What’s new in shopper experience research? (part 2)

Last Friday, we ended our column by stating: “We should illustrate the observation study on consumer product usage behavior as well as examples in today’s setting. But we have no more space to do those. We’ll continue next Friday when we will also explain why there is a resurgence in store marketing and store marketing research.”

We’ll proceed to the observation study on consumer condom product usage behavior.

Whenever I tell my MBA market research class about this study, audible chuckles always greeted its start. Then someone would ask: “How can you do that study? How can you observe actual condom usage? Would you have any couple agreeing to be observed?”

My urban anthropology professor during my doctorate study at Northwestern University taught us how. That was when I took up his ethnographic (or observation) research course.

For a topic that’s personal and intimate, “self-observation” is the technique to use. A qualified respondent was told to dictate over a tape recorder his step-by-step moves when he was actually using or about to use a condom.

Upon learning what the observation study required of them, 5 of 10 recruited condom-using respondents decided to immediately leave. Of the remaining 5 men, one forgot to record either completely or partially, and another decided to withdraw. So I was left with 3. We had 11 recruited respondents for Metro Manila and 10 for the South Luzon area. The total and true self-observing respondents were only 6, making this a highly qualitative study.

The recordings from 3 condom users in Metro Manila indicated poor product knowledge as a key problem. The condom user was basically a “planner.” Before using it, he would remove the condom from the sachet pack. Then, he would unroll the condom and bring it to the faucet to fill it with water. While holding the open end with his left hand, he would squeeze the tip with the fingers of his right hand “para ma-check ko kung me butas kasi kung walang humirit na tubig, walang butas“ (so I can check if there’s a hole and, if there’s no syringing of water, then there’s no hole).

Then he would proceed to dry the wet condom by powdering its outside and its reversed inside with Johnson Baby Powder. Holding the condom by the open end, he would then flip-flop it to remove the powder. He would then observe that the condom has lost its lubrication. So, he would lubricate it with Johnson Baby oil.

What the user did not know was that the condom lubrication was powder silicon based. Using a Johnson Baby oil would corrode the condom rubber. No wonder, the research of Dr. Mercedes Concepcion indicated that, while the condom was around 94-percent effective, its actual use effectiveness could be as low as 70 percent. A condom corroded with Johnson Baby oil could be responsible.

What the campaign decided to do was to attach a condom pack sized sheet giving a correct step-by-step use of the condom with an emphasis on non-application of liquid oil. This insight-based recommendation worked.

The self-observation usage data from the 3 provincial users indicated that they were the opposite of their Metro Manila counterparts. They were not planners but impulsive users. It was when the man felt he was near the climax that he would suddenly take his penis out and search in the dark for the condom pack.

In a South Luzon province at the time, there was only 11 percent electrification, and so it was pitch dark at night.

Immediately upon withdrawing, one respondent noted in his self-observation recordings noted how “every second counts” (“mahalaga ang bawat saglit”).

When he failed to find the condom pack in the dark, about 4 or 5 seconds after withdrawing, he would forget about the condom and go back to what he was doing. The practice of safe sex then slipped away.

Based on my analysis, I recommended that, what the provincial impulsive condom user needed was some kind of luminescent condom. It would help a man searching in the darkest night because a luminescent condom could be seen by the naked eye. Unfortunately, the USAID condom supplier could not respond to this recommendation. But everyone in the campaign appreciated the insighting productivity of the self-observation technique.

Once more, we are prevented from continuing to “examples in today’s setting” regarding an observation study of consumer purchase and usage behavior experience for store marketing. We will continue next Friday.

Keep your questions coming. Send them to me at [email protected].