwork. When selecting a venue, we consider factors like accessibility for respondents, location within the city, appropriate space to showcase the vehicle, accommodation for the team and respondents, and overall suitability for conducting insightful sessions. From a pool of ten options, we choose the location that best meets all these requirements.
A Collaborative Approach
Collaboration is key to successful Vehicle Clinics. We work closely with our clients throughout the process to ensure their specific needs and objectives are met. By involving clients in research design and analysis, we gain a deeper understanding of their business challenges and can provide more relevant insights.
The Power of Product Clinics
Product clinics are a cornerstone of our field research methodology. These interactive sessions allow us to observe consumers interacting with products in a controlled environment. By analyzing their behaviour and feedback, we gain valuable insights into product preferences, usage patterns, and areas for improvement.
Group Discussion Session Debriefing and Client Briefing Sessions
participate in moderator and debriefing sessions with the research team. This helps identify instant wow points and low points related to the vehicle. Simultaneously, client input and briefings help keep the research aligned.
Overcoming Challenges
Conducting field research comes with its challenges. From recruiting the right participants to ensuring smooth study execution, there are many factors to consider. During recruitment, we verify ID cards, licenses, RCs, and Vahan checks, and ensure respondents arrive with their vehicles for final verification. Our team’s experience and expertise allow us to navigate these obstacles effectively. We have developed a proven methodology for recruiting representative samples, designing engaging research activities, and extracting meaningful insights from the data.
Special Issues and Additional Research Objectives
Since Vehicle Clinics involve long-format FGD sessions and setup costs for showcasing the vehicle, we incorporate special elements to explore additional research areas like colour, packaging, seats, and brand imagery. We present stimuli in soft or hard copies to gather initial reactions, likes, dislikes, and reasons behind them, creating a comprehensive picture of consumer expectations related to these elements in the context of the vehicle.
Confidentiality
As these clinics involve highly confidential products in the early stages, we implement strict confidentiality measures. The research zone is designated a no-record zone, phones and cameras are prohibited during research, and only authorized personnel can use their phones to capture significant research moments. We also ensure that all individuals involved in the research sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).New Age Analysis (Eye Tracking and Neurosciences)
Given the complexity of vehicles with numerous functionalities, the entire research team must be present at the clinic venue. Unlike traditional analysis, special analysis teams are also present to note down live sessions. To ensure comprehensive insights, we combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies and stay updated on the latest innovations in market research. We use Eye Tracking and Neuroscience to add an extra layer of unbiased feedback and enhance the accuracy of our insights.
During our post-session workshops, the research team and clients collaboratively review all the analyses from different methodologies including eye-tracking, and neuroscience data to identify high-impact insights. This helps us refine product strategies and align the development trajectory more closely with consumer expectations.
The insights derived from these advanced techniques enable us to fine-tune not just the product design but also its positioning, marketing communication, and even brand perception. Such comprehensive analysis makes our vehicle clinics more than just research exercises—they become strategic tools that guide key business decisions.
Our commitment to delivering high-quality insights is evident in our recent field research project in the automotive industry and it is just one example of our commitment to delivering high-quality insights. With our deep expertise in field research and our collaborative approach, we are well-equipped to help our clients make informed and wise decisions to achieve their business goals.
