19 Nov Discovering new product opportunities from laundry stains
Client / Company: FMCG Company
Industry: FMCG
Research Method: Ethnographic Research
Objectives and Methodology
The challenge for brands is to constantly innovate. As such, an FMCG Company commissioned Curiosity to explore new product opportunities for laundry detergents. Armed with four research questions – How do the types of livelihood influence the stain profile of a particular area? How does being situated in coastal or in-land locations shape laundry practices? Are there laundry considerations relate to the quality of water? How does stain profile, quality of water used for washing, weather/climate, gender roles, types of livelihood, and topography influence the choice of laundry products? – Curiosity headed out to understand both and urban and rural laundry challenges.
As this was a relatively unexplored research topic, emergent immersion research techniques were used in order to take advantage of spontaneous opportunities to conduct several research techniques: unstructured Interviews, loosely structured group discussions, direct observation, and participant observation. The research techniques used are matched with the appropriate opportunities.
Key Findings and Implications
- Hypothesis on type of livelihood, climate, and landscape and influence on stain profile and laundry was validated
- Social class is an influencer of brand and atypical product category usage
- Sociality of poso in spite of presence of potable water [gripo] sources remains
- Evidence of continuous use of indigenous/local laundry practices
