Citation:
Keith Goffin and Fred Lemke, Uncovering your customer's hidden needs, European Business Forum, June 22, 2004, issue 18, (Summer) pp45-47
Abstract:
Capturing the ‘voice of the customer’ is an essential stage of any new product
development. However, the way companies ‘listen’ to their customers is changing
as managers realise end users are often unable to articulate their needs and
focus groups seldom lead to breakthrough product ideas. The SONY Walkman is a
clear example of a new product that resulted from insights into customers’
hidden needs rather than from market research. It is not that market research is
bad per se, rather that it is in need of a complete overhaul in many orga