TLDR

What is this case study about?

Expanding ShopBack’s internal research capabilities by bringing global brand health tracking in-house, replacing the reliance on external agencies.

What key problems and challenges were faced?

Managing budget constraints, clearly defining contractor roles, and developing a sustainable infrastructure for large-scale, monthly multi-market surveys. →

How did we approach tackling these challenges strategically?

Proactively navigated complex challenges around budgeting processes, international contractor hiring, and robust infrastructure setup. →

What solutions and tools did we use?

• Implemented a partially outsourced approach by hiring contract researchers from Indonesia. →
• Built a robust internal infrastructure leveraging existing tools (Alchemer, Google Data Studio, Amplitude, Metabase, Zendesk) for effective research execution. →

What personal and leadership lessons were learned?

Successfully created a sustainable research model that continued delivering value even after my departure, demonstrating lasting leadership impact. →

What does this case study cover?

• Table of contents

Background

Research Team

At the time, I was managing a small but highly versatile research team within ShopBack's Product division, consisting of three full-time researchers and one trainee researcher. Our team had a broad scope, extending beyond typical UX research. We regularly supported product managers by defining user problems, conducted consumer and market research, and provided strategic support through deliverables such as service blueprints and experience audits.

This was my vision for the team before I was laid off. 🥲

Although our priority was product-focused initiatives, we also served as internal consultants across various departments. Requests from outside our immediate team (eg Marketing or Operations)were typically managed on a consulting basis. For instance, the Marketing team frequently asked for support on customer surveys, where we'd provide comprehensive templates, guidance, and quality assurance, while execution remained in their hands.