How To Make The Most Of Customer Insights

In the old world of commerce, the creative class initiated cultural trends. Then, the business class would pick them up for distribution and branding, turning them into consumer trends. But with the popularization of consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-commerce sites like Etsy, creatives are selling directly to customers and to each other, cutting some traditional retailers and distributors out of the loop. Last year, C2C platform Etsy eclipsed Ebay and almost took on Amazon as the second most shopped-at e-commerce site on the web. As C2C gains traction, how can traditional retailers stay ahead? With peer to peer e-commerce enabling customers to create their own products within their niche and sell to like-minded folks, it’s become more important for brands to understand their customers intimately. This takes intensive–and creative–market research. Traditionally, market researchers would conduct surveys to find out who customers are and what they want. But B2C market researchers today have access to data that allows a faster, more direct line to their customer bases. Here are some key pieces of advice from research disruptors who are revolutionizing the way retail brands understand their customers. Read more at Forbes.