Many of Clarity’s clients are nonprofits seeking to learn, plan, tell stories, take action, and make a positive impact in the world. But not all of our clients are nonprofits. Just recently, we worked with The Kogei Shop, a Los Angeles-based ceramics shop that curates and sells tableware and home goods crafted by artisans at small-scale studios, workshops, and kilns in Japan. Prior to the shop’s soft launch in early 2025, the owner contacted us wanting to gather data to help her understand her potential clientele. She had already determined the shop’s buyer demographic, including their age range, likely discretionary budget, and general aesthetic preferences. She came to us to help her design a survey that would gather information about how her potential clientele makes purchasing decisions, so we sat down with her for a Clarity Hour and used the time to help her refine and prioritize the specific information she wanted to gather.
Sometimes, a survey is not what you need. Sometimes, a survey is not the only thing you need. Once we worked with the shop’s owner to identify what she hoped to learn, Clarity recommended a mixed-methods approach as the most effective way to uncover customer behaviors and motivations. We conducted both short surveys and in-depth interviews.
One of the interesting things we learned from our work was that, while the shop’s potential patrons cultivate their knowledge about tableware online, they generally buy these goods in person. The Kogei Shop used the findings to inform their inventory, marketing strategy, and—based on the insight gained into potential buyers’ preference for buying in-person—their soon to be announced pop-up locations!
How could a Clarity Hour help you push your work forward?