01
Field research with real decision-makers
Reduces the risk of entering new markets: the roadmap rests on real behavioral evidence from B2B retail, not on assumption.
Field research in consumer goods, around the world
We conducted in-person UX research and ethnographic research across 13 countries and 5 continents for a major beverage multinational with a global footprint and a portfolio of leading brands. We mapped how small and mid-sized retail actually operates, decides and buys these categories in markets with distinct cultural, economic and operational dynamics.
- Global Research
- Field Research
- B2B Marketplace
A major beverage multinational, operating in more than 100 countries, set out to expand its digital B2B marketplace into new territories. The challenge: to understand how each market operates, decides and buys in the category, considering deeply distinct cultural, economic and operational dynamics.
13
COUNTRIES
researched
5
CONTINENTS
reached
60+
ESTABLISHMENTS
heard in the field
39
OPPORTUNITIES
identified for the business
What we deliver
02
Ethnographic research applied to market expansion
Ethnographic research delivers concrete product and revenue opportunities, already ranked by impact and feasibility, ready for decision.
03
Product the consumer goods market actually adopts
Product decisions rest on how retail actually places orders, manages stock and deals with suppliers, reducing effort spent on what would not be used.
04
UX research insights for prioritization
A comparative view across markets shows where to invest first and how to adapt the offer to each country, culture and level of market maturity.
05
In-person research in mature, emerging and frontier markets
Field research reaches capitals, peripheries, informal trade and mature markets, in the real context of each operation.
We talk to the people who move retail
We conducted ethnographic research in 13 countries and 5 continents. We visited 60+ small retailers, wholesalers, specialized distributors and regional channels (corner shops, spaza shops, sari-sari stores, beverage depots and other local formats). We mapped purchase behaviors in the category, the role of supply-chain intermediaries, and the specific barriers to digitalization in each market.
Store owners
Store managers
Beverage wholesalers
Regional distributors
Field sales reps
What we learned in the field
Researching the whole world reveals patterns that repeat wherever consumer goods retail operates. Four learnings that changed decisions:
Traditional trade is infrastructure, not residue.
In emerging markets, informal and neighborhood retail is the backbone of consumption. Treating it as a community hub changes how the opportunity is sized.
Being online means different things in each market.
For many merchants, online means a message, a call or a chat app, not an ordering platform. That redefines the assumptions around adoption.
Human relationships are part of the purchase.
In beverages, wholesalers and sales reps still influence what makes it into the fridge. The opportunity is not to replace that relationship, but to integrate it into the digital.
Pain points concentrate in specific stages.
Looking at the planning, ordering and delivery journey, it becomes clear that friction is not evenly distributed. That allows prioritizing opportunities by real impact.
In-person research in any market
No matter the country, the culture or the level of market maturity. We conduct in-person research where behavior actually happens.
Every study returns to the business what matters most: clarity to decide and opportunities to grow, anchored in real market behavior.
Want to understand how your customer really buys, in any market in the world?
We conduct UX research and ethnographic research where behavior actually happens.
Let's talk