(5 minute read)

In the first of our two-part Dispatch series, we learned when Qualitative research should lead the way: when you’re trying to explore possibilities, understand motivations, or pressure test ideas with real people. This is where Qualitative shines.

But you might be at a different stage. You’ve already identified patterns and have explored the real, human “why”. You feel like you really get these people.

Now understanding feeds your actions. It’s time to quantify, prioritize, and build an action plan with confidence. This is where Quantitative research takes the lead.

Here are three examples of actual questions we’ve received from clients at kick-off meetings that point toward Quantitative research as the best first step. 

1) To validate what you already suspect

Your team has a strong hypothesis. Maybe you’ve completed exploratory research, or maybe you’ve been in the industry long enough to recognize trends and patterns.

But instinct and experience don’t necessarily correlate to consensus and confidence.

A public relations agency supporting a campaign to minimize invasive agricultural diseases had assumptions they needed to test: “When is the disease ‘ick’ factor motivating vs. too gross that the public doesn’t want to engage with the campaign?”

Quantitative research helps determine whether a belief is isolated to a certain customer profile or representative of a larger audience.

2) To measure the size of the opportunity

You have the validation that your product or service works. But now you have to build a business plan with real dollars:

• • How many people actually want this enough to pay for it? 

  • Is the total opportunity big enough to move the needle? 

A 75-year-old luxury California men’s apparel company needed the data to support their pitch deck for major department stores: “What is our brand awareness and who is our current buyer, demographically speaking?”

When the business decision depends on real budgets, predictions of trends, and building a plan to execute, Quantitative research is the best method.

3) To choose a direction

Your team has narrowed down the options for a path forward. But even the greatest teams have limited resources (time, team, budget), and you have some tough decisions to make.

A home goods company came to Stitch MR for support: “We have eleven new products and need a roadmap plan for the next year. What’s on trend? What does everybody want?”

Instead of internally debating campaign messages, product features, pricing, brand positioning, Quantitative research forces the hierarchy of priorities.

THE BOTTOM LINE

When do you start with Quantitative Research?

When you need to understand the magnitude of subjective truths, measure opportunities, or prioritize next steps with confidence.

It’s not really Qual vs. Quant…

Qual uncovers possibilities. Quant confirms which paths are worth pursuing.

The strongest strategies use both. The key is knowing which one should lead.

Still not sure where to start?

The hardest part isn’t getting the data. It’s knowing what questions to ask first.

Let’s build the right research path together.