Lisa Miller on Embracing the Art of Storytelling in Research to Help Businesses Understand “What’s Next?”

We’re excited to be a platinum sponsor at the Quirk’s Virtual Event on July 14-16. We’ll also be presenting a session at 11:30 am PST (2:30 pm EST) on Tuesday, July 14 titled Collect moments instead of things: Consumer insights toward shopping for the 2020 holidays.

Ahead of this insightful conference, we took the time to catch up with our co-presenter, Lisa Miller, President, Lisa W. Miller & Associates to learn more about her timely “Journey Back to Joy” research and provide a glimpse into our Quirk’s presentation.

Lisa is a seasoned insights professional who has partnered with many well-known and trusted global brands such as Walmart, Applebee’s, IHOP, Kimberly Clark, Frito Lay, 7- Eleven, and American Heart Association. Lisa is passionate about uncovering valuable insights for businesses that drive forward growth. She expands: “I love getting to the ‘So What? Now What?’ beyond just looking at data. I love blending the science of the data and the art of storytelling.  It’s always been a discovery process for me, from asking questions in a manner to really get at the heart of the business issue, then digging into the data to tell a story that folks understand and can take action.”

Lisa Miller

A project Lisa’s been getting traction on is her “Journey Back to Joy” research, which captures the range of emotions felt by consumers during the gradual re-entry period. “This started as a passion project for me in late March as I don’t do downtime well! I wanted to find a way to help my friends in the business world find their way back through this pandemic. The most rewarding part of all of this is that my work reminds us all that our restaurants, retail shops, hair salon, churches, and many other businesses don’t just offer function, they offer consumers joy.  Joy, reinforced with safety protocols, is what we need to get through this.”

Lisa also drew inspiration for this project from her parents and their strong emphasis on volunteerism. “From my parents, giving back to the community is in my DNA. So helping in this pandemic was just something I knew I had to do. My parents also taught me, ‘The answer is no unless you ask.’ I had effectively run many huge projects over my career, including those in other downturns, but a global pandemic, that was new to all of us.  Thanks to you at Prodege, I was able to get this project up and running!”

Lisa looks forward to co-presenting a session at the Quirk’s virtual event that helps companies “look forward with insights that help businesses create the experience customers want. While businesses focus on ‘the now’, we will look forward to ‘what’s next’ specifically around holiday shopping.  How will it be different?  How are consumers feeling about Black Friday? When will consumers begin holiday shopping?  And, no… We’re not just going to say ‘online will grow’… it’s much more complex of an answer than that.  That’s why we do what we do!”

Interested in obtaining timely insights at the Quirk’s Virtual Event July 14-16 and attending our session at 11:30 am PST on Tuesday, July 14? Register here!