Expert workshop - Methodology of customer demand research for wood and furniture products
Place: Sárvár, Tinódi étterem (Sárvár, Hunyadi u. 11.)
Date: 28th March 2018
Program:
8:45 – 9:00 Arrival, registration
9:00 – 9:15 Greeting
9:15 – 10:45 General methodology of customer demand survey, trend research practice
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30 Criteria for target group definition
12:30 – 13:15 Lunch
13:15 – 14:45 Defining customer demand research methodology and target group, collecting suggestions
14:45 – 15:00 Coffee break
15:00 – 16:30 Preparing a work plan, formulating suggestions
16:30 – 17:00 Summary
The workshop was welcomed by Katalin Schmidt, president of PANFA AIK. She then presented the agenda, briefly summarized the tasks facing the participants, and she wished them a good and effective work. She also asked those present to take an active part, both with questions during the lectures and by sharing their opinions when formulating the suggestions, in order to produce valuable outputs by the end of the day, which will form the basis for the most successful implementation of customer demand research. Dr. Éva Bednárik, representing the organizer SorMinta Kft., introduced the main goal of the workshop: to discuss the complex issues of the research process planned on the potential customer side, to design the trend research methodology and to prepare a work plan. Understanding the social phenomena to be examined and their impact in the field of furniture purchase supports the establishment of an environment conducive to innovation among SMEs. The research examines the demand side, complementing the earlier analysis of supply in the project.
Then the general methods of customer needs assessment were presented. Several questions have been asked by entrepreneurs about which method is best able to reveal the motivations behind consumer decisions. There is a need for more methodologies that help understand current customer trends and enable future trends to be identified.
After a short coffee break Dr. Éva Bednárik continued the program with a presentation on the criteria for defining the target group. She talked about the advantages and disadvantages of each research method. A number of questions were raised in the audience about the characteristics of the target groups.
Some of the questions were about the impact of the already visible social phenomena on customer decisions, as well as about the importance of studying fashion effects and lifestyles, defining the target groups to be determined. After lunch, Péter György Horváth gave a lecture on designer trends in the furniture market.
Following this the collecting of recommendations for the methodology of customer demand research began, moderated by Dr. Éva Bednárik. The main questions and statements that determined the workshop were:
- "To what extent should the research focus on the existing target group and on the emergingcustomer group based on new trends?”
- "How broad should it be?"
- „Who should the research address, who should be the target group?”
- „What is the weight of each target group in the research?"
- „What topics can be investigated by secondary, which by primary research?”
- „What research methodological tools are available and necessary in the questionnaire?”
- „What questions do you suggest in the questionnaire?
After the coffee break, the participants formulated their ideas on the work plan for the customer needs assessment. In this section, the main focus was on issues and debates concerning the target group, such as the comparability of the preferences of an Austrian or a Hungarian consumer, it would be advisable to examine them separately, how deep the immersion would be from each target group.
As the closing of the day, Dr. Éva Bednárik summarized the findings, the concerted ideas as a result of the joint work and indicated that they would welcome the participants to the next workshop on the results of the research, the results of customer behavior.
At the workshop we provided care for the participants: 2 coffee breaks (snack buffet with mineral water, coffee, tea) and a two-course menu lunch.