The nature of Business-to-Business (B2B) buying is complicated. Purchase journeys are long and fluid – products, services, and selling propositions need to be more compelling – and the pressure on decision-makers to make the right decision can be immense. Within this complex landscape, however, it is important to remember that decision-makers are human beings too. Decision-makers have personal drivers and motivators, and they value feeling seen and heard.
Organisations need to make a greater effort to have a deeper understanding of their potential clients’ wants, needs, desires, and challenges. This deeper understanding is what we call thick data in anthropology. The term ‘thick data’ is brought to light using qualitative, ethnographic research methods that uncover people’s emotions, stories, and models of their worlds – the sticky stuff that is difficult to quantify but allows us to form a complete picture of the customer.
Most organisations are becoming increasingly aware that in order to move the needle with potential clients, they can no longer rely solely on quantitative data, which may reveal patterns and trends relating to human behaviour but is largely void of context and emotions. We now know thick data is critical in building empathy and understanding customers’ emotional daily lives.
Ultimately, we need to remember that what compels a potential client to choose a business over its competitors lies in human connections and thick data allows us to explore what that means.
To read more about Demographica’s Business Anthropology, visit https://demographica.co.za/business-anthropology
Written by Chiedza Gwanzura, Business Anthropology Manager at Demographica and Co-Founder of Labyrinth Behaviour Collective (a standalone B2B and B2C research division of Demographica)
