Research Tips
Time-Based Trends
Most organizations track revenue and costs over time, but analyzing other types of data over time can also provide important insights about emerging threats and opportunities. For example, an organization that tracks customer satisfaction over time might discover that while their satisfaction rating is high, it is declining, or an organization that tracks its brand’s awareness might discover that it is increasing with a particular customer group.
Other types of information to consider tracking over time include:
- Prices (for the organization’s products and services as well as competitors’).
- The number of retail outlets or other distributors stocking a particular product.
- Advertising expenditures, awareness, and recall for the organization and its competitors.
- Customer complaints.
- Product returns.