Case study: Bristan
A new way to understand how tradespeople interact with brands and products
The challenge
Tradespeople, such as bathroom installers, plumbers and heating engineers, have complex work schedules – one day is often very different to the next. This makes understanding their buying behaviour and their brand preferences quite challenging. Their choice of merchant might be influenced by where they are working one day, their choice of product might be influenced by stock availability, their choice of brand will be increasingly influenced by the retail customer.
The supply chain that tradespeople rely on is also evolving. Omnichannel brands such as Screwfix, Toolstation and Selco have developed slick ecommerce offers to the professional installer and increased homeowners’ awareness of bathroom products. Online retailers have also rapidly become a viable option for consumers who have new-found confidence to purchase technical products themselves.
Against this backdrop, Eureka! were asked to get ‘under the skin’ of purchasing behaviour and how bathroom brands can engage with installers during their working day. By capturing the real life ‘touch points’, our client could then develop effective strategies for supporting the jobbing tradesperson and their business activity.
The solution
Our ‘Day In the Life’ approach is an ethnographic technique that is suitable for the trade and construction sector whilst being underpinned by robust qualitative principles. Our researchers have worked with tradespeople for decades and can therefore credibly role-pay as a ‘trainee’ for the day, visiting jobs together, sitting in the van, dropping into the merchants and just generally ‘rolling up our sleeves’ for a day on the tools.
We specifically used this technique to help Bristan answer their questions and shine a new light on gaps in their knowledge. We have developed a large pool of tradespeople who are happy for us to travel around with them ‘on the job’. This unique method allows us to observe interactions and ask questions that a quantitative survey could never touch.
In a relatively short space of time, I have become aware that Eureka! Research are the ‘go to’ agency for installer and consumer insight in the bathroom sector. We had no hesitation in commissioning Richard and Dave to undertake a significant business-critical piece of bathroom research. The Bristan team always enjoy working closely with Eureka! and we look forward to continuing this relationship over the coming months and years.
In a relatively short space of time, I have become aware that Eureka! Research are the ‘go to’ agency for installer and consumer insight in the bathroom sector. We had no hesitation in commissioning Richard and Dave to undertake a significant business-critical piece of bathroom research. The Bristan team always enjoy working closely with Eureka! and we look forward to continuing this relationship over the coming months and years.
We’d love to bounce some ideas around with you
Either get in touch with us below or have a further browse of our website to discover how we can solve your business conundrums.
We’d love to bounce some ideas around with you
Either get in touch with us below or have a further browse or have a further browse of our website to discover how we can solve your business conundrums.
Eureka! Research
6 Parkside Court | Greenhough Road
Lichfield | Staffordshire | WS13 7AU
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