Blogs by Bonnie Janzen

2023

• 26Sep

  Turning Big Troubles Into Business Opportunities— 12 Options To Explore
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Your new product should be selling like "hot cakes" but isn't?

  Where do you turn for diagnosing product issues? Shoppers' unconscious needs often drive purchase decisions—but hitting a rough patch is an area of opportunity. It is important to understand the unstated and underlying needs that the customer or shopper may not even be consciously aware of, sometimes described as System 1 Thinking.
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• 1Sep

  6 Strategies to Win Shoppers’ Hearts
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  It is critical that retailers remain relevant to keep an enduring place in the hearts and minds of consumers.

  So, how can you position your brand and your retail operation for success in the hypercompetitive and extremely fast-moving environment? When consulting with our retail clients, we focus on strategies in 6 key areas.
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• 10Jan

  If a Tree Falls in the Forest? by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Consider, if you will, the age-old question of “If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no human or animal to hear it, did it make a sound?”

  So, in a similar fashion, if the optimal consumer insight research is budgeted, approved, designed, and conducted to solve a business problem but there were no decisions made, and no action taken, what did it accomplish? Why should it exist?
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2022

• 27Jun

  Your Employees are The Key to Your Success! by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Employees are the lifeblood of any business. Fostering employee relationships is much like planting and caring for a garden.

  We want to create, maintain, and nurture each relationship between the company and its managers and its employees. Investing in employees’ growth and training as they take on new tasks and challenges is a crucial element of cultivating a successful company.
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• 20Jan

  What Do French Press Coffee And Great Consumer Insights Have In Common? by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Recently I was thinking about the similarities between coffee made with a French press and great consumer insights.

  To manage a successful business, you will need customer insights in order to inform the decisions that are being made on a daily basis regarding products, advertising, messaging, pricing, packaging, distribution, shelf displays, promotions, etc.
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2021

• 28Sep

  How to Succeed in a World Gone Supply Chain and Logistics Crazy! by Bonnie Janzen

  

  How can your organization manage the craziness in this world, given all the supply chain and logistics challenges? So how is a business supposed to succeed in the midst of all this chaos?

  Given all of these outside “unusual demands and supply chain constraints” on business, over-delivering on the customer experience can really pay off. Here are a few ideas to help you surprise and delight your customers during these times.
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• 13Jan

  Good Riddance To 2020 But Wait...Eight Positive Trends Worth Keeping For The Future by Bonnie Janzen

  

  2020 and its challenges have been extremely difficult to navigate!

  Despite the long list of negatives from 2020, there are several positive trends from the year, including: Strengthening relationships, Connecting with loved ones, Improving communication between teachers and students, Focusing on self-care and mental health, Continuing work-from-home/work remotely, etc.
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2020

• 30Sep

  The Joy of Innovation by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Remember the joy of discovery?

  You are the ‘voice of the customer’ in the organization, you are the starting point for innovation. You will be able to discover the consumer pain points, barriers to trial and usage and purchase journey, which will allow you to help your team and organization move customers beyond those pain points and barriers. You will be able to solve real-life problems for your customers, your employees, and any other stakeholder group that your business serves.
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• 14May

  7 Steps Out of the Unknown: Product & Branding Strategy by Bonnie Janzen

  

  There was so much promise and excitement at the start of the year and the decade, but now COVID-19 and its economic fallout has had tragic consequences for many companies and industries.

  Now we must pick ourselves up and find our way through what might be the biggest challenge an organization or industry has ever faced. These 7 steps will help you focus on reimaging your brand by focusing on your product roadmap and reviewing your brand positioning.
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• 30Jan

  Eight Ways to Kick-Start the Decade! by Bonnie Janzen

  

  As you start the New Year, you are not only saying hello to the beginning of a new year, but to a whole new decade!

  As you think about your career and your business, how can you have more of a positive impact on your business or career? Much as you approached your personal goals and resolutions for 2020, consider starting a list of your business goals and resolutions.
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2019

• 12Nov

  Planning for the Future by Bonnie Janzen

  

  We are taught to plan, to anticipate, to read reality.

