Market Research vs. Customer Experience: Why Your Teams Are F*cking It Up

Here’s a truth bomb most companies aren’t ready to hear: Market research and customer experience (CX) are two entirely different disciplines—and treating them like they’re the same thing is a surefire way to f*ck up your business. Too many brands are running CX and market research in silos, with teams who don’t talk to each other, using the wrong data to make the wrong decisions.

This needs to stop.

Market research helps you understand your customers; CX measures how well you deliver on their expectations. But here’s the problem: they don’t work in unison. Instead, these teams are operating like two ships passing in the night—both interacting with customers without a clue of what the other is doing. And it’s costing you loyalty, revenue, and brand trust.

Market Research vs. CX: Two Different Beasts

Let’s break this down. Market research is about gathering insights into what customers want, who they are, what motivates them, and how they make purchasing decisions. It’s about understanding customer needs and desires. This is where you run focus groups, customer panels, and conduct surveys to figure out who your customer is.

But here’s the kicker—market research is hypothetical. It gives you a snapshot of customer desires in theory, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into what you can actually deliver or if they actually realize their desires.

Customer experience, on the other hand, is about how well you deliver on the promises you made based on that research. It’s about execution—whether your products, services, and touchpoints are living up to the expectations your market research uncovered. CX is measured in real time, with real customer interactions.

And here’s the biggest problem: Brands are conflating market research with customer experience, treating CX surveys like market research. They’re asking customers what they want and then measuring satisfaction based on theoretical desires instead of what the brand can actually deliver. The result? Surveys are bloated causing survey fatigue.

The Silos Are F*cking You Up

Let’s be clear—your market research and CX teams aren’t talking to each other. They’re both gathering feedback from customers, but they’re doing it in isolation, without understanding the bigger picture. Market research is busy running customer focus groups to figure out what they think they want, while CX is scrambling to manage complaints and measure how well those wants are being met.

The result? Confusion, misalignment, and a complete disconnect between what customers expect and what they actually experience.

Your CX team is chasing theoretical goals, trying to meet expectations that were set by market research teams with no grasp on operational realities. Meanwhile, market research teams are pushing out surveys with no idea how those findings impact the customer’s day-to-day experience with your brand.

This siloed approach leads to poor decision-making because both teams are missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.

You’re Treating CX Surveys Like Market Research (And It’s Killing You)

One of the biggest mistakes brands are making right now is treating CX surveys like market research. You’re asking customers the wrong questions—questions that belong in focus groups or segmentation studies, not in post-interaction surveys.

CX surveys shouldn’t be asking customers what they want—you already know that from your market research. CX should be measuring how well you’re delivering on what you promised. Instead, brands are confusing the two, which leads to endless cycles of data that go nowhere. You’re chasing after customer preferences and tweaking experiences based on wishlists, instead of measuring the quality of your actual delivery.

Player Tip 1: Merge Market Research and CX—Unify the Feedback Loop

If you want to stop f*cking this up, you need to get your market research and CX teams in the same room. Their work should be integrated, not siloed. Market research should be feeding insights into CX, and CX should be reporting back on how well those insights are being delivered.

How to leverage it:

1. Create a unified feedback loop. Connect your market research and CX data in one place. Market research should inform CX goals, and CX performance should inform future research priorities.
2. Align goals between the two teams. Set clear, unified objectives for both market research and CX teams to work towards. It’s not about customer preferences in a vacuum—it’s about understanding how those preferences translate into the actual experience.
3. Train your CX teams to focus on execution, not preferences. Stop asking customers what they want after the fact—your research team already did that. Your CX surveys should be asking, “How well did we deliver on what we promised?”

Player Tip 2: Shift Your Survey Strategy—Measure What Matters

The top 1% of brands aren’t using customer experience surveys as wishlists—they’re using them to measure performance. If you want to stop confusing market research with CX, you need to refocus your surveys on what matters.

How to leverage it:

1. Stop using surveys to gather new insights—that’s market research. Your CX surveys should measure how well you delivered on your promises. Ask, “Did we meet your expectations on delivery, service, and support?” Not, “What else do you want from us?”
2. Tie your CX surveys to real business outcomes. Your surveys should directly impact operational decisions, from product development to delivery processes. If the feedback shows you’re failing to deliver on what customers expect, use it to fix the operations, not to guess at new preferences.
3. Use customer feedback to track actual execution. Ask about specific experiences, specific touchpoints, and whether or not your brand is meeting the standards you set. This should be a performance review, not an opinion poll.

Player Tip 3: Operationalize Customer Insights—Move from Theory to Action

The best brands don’t just sit on customer feedback—they turn insights into action. If you’re running endless surveys and focus groups without improving the actual customer experience, you’re missing the point. It’s time to operationalize your customer insights.

How to leverage it:

1. Bridge the gap between market research and CX operations. Use research insights to inform every single touchpoint in the customer journey. Align your delivery, service, and product teams to execute against the expectations set by your research.
2. Set up a rapid feedback-to-action pipeline. Instead of endless reviews and analysis, have a system in place that takes feedback and immediately acts on it. This pipeline should be agile, able to quickly respond to customer insights and close the loop on customer expectations.
3. Use CX data to improve real-time execution. Don’t let CX become a lagging indicator—use the data to inform day-to-day decisions. If customers are repeatedly pointing out the same issues, address them with speed and precision.

Framework 1: The Expectations Execution Cycle

This framework ensures that market research, operations, and CX work together seamlessly to understand, execute, and measure customer expectations. The process is cyclical: market research defines customer expectations, operations delivers on those expectations, and CX measures how well the brand meets or exceeds them. Each department plays a vital role, and their success hinges on complete alignment.

Steps:

1. Step 1: Define Customer Expectations with Market Research
2. Step 2: Align Operations to Deliver on Expectations
3. Step 3: Measure Execution with CX Metrics

Framework 2: CX to Business Impact Alignment

This framework helps align CX initiatives with direct business outcomes by focusing on how well customer experience initiatives drive revenue, loyalty, and operational efficiency.

Steps:

1. Step 1: Identify Key Business Metrics Impacted by CX
2. Step 2: Prioritize CX Initiatives Based on Revenue Impact
3. Step 3: Build a CX Impact Dashboard

Thought-Provoking Question:

Are your market research and CX teams working in harmony—or are they just confusing each other?

This question should make your team rethink how feedback is being collected and used across the organization. If your teams aren’t working together, you’re creating a fragmented experience that’s destined to disappoint.

Conclusion: Align Your Market Research and CX Before It’s Too Late

Here’s the bottom line: Market research helps you understand what your customers want, and CX is how well you deliver on that promise. But if you’re treating these two disciplines like they’re the same thing, or worse, letting them work in silos, you’re f*cking up your entire customer experience.

It’s time to break down the walls between market research and CX, unify your feedback loops, and stop confusing preferences with performance. Only then can you truly deliver a seamless, aligned customer experience that meets expectations and drives real business outcomes.