Know Your Customers Inside Out! 6 Ways to Uncover Latent Needs

Now, enough with the preliminaries, today I will explain 'how to find latent needs'.
What exactly are customers looking for?
Will that product they say they want really sell?
Let's carefully consider the latent needs that are at the root of success.

When starting marketing, an important element is 'latent needs'.
It refers to the deep psychology that rarely surfaces, the true needs hidden deep within the heart.
When considering marketing, and when planning new products or services.
We aim to uncover a certain customer's 'latent needs' and consciously send appropriate messages.
What do customers truly want?
What should be solved to evoke the most positive emotions in customers?
Not just superficially, but we need to grasp the true meaning of their needs.
This is not just for marketing.
It is also useful when starting a business and deciding 'what kind of business to do'.

However, it is often difficult to extract latent needs from customers.
Isn't it enough to simply conduct interviews or surveys?
Some people might think that way.

However, in that case, you are only hearing superficial opinions.
In reality, even if you conduct surveys or interviews, the true essence cannot be understood.
In fact, only '5%' of the latent needs that customers have are verbalized.
That is precisely why various efforts are needed.

Where is the real problem?
What are the essential needs?
For example, whether conducting interviews or surveys.
It is necessary to thoroughly consider 'what kind of questions will lead to' the essential needs.
Based on that, you must ask questions.

Do not blindly accept answers like 'I want this, I want that' at face value.
Even if you directly believe information shared without any particular hypothesis, its value is negligible.

Quantitative thinking

So, does that mean interviews and surveys are meaningless? That is not the case.
If you carefully consider the value of the questions and the survey targets, and thoroughly analyze them, you can get closer to uncovering latent needs.

For example, let's say you want to sell 'a certain manufacturer's chocolate'.

That manufacturer thoroughly researched 'customers who purchase chocolate'.
Then, for some reason, there was a product purchased together with chocolate.
That was 'cake ingredients'.

What becomes clear from this is that chocolate is often used in other dishes.

Therefore, let's try changing the display location of the relevant chocolate.
What if it were displayed 'near ingredients related to cake making'?
People who want to make cakes more might find it easier to buy chocolate together.
This creates one idea for sales improvement.

A famous real-world example might be 'beer and diapers'.
Men with children often tend to buy beer when purchasing diapers.
Such data has been found.
As a result, based on data, how products are displayed.
It would be good to set up a diaper corner near the beer shelf.
In this way, with data, we can consider the display method that makes men most likely to purchase products.

In this way, by deeply observing seemingly unrelated elements, we can find connections.
By collecting data, observing carefully, and thinking about it, various things become clear.

When conducting a survey, it is necessary to carefully consider the questions.

For example, let's say we ask 10 questions about a certain product.
What we look at within that is not just the simple survey results.
What exactly the customer chose and what they didn't choose.
What should be looked at is the combination.
If we look at the aggregated results, we can see that people who chose this answer also chose that answer.
If such results are visible, new discoveries will also be found.

In this way, collecting a lot of seemingly obvious data, and analyzing by looking at the differences.
The method of discovering latent needs by looking at numbers and quantities can be called 'quantitative'.
We thoroughly extract from data that has clear 'numbers'.

Qualitative approach.

On the other hand, there is a method of discovering latent needs called 'qualitative', which is different from quantitative.
A qualitative approach collects information that cannot be expressed in numbers, such as 'statements and ways of thinking'.
It is a method to approach latent needs by thoroughly considering its 'meaning'.

A typical example is an interview.

There is a format where about 8 people discuss a certain issue or product.
These are called focus group interviews or user interviews.
What is important in this interview is to elicit opinions and thoughts from customers.
As the conversation progresses, how they feel and how they think will be consciously drawn out.

We also conduct interviews by further delving into the answers.
Because when analyzing more deeply, various discoveries can be made.
Sometimes we uncover latent needs that even customers were not aware of.

For example, let's analyze a certain answer from the following angles.

• 'Why did you think that way?'
• 'What was the process that led to that thought?'
• 'Are there any other similar products?'

From multiple perspectives, we will ask a series of questions.
Then, answers, values, emotions, and so on, that cannot be measured quantitatively, can be found.
To find latent needs from opinions that cannot be quantified.
That is the 'qualitative' way of thinking.

Let's master both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

So, in what kind of cases should they be used differently?
Both quantitative and qualitative approaches have their uses.
It's not a matter of just using one or the other.
It's on a case-by-case basis.
Only by mastering both can you accurately identify needs.

First, quantitative data is used when 'the results are somewhat predictable, and you want to confirm them'.
Let's say you've already sold some products.
Then, a hypothesis like 'this might be the case' emerges.
It's useful when verifying such hypotheses.

Qualitative data is used to explore 'needs hidden deep in the customer's mind that even they are unaware of'.
You want to create an unknown product.
Sales aren't growing, but you don't know why.
Various cases can be considered for needs that customers themselves are unaware of.
Qualitative data is mainly useful when it's impossible to foresee things with just predictions or numbers.
It demonstrates its power when digging up needs that are deeper.

At first glance, when it comes to uncovering latent needs, the latter, qualitative impression, is strong.
However, it is effective precisely because both the former and the latter are used together.
Identify potential needs with a qualitative approach, and gain conviction with a quantitative approach.
You might want to design such a workflow.
Both demonstrate reliable effects precisely because they are used differently depending on the situation and case.

Association method for considering the essence

In addition to the well-known quantitative and qualitative methods, what we often use is an association game.

Speaking of games, you might get a cheap impression, but these are not to be underestimated.
For example, when you want to create a new product for the world.
Considering the essence of a product, you will eventually arrive at an unknown product.

For example, a television.
If you say you want to create a new television, what would everyone think?
In this case, we thoroughly discuss 'what shape of television is most convenient'.

A television receives radio waves and displays programs.
It's such a simple tool, but precisely because of that, the scope for convenient evolution will also widen.
As a result of the discussion, let's say we defined the following points.

• 'Anytime, anywhere'
• 'Easy to carry'
• 'Unobtrusive'

If there were such a television, it would be very convenient, let's say that was the conclusion.
So, what shape of television would realize these functions?

Currently, televisions and displays are becoming thinner and thinner.
The ideal is that the first stage would be to have a television that can be rolled up and carried like a 'sheet'.
As for the second stage, it's not even having a sheet.
For example, how about a 'ring' that projects images into space in some form?
Perhaps 'glasses' that allow you to watch programs by wearing them directly on your head would also be good.
(Although this article was first posted in 2015, glasses have been realized in the form of MR, haven't they?)

A TV is originally meant to receive radio waves and display images.
Its shape can be anything.

This time, I gave the example of a TV, but this is just one example.
For each product, consider 'what shape is most convenient'.
Depending on your creativity, anything could be redeveloped, couldn't it?
What is the most convenient shape for a desk? What is the most convenient shape for a chair?
What about cars? What about music players?
There are various products in the world.
Once you thoroughly discuss 'the most convenient shape', ideas will flow endlessly.

This way of thinking can also be applied to marketing.

For example, if a certain product isn't selling, why isn't it selling?
What is the shape that users who purchase that product most want to buy, and what is the easiest purchasing path?
The 'essence of not selling' and the 'essence of selling' should be thoroughly discussed.
Once an ideal path is found, please try to implement it.
Surprisingly, the answer might be found within such simple discussions.

Social Listening

Quantitative, qualitative, and discussions that delve into the essence.
I have talked about methods for discovering latent needs.

Even with the content I have written so far, you can sufficiently approach latent needs.
However, I will introduce two more convenient methods.

First, social listening.

Currently, as the internet revolution progresses, a vast number of customer voices and opinions are scattered across the internet.
Various social networks have emerged, starting with Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Bulletin boards, review sites, search engines, and other platforms.
If you thoroughly gather information from these sources, you can obtain a vast amount of "real" information.
As a result, you can even arrive at very important facts.
A method of thoroughly collecting and analyzing opinions and information on the internet.
That is precisely what is called "social listening".

Complaints that, in the past, could only be gathered at call centers.
Complaints obtained from surveys and interviews.
And even new ideas.
It has become a world where they can be discovered by looking across the internet.

Moreover, posts and tweets on the internet can sometimes express more honest feelings than when speaking to people.
Rather than receiving complaints at a call center, information on the internet can help find problems faster.
By anticipating, it is even possible to discover and address potential needs and areas for improvement.

Furthermore, social listening does not require extensive prior preparation.
It can be implemented immediately from internet search windows and social network connections.
If you want to research customer opinions and needs, why not try searching online?
Even social listening alone is very profound, so if you are interested, please study it.

Ethnography

A method of immersing oneself in a specific group and continuously observing the group over a long period.
That is ethnography.

For example, if you want to think about marketing for university students, you immerse yourself in a group of university students and observe them.
If you want to gather information about marketing for housewives, you immerse yourself in a group of housewives and observe them.

You immerse yourself in the actual group and thoroughly observe their behavior.

For example, there was a company that created an app for university students.
An employee of that company carried out ethnography by attending university.
The long-term investigation focused mainly on two points.

• How university students use the app.
• How they use their smartphones.

As a result of thoroughly observing these, several ideas were born.
As a result, improvements were made, and there was an example where the number of downloads rapidly increased.

If you want to know more about your target, you need to immerse yourself in the target group.
It can be said to be the most rational, field-oriented approach that brings you closer to latent needs.

Ethnography is not something that can be done easily.
Unlike social listening as introduced earlier, it is a method that requires both preparation and time.
However, it is a method that can achieve significant results.
If you have ample budget and time, why not give it a try?

Summary

There are still many ways to uncover latent needs.
To our knowledge, there are over 20 methods, and each method is used differently depending on the situation.

However, what you must always be aware of is that 'the ability to think for yourself' is a major premise.

Most important are the ability to analyze data, opinions, thoughts, and emotions, and the power of ideation.
Problem-solving thinking, innate intelligence, logical thinking, design thinking, art thinking, critical thinking.
Methods for improving thinking skills have also become a boom in recent years.
While there are various methods, there is no doubt that your own thinking ability and execution power will determine the results.

Routinely observe and analyze something, and consider why it is that way.
Then, think about ideas like 'I would do it this way' or 'It would be interesting if we did this'.
It is important to get used to pulling ideas from your own head.
If you routinely train your observation and thinking skills, you can master any method.

The method for discovering latent needs that we introduced this time will be useful.

However, first, do not rely solely on methodology; repeatedly think with your own mind.
Only when you can deepen your thoughts on your own will the methods truly come alive effectively.
By all means, try to discover latent needs by making full use of your thinking skills, imagination, and methods.