Do we really know what motivates technology purchases around the world? One device manufacturer sought to get to the root of that question with a global customer framework that could predict what product any shopper was most likely to purchase. Understanding that the features people looked for were outcomes, not motivators, we went around the world to interview customers from all walks of life, talking to them about their goals, relationships, lifestyles, and priorities, then observing how that translated to their device purchases.

With our hypothesis DNA differentiators identified, we launched a global study of almost 20,000 device buyers. Each respondent went shopping for their next device in our online simulator, then answered an extensive battery of questions about themselves, their lifestyle, and their next computer. Using Bayesian analysis, we analyzed how these questions predicted purchases, and came up with an elegant (and mobile friendly) eight-question tool to identify their next device. The manufacturer was delighted with this and the 6 primary DNA profiles we delivered, and used it to both target their most likely buyers and design new products based on their priorities.