Independer
Community research: Independer builds a better customer journey.
Case Information
The Question
How does Independer stay relevant for the consumer?
With over 2 million monthly visitors, Independer.nl is the largest online comparison site for financial products and services in the Netherlands. Initially aiming for transparency, Independer now seeks to be more than just a comparison platform. The question is: what deeper consumer needs exist, and how can the brand address these with an optimised customer journey for financial services?
The Challenge
Why removing customer journey barriers is harder than it looks.
Consumers opt for products that are relevant and ‘easy to buy,’ often influenced by unconscious emotions. Removing barriers is a powerful way to add value but requires profound insight into the customer journey’s context. The challenge was to make this transparent, going beyond the superficial ‘what’ questions.
The approach
Community research: from funnel to ideal customer journey.
We developed and deployed a unique community research platform to unravel customer journeys across health, mobility, and housing. The two-week programme broadly explored emotions and associations, then specifically tested identified barriers. This provided a step-by-step comprehensive picture of consumer experience and obstacles.
the result
Prioritising opportunities and actions for Independer.
The community delivered in-depth insights into the emotional and functional aspects of customer journeys. Through analysis and workshop sessions, we collaborated with Independer to identify, prioritise, and translate key barriers into concrete next steps that directly add value to their services.
Impact of the result
How insight led to action.
Optimise the customer journey for health insurance.
Understanding emotional barriers and unconscious choices allows Independer to make journey steps more efficient and customer-friendly, leading to higher conversion rates.
Strengthen credibility as a knowledge partner.
Actively removing barriers and assisting consumers positions Independer not just as a comparison site but as a reliable advisor, thereby increasing brand loyalty.
Develop new service propositions.
The deep analysis of needs and pain points provides Independer with concrete starting points for developing innovative services that directly address what consumers truly want.
Improve internal decision-making.
Validated insights from community research offer a solid foundation for strategic choices, ensuring product development and marketing campaign decisions are data-driven.
Related cases.
What is community research and how does it help with customer journeys?
Community research comprehensively maps customers’ emotional and functional experiences over time. This aids customer journeys through continuous interaction, accurately identifying unconscious drivers, highlights, and pain points for improvement.
Why is the context of customer journey barriers important?
The context of barriers reveals the ‘why’ behind problems, which is crucial for effective solutions. Working within a community shows how consumers experience steps, the emotions at play, and unconscious choices guiding their behaviour, beyond just the superficial ‘what.’
How does community research translate insights into concrete actions?
Insights from community research are converted into concrete next steps through interactive analysis sessions and action-oriented workshops with the client. Jointly mapping customer journeys and prioritising barriers leads to actionable strategies for removing obstacles and adding value.
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