Trackers: Building Block to Develop Comprehensive, Successful Business Strategy

Trackers play a critical role in understanding brand health, consumer behavior, and market trends. However, to truly drive business growth, trackers need to be actionable, providing not just quantitative data but also insights into the motivations behind consumer shifts. Pairing traditional quantitative tracking with qualitative insights, such as focus groups or in-depth interviews, helps reveal the "why" behind fluctuations in brand perception or category trends, offering a fuller picture of consumer sentiment.

Traditional trackers primarily focus on quantitative metrics. Without the ability to retarget respondents, brands are left with a lot of unanswered questions about any fluctuations in tracker data. In addition to tracker data, it’s critical to integrate qualitative insights for a true voice of the consumer. Pairing survey data with insights from qual research can reveal the motivations behind the numbers, helping researchers identify the “why” behind shifts in brand perception or category trends.

Real-time consumer engagement is critical for trackers to provide a continuous feedback loop. Without it, brands can’t respond swiftly to consumer feedback or make adjustments. Traditional trackers typically take up to six months to set up, field, and analyze, and by the time brands get their tracking data back, it’s often too late to take action against potentially outdated insights. Instead, brands need to gather instant feedback from consumers for real-time data.

As consumer priorities shift, so should brands. However, many tracker suppliers are slow to customize trackers or allow brands to make any additions. While it’s best not to alter trackers from wave to wave drastically, brands still need the opportunity to customize to their category and brand to keep up with a changing environment. 

Lastly, a tracker shouldn't exist in isolation. It should encompass a holistic view, integrating data on category trends, global events, and consumer lifestyles. This comprehensive approach ensures that insights are grounded in the broader context, allowing brands to make truly informed decisions. With this data, trackers can provide a richer, more actionable understanding of consumer behavior and market dynamics, leading to more effective and strategic business outcomes.

At Suzy, we offer speed, actionability, and integrated quant and qual for game-changing trackers. On our connected platform, brands can easily test product innovations, concepts, messaging, and comms all stemming from tracker trends. This is tracker research that constantly informs continuous, actionable learning. That is what makes a tracker more than just a tracker, transforming it into a business growth driver.