✨How can card sorting help with brand research?

By Mehak B.

Have you ever wondered how companies can understand what customers think of their brand, what they enjoy, and how these views influence their purchasing decisions? 

We are living in an ever-changing world, thus understanding consumer perceptions, prefeages becomes more than ever important to comprehend. Nonetheless, uncovering the nuances of the perceptions can be a tedious task due to a lack of direction.

This is when card sorting comes into the picture and can be a lifesaver.

Traditionally, card sorting was used for information architecture, information can be sorted and organized using the card sorting method. Card sorting has long been used in brand research, but it is now commonly used in user experience (UX) design to enhance website navigation. With this technique, participants are given a deck of cards that each represent a different facet of a brand, such as a feature of a product, a value of the brand, or an image. Based on their observations, associations, and preferences, participants proceed to categorize these cards. 

In its deep essence, card sorting is used to organize and categorize information. A deck of cards representing various aspects of a brand, such as attributes of a product, brand values, or visual elements, is shown to participants as part of this technique. Next, using their relationships, preferences, and impressions, participants group these cards into categories.

But, how will it help the brand research?

• Finding Customer Perceptions: Sorting cards give organizations important information about how customers view their brand, its features, and its ideas. Through an assessment of participants' classifications of various brand components, companies can understand recurring themes and trends that offer an improved understanding of customer beliefs.
• Determining Brand Associations: By using card sorting activities, researchers can determine consumers' unconscious connections with a certain brand. Businesses can figure out what attributes and features people tend to associate with their brand by looking at how brand aspects seem throughout the sorting process. That data can then be used to inform messaging and brand identity efforts.
• Refinement of Brand Messaging: Businesses can enhance and optimize their communication and brand messaging by using card sorting. Businesses may adjust their message to effectively communicate their brand values and set themselves apart from competitors by learning which brand elements resonate most strongly with consumers and how people interpret the relationship between these factors.
• Re-directing Brand's Position: A good way to differentiate your brand in the market is to identify its areas of uniqueness and unique selling propositions (USPs). Similarly, card sorting can direct the creation of new goods and services that fit customer tastes and support a company's identity.

In the realm of branding, where companies are up against fierce competition, card sorting is an invaluable tool for understanding customers and enhancing deeper bonds. With its help, they may see through the haze of brand perception, make informed choices, and work towards consistent, long-term growth.

So get your cards right and happy researching!

Image by freepik