CustDev: online sales and customer feedback
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Technologies similar to Cookies
Similar technologies are technics or tools, using certain characteristics to identify devices so that visits to a website can be analyzed. It includes, for example, HTML5 local storage, local Shared objects, fingerprinting techniques, tracking pixels and plugins.
For ease of reference, cookies and similar technologies are referred as "Cookies".
Usage of Cookies
Cookies enable us to provide users with certain features and supply us with information about website visits.
We also make use of cookies to make our site more user-friendly, to better understand our existing and prospective customers, including associating a user with different devices and browsers that they may use for online targeting and advertising purposes.
Although the concept of CustDev originated in the start-up environment, the essence of the methodology — understanding customer needs, behaviour, motivation and barriers — is applicable in trade, as well as in small and medium-sized businesses.
Customer Development (CD or CustDev) is not a survey, but heart-to-heart conversations with real or potential customers. Open-ended questions, active listening, searching for true motivation, the ability to ask the right questions, listen and draw conclusions. The goal of CustDev in online sales is not statistics, but finding recurring patterns (phrases, emotions, barriers) and increasing the average cheque.
Customer Development (CD or CustDev) is not a survey, but heart-to-heart conversations with real or potential customers. Open-ended questions, active listening, searching for true motivation, the ability to ask the right questions, listen and draw conclusions. The goal of CustDev in online sales is not statistics, but finding recurring patterns (phrases, emotions, barriers) and increasing the average cheque.
CustDev and misconceptions
CustDev is most often discussed in terms of large numbers and big companies: you need to survey a hundred people, process the data, build graphs — and only then take action. This gives the impression that the methodology is not applicable to small and medium-sized businesses. Fincraft Capital Czech Republic argues that this is a common misconception.
Yes, mass surveys are important, but at the scaling stage. If you are just opening a shop, testing a niche, selling your first products or services, depth is much more important than breadth. Why did the customer choose you? Why did they go to a competitor? Why didn't they click the ‘Buy’ button? How are they solving the problem now, what are they unhappy with, what are they willing to pay for? This is where CustDev comes in handy.
For small and medium-sized businesses, CustDev does not require hundreds of questionnaires. At the start, it is enough to conduct 5-7 in-depth interviews, several short post-purchase surveys, analyse calls and chats, and track behaviour on the website (web analytics, heat maps).
Yes, mass surveys are important, but at the scaling stage. If you are just opening a shop, testing a niche, selling your first products or services, depth is much more important than breadth. Why did the customer choose you? Why did they go to a competitor? Why didn't they click the ‘Buy’ button? How are they solving the problem now, what are they unhappy with, what are they willing to pay for? This is where CustDev comes in handy.
For small and medium-sized businesses, CustDev does not require hundreds of questionnaires. At the start, it is enough to conduct 5-7 in-depth interviews, several short post-purchase surveys, analyse calls and chats, and track behaviour on the website (web analytics, heat maps).
Online store. CustDev: ‘getting inside the head’ of the buyer
It's a fairly typical story. The website is up and running, optimised, getting traffic, customers are filling their baskets, but there are few orders. Or there is no stability: one day there are 10 sales, the next there are none. Why?
CustDev helps you understand how customers choose products and at what stage they ‘leave’. It helps you understand not metrics. And it's not about AB testing and SEO, but about people and their choices. What they see, think and feel at that moment. Five candid conversations will give you more than a week of Google Analytics analysis. Because numbers show ‘where,’ and CustDev shows ‘why.’ Sometimes a single phrase, ‘I don't understand the difference between these two products...’ can explain where half of your orders are going.
What to ask:
CustDev helps you understand how customers choose products and at what stage they ‘leave’. It helps you understand not metrics. And it's not about AB testing and SEO, but about people and their choices. What they see, think and feel at that moment. Five candid conversations will give you more than a week of Google Analytics analysis. Because numbers show ‘where,’ and CustDev shows ‘why.’ Sometimes a single phrase, ‘I don't understand the difference between these two products...’ can explain where half of your orders are going.
What to ask:
- Why did you choose this product?
- What prevented you from placing an order?
- What is important when buying: price, delivery, reviews, brand?
- Did you have any doubts, and if so, what were they?
There are no impulse purchases in B2B. Every customer is logic, numbers, and risks, according to the experts at Fincraft Capital dropshipping. CustDev helps you understand how and who makes decisions about choosing a particular supplier. It also reveals what is wrong with your offers and what no one is telling you directly. You may be surprised to learn that, for example, the word ‘flexibility’ means ‘can ship’ to one customer and ‘can negotiate terms’ to another.
What to ask:
What to ask:
- What are the criteria for choosing a supplier?
- Why was the commercial offer rejected?
- What is important to you besides price?
- What risks do you see in working with us?
B2B sales. What matters to the customer
A dropshipper does not need a warehouse, does not need to freeze funds and invest them in goods. Their job is to find a customer and forward the order to the supplier (usually the manufacturer), who is responsible for shipping, logistics, warranties, packaging, and returns. CustDev for dropshippers is a tool for creating an ‘offer they can't refuse.’
What to ask:
You can create a form on the website, ask after delivery, use social networks — what matters is not the ‘scale’ but honesty and recurring answers.
What to ask:
- What attracted you to this product?
- Did you have any doubts before buying?
- Why did you choose us and not the marketplace?
- What is more important to you: fast, cheap, risk-free?
- What in the description causes distrust?
You can create a form on the website, ask after delivery, use social networks — what matters is not the ‘scale’ but honesty and recurring answers.
For dropshippers and sellers on marketplaces. Don't guess, know
If you have never tried CustDev, Fincraft Capital offers a basic plan:
CustDev does not require a large budget. Respondents can be found on social media, forums, through customer base mailings, online chats, or offline events. High-quality CustDev is prepared in advance: segments, hypotheses, clear questions. This is the only way to get answers that mean something.
- Select 1 segment (e.g., ‘regular customers’ or ‘recent dropouts’)
- Write 5-7 open-ended questions (about motivation, problems, choices)
- Conduct 5 interviews/conversations (Zoom, phone, private chat)
- Record recurring phrases and emotions
- Make 1-2 changes to the website or product
CustDev does not require a large budget. Respondents can be found on social media, forums, through customer base mailings, online chats, or offline events. High-quality CustDev is prepared in advance: segments, hypotheses, clear questions. This is the only way to get answers that mean something.