Informing e-commerce product and market strategy for a legacy lock brand
Timeline
3 weeks
Role
Quantitative Market Researcher
Team
Research Operation
Data Scientist
Methods
Survey
VoC (Voice of the Customer)
Competitive Analysis
TL;DR
I stepped in as an intern to take over this project after the lead researcher left unexpectedly. With the research methods set and the survey already designed, I partnered with Research Operation to recruit participants, cleaned and analyzed e-commerce data to inform product positioning and competitive analysis, and analyzed survey data to uncover customer needs. I turned the findings into a 24-page deck and presented it directly to the CPG client.
Client's Ask
How could a legacy lock brand stay competitive in a market shifting toward smart locks?
The client, a traditional lock manufacturer, was seeing sales of its mechanical door locks decline as smart locks gained ground.
Challenge
Uncovering both the what and the why with mixed methods on a tight timeline
Research Question 1
Where do the client’s products hold a competitive advantage?
| E-commerce Data Analysis | Conjoint / Pricing Study | Listing A/B Testing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time & cost | Built on existing e-commerce data, low cost |
Complex to design and analyze |
Needs store access, each test runs for weeks |
| Generalizability | Covers the whole category across platforms |
Quantifies trade-offs at scale |
Limited to the client’s own listings and shoppers |
| Depth of insight | Shows what sells, not why |
Preferences, not motivations |
Real purchase behavior, but only tests known ideas |
Research Question 2
Which customer needs remain unmet by current products?
| VoC (Voice of the Customer) | Survey | User Interviews | Focus Groups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time & cost | Fast to collect and code reviews |
Fast to field through the firm’s established panel |
Slow to recruit and schedule |
Costly to run and moderate |
| Generalizability | Thousands of real reviews |
Large sample, results generalize |
Small sample |
A few groups of 6 to 8 people |
| Depth of insight | Unprompted, in customers’ own words |
Shows what, less of why |
Rich context behind decisions |
Group dynamics can skew answers |
Recruiting
Partnering with Research Operation on the screener and recruiting message
Screener
Respondents qualified if they:
- Bought a mechanical door lock online in the past 12 months
- Did not work in the lock, security or market research industries
Quotas balanced:
- Gender
- City tier
- Household type (single, couple, family with kids, multi-generational)
- Income level
Analyzing
Partnering with Data Scientist on significance testing
Banner Table
Answers to each multiple-choice question were compared pairwise across user segments. A red letter after a number means that column’s percentage is significantly higher than the column with that letter.
For example, 57BC means 57% of under-25s chose feature, significantly more than the 25–34 (B) and 35–44 (C) groups.
Challenge
A table like this runs a large number of pairwise comparisons. At 95% confidence, about 5% of them will come out significant by chance alone.
So a stray significant result or two shouldn’t be over-read. The stronger signal is a consistent pattern, or a result that other data can confirm.
Key Insights
- 01Customers prioritize a quiet lock and easy installation.
- 02Needs are shaped by the room the lock is used in.
01Retrieve
- Past 12 months of data
- Client brand and competitors
- Mechanical door lock SKUs
02Calculate
- Annual sales revenue
- Year-over-year growth rate
- Breakdown by price tier and product feature
03Analyze
- Price tiers and features with high sales
- Price tiers and features with high growth
Key Insights
- 01Higher-priced products are growing faster.
- 02Premium products earn their price through design and materials.
Material
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum alloy
- Thermal-break aluminum
- Solid copper
uPVC Titanium-magnesium alloy Brass Solid copper Antique bronze Thermal-break aluminum Zinc alloy Square steel Stainless steel Pure copper Bronze Aluminum alloy Brass Pure copper Zinc alloy Antique bronze Square steel Solid copper Bronze
Function
- Anti-theft
- Silent
- Magnetic
- Invisible
Safety Keyless Adjustable Magnetic No drilling Smart Anti-pry Concealed lock Automatic Anti-theft Passcode Custom Fire-resistant Fingerprint Silent Waterproof Invisible Installation included Safety latch
Scene
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- Room
- Restroom / shower room
Restroom Basement Office Bathroom Indoor Toilet Kitchen Shower room Bedroom Front door Room Outdoor Home use Bath Kitchen Toilet Room Home use
Impact
Informed 5 product directions
The findings shaped five product directions for the client’s mechanical lock line.
Shifted e-commerce ad strategy
The findings prompted the client to change how it advertised on e-commerce platforms.
