Modern market research requires that companies collect customer feedback continuously and in real-time. Long gone are the days of months-long focus groups; marketing in 2021 needs to be efficient, quick, and agile. With the innovative technology found in the FCX Marketplace, researchers can now conduct a wide range of agile customer research in one cohesive, easy-to-use platform.

With tools like Live by Fuel Cycle, it’s possible to set up a controlled study with a hidden observer. Stakeholders are now able to watch participants interact with products while remaining undetected by participants. Virtual focus groups also allow researchers to collect real data from a smaller, carefully selected group of participants online. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F), a Fuel Cycle client, has taken advantage of our FCX tools like Live with excellent results. Keep reading below to learn more about their customer story.

A & F Customer Story

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is an apparel retailer selling clothing and accessories for men, women, teens, and kids. They own the brands Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Gilly Hicks and Abercrombie kids to serve the various age groups. With a commitment to quality, comfort, and individuality, A&F enlisted Fuel Cycle’s help to understand their target customers better. In 2020, A&F’s Global Customer Insights team utilized Fuel Cycle research communities to collect insights into customers’ mindsets, behaviors, and preferences.

Given the efficiency, affordability, and accessibility of virtual focus groups, the Global Customer Insights team chose to pivot in-person focus groups to real-time. It then moderated virtual discussions via Live by Fuel Cycle. The impact of the COVID-10 pandemic furthered A&F’s need for virtual market research solutions. With staff working from home, A&F pivoted their focus groups online, kept projects on schedule, and brought more staff members into the fold with real-time observations. Additionally, Live by Fuel Cycle gave A & F the ability to add bi-weekly customer touchpoints during the beginning of the shutdown. During these touchpoints, the A&F team combined moments of human connection with invaluable consumer insights that benefitted the product and marketing teams and shifted their approach to regional messaging.

The A&F customer story illustrates how powerful seeing and hearing the customers through Live is. These interactions provided insights to help A&F’s marketing and product teams navigate the ever-changing COVID environment and move forward.

In A Nutshell

By reducing costs, travel, and geographical restrictions, virtual interviews, and focus groups allow market researchers to carefully select study participants, conduct studies remotely, and get results quickly. By talking directly to customers with real-time moderation, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) could adapt to COVID restrictions while remaining close to their customers. With virtual discussions and bi-weekly touchpoints, the product and marketing team could stay in touch with the changing climate on a regional level. A&F continues to use Live by Fuel Cycle to bring their customers to life, now in 2021 and beyond.