Construction, building materials & equipment

Designing products to meet customer needs

The client was developing its ‘next generation’ of telescopic handlers for the construction and agriculture industries.
The research involved a blend of qualitative (face-to-face) and quantitative (telephone + online) interviews with businesses which currently use these machines, covering UK, France, Spain and Italy. Respondents were those who specify which makes and models are purchased.
The results were used by the client’s engineering team to guide the development of a product platform that is fully in-tune with customer needs in these sectors. In particular, our choice-based analysis informed critical decisions on which features and benefits should be incorporated within the new machine models and (equally important) which should be rejected as of little real value to customers, or alternatively offered as ‘optional extras’ that customers can select (and pay for) beyond the base specification.

Customer needs, perceptions & brand positioning

A project on behalf of a manufacturer of roof membrane products used in construction projects (a roof membrane is used to provide a protective barrier against rain and moisture penetration, traditionally positioned just under the roof battens and external covering).
The client needed to define a clear brand positioning and market communication strategy, by obtaining an in-depth understanding of the decision making and specification process for its products; and a clear view of current attitudes towards them in the market (and also those of competitor products/suppliers).
The project used a two stage - qualitative then quantitative - approach amongst roofing contractors across France, Germany and the UK, in order to understand key issues and position them in order of importance and prioritise the actions needed.
The results of the research highlighted differences in how the client’s brand was perceived across these countries, including the identification of a different ‘priority hierarchy’ for the roofing elements of new-build vs renovation projects.

Profiling customer attitudes & perceptions

The client was a manufacturer of plaster, plasterboard and drywall systems. In the UK the company was most strongly associated with plasterboard, but needed market research in order to assist in its business growth in relation to ‘loose’ plaster.
One issue was the colour of the plaster – white – rather than the traditional pink in the UK, and the client wished to explore to what degree this would impede sales (if at all) amongst the notoriously conservative UK trade audience. The research also looked into the use of/attitudes towards projection plastering as opposed to hand applied methods.
The survey fieldwork comprised telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire amongst architects & specifiers; plus a parallel project amongst building contractors and plasterers.
The results identified overall perceptions of the client company and its products amongst these target groups; and highlighted the main priorities governing product selection amongst customers in this sector, allowing the client to tailor its marketing communications and product promotion to best effect.

Unified customer satisfaction measurement

Our client is a leading independent builders’ merchants and tool hire company - supplying building, plumbing and timber materials to the construction industry in the UK.
The company was looking to engage with its most important and valued customers, in order to gain a better understanding of how their needs might be changing over time; and how the client company can serve their needs better in future!
The research involved parallel customer satisfaction surveys across both the merchant and tool hire divisions of the company, using the same methodology and questioning scales so that the results for different parts of the business could be easily compared (down to individual depot level).
Whilst competitive pricing was clearly of top line (unprompted) importance, the research highlighted the core importance of businesses quickly ‘getting their hands on’ the products they need (i.e. a wide product/brand range and efficient product availability & delivery) in governing supplier selection.

Usage & attitude studies

The client was a manufacturer of a wide range of power tools used in the building & construction trades.
The research involved a series of three similar projects targeting three different audiences: building contractors, civil engineering contractors and interior finishing companies. The aim was to create an accurate profile of the types and brands of tools owned and/or hired by these types of companies, plus to identify the main drivers of the decision making process and, in particular, the influence of ‘brand’ in tool choice. Particular focus was given to hand-held electrical power tools and laser leveling and measuring tools.
A total of 450 x 15-minute telephone interviews were carried out across a representative range of business types and sizes.
The client was able to gauge the scale and nature of market opportunity in relation to these specific tool types and to assess the potential value of its brand in developing sales in this area. In addition, the research provided tactical information on customer priorities and also allowed the client to explore the feasibility of establishing a tool hire aspect to its business.

Brand positioning and strategy

A project for a supplier of adhesives and sealants for industrial and manufacturing applications. Following a series of acquisitions, the client was operating a wide range of different brands covering specific product areas, each with its own image and character in the market. The company was reviewing its future branding strategy, in particular the scope to ‘unify’ under an over-arching parent brand.
Research was needed to establish current perceptions of each of the client’s brands (compared with competitor brands); with two complimentary elements undertaken in parallel: a qualitative stage of in-depth interviews with the key distributors; and a quantitative stage of 100 telephone interviews with end-users of adhesives/sealants in four main applications – HVAC, fire protection, asbestos abatement; and general purpose building/fixing.
The results gave a clear picture of the current positioning of both the corporate brand and the other individual brands operated by the company; and also highlighted the danger of a ‘clean-break’ in branding – pointing more towards an initial corporate/sub-branding approach, with a view to eventual re-branding as a gradual process over a longer term.

New product development

The client, a manufacturer of building products and materials, was considering launching a new partition wall system for use in building areas that require a high level of impact/abrasion resistance (in excess of BS 5234 ‘Severe duty’ level), e.g. hospital corridors, school classrooms, etc.
The project involved 200 x telephone interviews with architects & specifiers and dry-lining contractors who work on commercial, industrial and/or public sector building projects and have recent experience of specifying/installing partition walls in robust applications.
The research results established the key features and benefits that would make the product attractive in the market and indicated a high level of interest in adopting the new system. Our analysis identified the ‘gaps’ in the market not served by existing competitor products and how the new partition system could best be configured to meet these ‘unmet needs’.

Product tests and clinics

Our client had developed a new model of petrol-powered cut-off saw which it considered had significant advantages over existing saws – yet this was not being translated into increased market share and ‘dislodging’ the market leading tool. The research aimed to find out why not.
We recruited ‘pairs’ of respondents (one a purchase decision-maker; one a hands-on user of cut-off saws) from building & civil engineering contractors, to participate together in an extended (1½ hour) interview at selected locations within the client’s branch network.
The research represented a thorough and detailed examination of the new tool in comparison with alternative models, and in particular helped our client to really get to grips with typical applications and some of the ‘trade-offs’ customers make between power, weight, noise levels and price when selecting this type of tool.

Customer satisfaction monitoring

The client was one of the leading manufacturers of insulated roof systems and insulated wall and façade systems. The company recognised the need to maintain its customer focus and, as part of this process, commissioned independent research to track customer satisfaction levels over time.
The research comprised a telephone survey of 400 customers across the client’s main European markets. Respondents were building contractors, including structural steel fabricators and specialist roofing and cladding contractors. Within each, the targets were those responsible for either the purchase and/or specification of insulation board and panels.
A key part of the research output was a set key performance indicators and an ‘index’ measure of overall performance, weighted to reflect customers’ priorities and the key drivers of customer satisfaction.
The research results allowed the client company to understand how it was performing on a range of areas across the supply chain process; and to prioritise improvements in its service.

Building Information Modelling (BIM)

A project on behalf of a major building products manufacturer looking into Building Information Modelling (BIM).
The overall objective was to gain a better understanding current attitudes, practices and priorities in relation to BIM; and so ensure that the company’s BIM ‘deliverables’ are fully in-line with what the market expects and needs (and how the these can best be developed in future).
The research was entirely qualitative in nature and involved 10 x F2F in-depth interviews with (mainly larger) Main Contractors in the UK; specifically targeting those who currently use BIM in their design and construction processes.
The research results contributed to our client’s drive to increase competitive advantage through its BIM offering.

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