Research Types

Lauren Schlau Consulting

Visitor/Retail Customer Profiles

Organizations that thoroughly understand their current customers and who are their high-yield segments can complete effectively and sustainably.

We produce comprehensive customer/visitor profiles using targeted questions and proven data and information gathering methods including:

  • • mobile surveys
  • • internet surveys
  • • face-to-face on-site interviewing
  • • focus group interviewing

We work with clients to uncover key consumer identity and motivational factors including:

  • • geographic origin
  • • media resources used
  • • reasons for visiting/purchasing
  • • spending/value of purchase
  • • key motivators
  • • demographics
  • • psychographics
  • • personas

Lauren Schlau Consulting

Economic Impact

In highly competitive and fluctuating times, state, regional, or district level destination marketing entities need current and accurate measures of program and marketing economic and fiscal impacts.

Whether or not the entity is publicly funded, economic and fiscal contributions are critical benchmarks to quantify the size and scope of the tourism market to funders, stakeholders, the general public/residents and the media. They also are key for supporting the feasibility of visitor serving projects that grow the local economy, generate taxes and support local employment.

LSC has extensive experience conducting such research for western region DMOs. Our proven methodology entails direct on-site visitor outreach to obtain the most accurate, current and representative visitor data. We partner with noted tourism economists who apply the visitor data to produce the estimates of destination visitor volume, economic and fiscal impacts, and tourism jobs supported. The included visitor profile identifies the highest yield visitors and optimum fit for the destination.

Economic Impact studies have multiple uses including:

  • • Measuring program effectiveness
  • • Guiding marketing messaging and placement
  • • Improving competitive position
  • • Assessing optimal utilization levels
  • • Guiding future infrastructure
  • • Developing products, services, amenities
  • • Garnering public and political support for the organization

Marketing ROI

Marketing as an operational function requiring extensive capital and human resources, must be both efficient and effective.

Marketing elements that influence decision-making and purchase, and can be measured include:

  • • Advertising
  • • Promotions
  • • Websites
  • • Editorial
  • • Special events
  • • Trade and consumer outreach at shows and conventions
  • • Social media

Marketing ROI

Critical Questions

Among the critical questions for effective/efficient marketing:

  • • How many people inquire for information from your entity?
  • • What share of these is the target market?
  • • How many ultimately visit and/or purchase (conversion)?
  • • To what extent did organization marketing influence visitation and/or purchase?
  • • Which marketing elements were most influential?
  • • What were the economic and fiscal impacts?

Various measures can be used to determine ROI/conversion depending on objectives or outcomes desired, including:

  • • return from consumer spending against marketing and/or organizational budget
  • • return taxes generated against marketing and/or organizational budget
  • • return to other funding organizations (e.g., public sector)

Conversion studies conducted by LSC – pre-and/or-post campaign— use proven methodology applied to the specific situation that identifies the visitor/customer behaviors (length of stay, lodging, transportation, spending, etc.), influence of targeted media on visitation and spending, along with visitor/customer demographics.

The results quantify purchase and visitation, as well as conversion rates, spending, economic “return on investment,” and taxes generated, to help marketers assess program effectiveness and any needed changes in media or resource allocation.


Lauren Schlau Consulting

Brand Development

For the consumer, a brand encompasses the essence and promise of what they expect brand experience to be and to deliver. Once developed, the brand provides economic leverage and strategic advantage in generating awareness, motivation for purchase and satisfaction, and leading to loyalty and repeat purchase.

The brand can and should be managed, beginning with awareness of consumer brand perceptions, expectations and experiences.

LSC employs qualitative and/or quantitative research to identify customer and non-customer key perceptions and motivations as the basis to develop brand position, promise and messaging to reinforce, reposition and/or strengthen the brand, resulting in a better managed and leveraged brand.