Definitely not scientific but interesting. Free-form research is what I call just asking around, “out of interest”. It’s a great way to do quick informal surveys.
Those who know me are used to my ‘random’ questions about various preferences and habits. My latest question, “If you found out someone was a vegan and you were inviting them to dinner, would you ask them what they could eat? Would you ask a vegetarian?” led to a lively ten minutes of insight!
I learnt that what some people object to about vegans, is they made meat-eaters feel guilty. Their diet is so limited and they’re just annoying. Others, thought vegans had the right idea and were sorry they “love meat too much” to change. All interesting stuff.
The vegan movement is making an impact in all kinds of ways and it’s interesting to check on where people are with how they see veganism.
We’ll be following up on trends in eating preferences of different customers in other blog posts, so sign-up to our newsletter to makes sure you don’t miss out.
Have you always wondered whether tourists find it hard to find your location? If you have, ask them!
Tip
Sit down and spend five minutes thinking about what knowledge would really help your business.
Focus on the parts of your business where you’re not really sure why, but something’s not quite working out.
You test out a few options for questions with family and friends. Hopefully they’re supportive of your business ambitions, so make sure they understand how important it is to be honest.
You don’t have to do a survey, just ask them the next time you see them and make a note of their response. Doing your own market research this way makes it part of daily business, and you’ll have some great, insightful chats with your customers.