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Ethnography

Ethnographic consumer research for D2C and digital-first brands in India. In-home, in-context observation that explains why customers behave the way they do.

Ethnography is the firm’s signature method. The other services exist to extend it.

When to use this

Ethnography is the right method when the question is some version of why. Why do customers churn after order three? Why is our messaging working in Mumbai and failing in Indore? Why does the product test well in surveys and underperform in life? The answer to a why question is rarely an opinion — it is a behaviour, and behaviour is observed, not asked.

If your question is how many or what percentage, you want a quantitative study. We will happily refer you to a partner.

How we run it

Most engagements run two to three weeks, though timing scales with how widely the study is spread across locations — a focused study is faster, a large multi-city ethnography takes longer.

  1. Scoping. A working session with you and the team to agree on the business question, the segments to recruit, and the field locations. Output: a one-page brief that defines what success looks like.
  2. Recruitment. We recruit through community networks rather than agency panels. Panel respondents are too rehearsed; community respondents behave like themselves.
  3. Field. A typical study covers around 30 participants — guided by the research question, not by statistics. Large multi-city work has run to 100 participants and more. Each visit is two to three hours, in the participant’s own kitchen, living room, or workplace. The researcher writes a structured debrief the same day, while detail is still warm.
  4. Synthesis. Structured coding and pattern work alongside the field — not at the end. We don’t produce verbatim summaries; we produce a small number of claims with the evidence behind them.
  5. Debrief. A live debrief with your team where the findings are taken apart and translated into decisions. The conversation is the deliverable; the report is the artefact.

What you get

  • A clear report with the core findings, each defended with field evidence.
  • A live debrief with your team to translate findings into product, positioning, or pricing decisions.
  • The raw material behind the findings — video recordings, highlights, and edited clips you can show internally.

A note on cost

Pricing is built around scope — chiefly the number of participants and the number of locations. Ethnography is more expensive than a survey and less expensive than the wrong product launch. The most useful first step is a short call about your specific question, after which we scope it precisely.

Q&A

Frequently asked questions

How long does a typical engagement take?
Most engagements run two to three weeks, though it depends on the method and how widely the study is spread across locations. A large multi-city ethnography takes longer; a focused study is faster.
How many participants do you typically visit?
A typical study is around 30 participants, guided by the research question rather than statistics. Large, multi-city ethnographic studies have run to 100 or more.
What does it cost?
Pricing is built around scope — chiefly the number of participants and the number of locations. The most useful first step is a short call about your specific question, after which we scope it precisely.
How do you handle NDAs and data ownership?
We treat confidentiality and data ownership with strict clarity, agreed in writing before a project begins. Your data and findings are yours.
How is this different from a survey or a focus group?
Surveys and focus groups tell you what people say. Ethnography is built to uncover why — the reasons behind the behaviour, grounded in how people actually live. That tends to make the insight more scalable and more directly applicable to your decisions.
What do you actually deliver?
A clear report, a live debrief with your team, and the raw material behind the findings — video recordings, highlights, and edited clips.

Wondering if this is right for your question?

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