Insights
Research notes, guides, and original findings
Topics include purchase barriers, moderation, brand tracking, category entry points, IHUTs, tariffs, consumer surveys, and AI-assisted research.
- 19 articles
- Written by Russell researchers
Browse by research topic
Journey, CX & B2B Research
Where do buyers hesitate, and what helps them keep going?
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Announcement
Russell Research Expands B2B Research Capabilities Through Focus Crossroads Acquisition of Zintro Assets
Focus Crossroads, a Russell Research company, has acquired key assets from Zintro, including its B2B expert network and Concierge Program.
Marc Goulet · September 9, 2026
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Guide
5 Overlooked Components of Successful Purchase Journey Research
Trigger events, emotion, category needs, post-purchase behavior, and personas can explain why similar purchases follow very different paths.
Marc Goulet · June 17, 2022
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Guide
10 Tips to Improve B2B Research
Ten lessons from thousands of Russell B2B studies, covering recruitment, gatekeepers, interview length, incentives, and video-based qualitative work.
Marc Goulet · March 10, 2022
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Guide
5 Tips to Get the Most Value from Purchase Barriers Research
Purchase-barriers research should include the right audiences, a credible barrier list, measures of prevalence, useful segments, and possible responses.
Marc Goulet · October 1, 2021
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Point of View
The Customer Journey in the Time of Pandemic
A January 2021 look at how pandemic-era behavior changed purchase journeys, preserved as a historical perspective on journey research during disruption.
Eric Hunter · January 12, 2021
Brand & Messaging
What is changing in brand performance, and why?
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Point of View
Connecting Brands to Buying Situations
An introduction to category entry points (CEPs), mental availability, and ways to measure brand recall in specific buying situations.
Marc Goulet · February 12, 2026
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Point of View
Is Your Brand Tracking Study Pulling Its Strategic Weight?
Five ways to keep a long-running brand tracker comparable while adding the market context needed to interpret changes in awareness, use, and preference.
Eric Hunter · November 9, 2021
AI-Augmented Research
Where can AI help in a study, and what should a researcher check?
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Point of View
AI in Research: Personas and Synthetic Data
AI personas and synthetic data can support exploration after a study, but their outputs remain directional and should not be presented as measured respondent evidence.
Marc Goulet · June 5, 2025
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Point of View
AI in Research: Data Analysis and Survey Probing
Two defined uses of AI in research: querying study data and selecting follow-up probes for open-ended survey responses.
Marc Goulet · April 8, 2025
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Trend Report
Who's Using AI-Based Text Generators and for What?
A February 2023 survey of 3,000+ U.S. adults captured early awareness, familiarity, and use of AI text generators at the start of their mainstream adoption.
Jane Snyder · March 2, 2023
Innovation, Pricing & Market Decisions
Which ideas are worth pursuing, and how should they be priced?
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Point of View
Pricing Research in an Evolving Tariff Environment
When tariffs complicate planning, discrete choice modeling can test how buyers respond to changes in price, size, materials, and competing offers.
Marc Goulet · April 29, 2025
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Guide
7 Ways to Improve an In-Home Usage Test (IHUT)
A downloadable guide to product handling, participant instructions, engagement, compliance, and technology in in-home usage tests.
Warren Comunale · March 4, 2025
Qualitative Methods & Frameworks
How can qualitative research get beyond the first answer?
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Point of View
Interviewer or Moderator?
A group moderator has to manage interaction, energy, and competing voices. Those skills differ from conducting a one-on-one interview.
Sean Jecko · October 2, 2024
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Point of View
How to Plan an Activation Workshop
An activation workshop gives stakeholders time to interpret research together, settle disagreements, set priorities, and agree on next steps.
Jane Snyder · May 18, 2023
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Framework
Using the Relationship Stage Framework in Brand Research
Levinger's ABCDE relationship model offers qualitative researchers an analogy for studying how customers discover, adopt, question, and leave brands.
Jane Snyder · April 10, 2023
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Framework
Using the Habits Framework in Qualitative Research
The Habits Framework gives qualitative researchers a practical way to examine the cues, behaviors, and rewards behind repeated product use.
Christine Holt · February 1, 2023
Consumer Trends
What is changing in how people live and buy?
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Trend Report
Black Friday — Beyond the Hype
A November 2023 survey of 1,000 U.S. adults measured Black Friday shopping plans, information sources, and reasons for taking part.
Warren Comunale · November 15, 2023
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Trend Report
Interest in Women-Led Entertainment and the Brands Around It
A September 2023 survey measured interest in women-led entertainment and attitudes toward brands associated with those experiences.
Deanna Wert · September 29, 2023
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Trend Report
COVID-19 and Everyday Life: The Tracker Archive
An index of 29 national survey installments Russell published between March 2020 and May 2021 as daily routines changed during the pandemic.
Russell Research · May 24, 2021
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