  We are taught to make adjustments in our plans, and to continually do this as we prepare for the future. We do this every day in business. So how do we read the current state of reality? How do we plan and then make adjustments along the way? What do you do when the future that you had hoped for didn’t quite materialize as you expected? Or didn’t happen as quickly as you planned for?
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• 27Jun

  Key Strategy Questions by Bonnie Janzen

  

  “To be or not to be, that is the question” famously asked by Shakespeare’s Hamlet as he pondered the value of choosing life over death.

  In business, opposing positions (such as Hamlet’s) often lead to asking more marketing-nuanced versions of this question: What does your brand or your company wish to be? Or what does your brand or company not wish to be? The answers to these questions form the essence of your company’s strategy, and the answers can lead to corporate life or death as well.
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2018

• 24May

  Consumer Insights Driving Success in the “Customer Experience Economy”
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  So how should a brand or business evolve in the Experience Economy?

  It is always important to make business decisions steeped in a deep understanding of how the consumer feels and thinks about your brand or company. That is even more important today when consumers have more choices than ever.
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2017

• 21Oct

  How Innovation and Focusing on Millennials Can Fuel Growth
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  We know innovation is important.

  Let’s say management has determined that your company needs to evaluate how Millennials currently impact your business and how they will impact your business in years to come. How can you design innovative products and services for Millennials?
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• 17Jul

  Providing More Value
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Whether we work in a corporate environment or for an agency, we are all looking for ways to discover and provide better insights to our clients (either internal or external) so that they can excel in this highly competitive environment.

  The first step is to work on your relationships with your clients. They should feel comfortable discussing all the aspects around the business issues with you, whether they are “the good, the bad or the ugly.” Your past performance on previous client projects is the foundation of your relationship with them.
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• 21Mar

  Potential Business Opportunities in Cuba
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Now that U.S. travel restrictions have been eased, Americans are joining the mix of Canadians and Europeans who visit Cuba every year.

  The most obvious opportunity is the one for companies in the travel and tourism industries to serve customers eager to visit Cuba for the first time. Cuba’s proximity to the U.S., its natural beauty, and the ideal weather make it a great destination. The country has much more to offer that will appeal to American travelers: beaches, diverse architecture, baseball, cigars, rum, unique dining experiences, and exciting nightlife.
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2016

• 8Nov

  E-commerce. The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  The world of retail has always been fast-moving and ever-changing. E-commerce has accelerated this phenomenon. E-commerce is, in fact, the best thing since sliced bread!

  E-commerce is defined as commercial transactions conducted electronically on the Internet. E-commerce officially began in the United States back in the 1970s. In order to realize the promise of e-commerce, online security had to be improved. Secure socket layer (SSL) technology was introduced in 1994, followed by many other enhancements. By the year 2000, e-commerce was a $27.6 billion industry. By the year 2009, it had grown to $143.4 billion. By 2020, it is projected to be $523 billion. (Figures cited are for United States)
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• 25Aug

  Ethnography: How It Can Help You Win the Hearts of Your Customers
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen

  

  Ethnography is the study of human races and cultures, according to Merriam-Webster.

  It is "people watching" at a very basic level. In small-town America, previous generations used to go to Main Street after dinner, especially in the summer, to people watch. Those watching (the audience) would sit on a bench and observe couples and families as they walked up and down the street, this audience would notice neighbors and friends gathering and talking. Everyone did a little window shopping and stopped in old-fashioned drugstores for soda or ice cream. It was fun, entertaining, social, and educational, and even some business was conducted.
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• 1Jun

  Food Manufacturers Struggle with Right to Know GMOs law in Vermont
  Posted by Bonnie Janzen and Elizabeth Horn, Ph.D.

  

  Why should consumers all over the United States care about the packaging in Vermont?

  Over time, other states may adopt the Vermont laws (or similar legislation). Food and beverage companies are scrambling to respond to the changing legal landscape. Because of manufacturing/distribution limitations, any changes made to product labels to accommodate Vermont’s new law would likely be made for all products sold in the United States. Companies actively are seeking guidance to answer key questions:
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Contact Decision Analyst

If you would like more information on Marketing Research, please contact Bonnie Janzen by emailing bjanzen@decisionanalyst.com or calling 1-817-640-6166.

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