After shopping in a SimuShop exercise, respondents are selected to participate in a chat session. If they agree – and most do – they receive an on-screen notification that they are being connected to a live moderator to answer some in-depth questions.

This qualitative component allows us to dig deeper on core issues. By capturing respondents in real time, the decision-making process is fresh in a respondent’s mind. This allows for a rich discussion about the topic.

Observations from this virtual ethnography method have consistently reinforced the quantitative learning's in the shopping behavior. These observations add tremendous value in three main areas:

1. Verbatim comments complement quantitative data, adding texture and color to report.
2. The observations provide meaningful diagnostics on why a concept succeeds or fails.
3. The ability for trained moderators to “probe until non-productive” leads to additional “discoveries.”

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