Recent advances in digital video technology have made it possible for Actionspeak to take qualitative marketing research to an entirely new level.

 

We use tiny, sophisticated video cameras – about the size of a quarter – which customers can easily and comfortably wear. Hands-free, no-fuss, unobtrusive, the camera disappears into the background. As a result, people by and large forget about the process and end up behaving quite naturally. Read research participant comments »

The camera is usually positioned on the torso of research participants. Shooting through a pinhole, the wide-angle lens captures all action directly in front of the wearer. Often audio is recorded as well.

 

As a practical matter, it is sometimes necessary to conceal the camera; for example, to avoid detection by store employees, or to ensure the process does not distract research participants. To hide the camera, Actionspeak customizes gear such as bags, backpacks, or vests. We vary each set-up to maintain discreteness.

 

Actionspeak only conducts research in environments where clients give us explicit permission to implement our approach. We do not record inside competitors’ stores. Our videos are used primarily as memory aids – not intelligence-gathering tools.

We receive lots of positive feedback from research participants involved in Actionspeak studies. Below are some comments describing the experience: