MAM
GUEST COLUMN: What consumers say vs what they do, the marketing blind spot
Why consumer intent doesn’t always translate into action
MUMBAI: In an era where data flows freely and consumer insights are available at unprecedented scale, marketing decisions are still often built on a fragile foundation, what consumers claim they will do. Yet, as markets grow more dynamic and choice becomes more context-driven, a critical disconnect continues to challenge brands: the gap between intention and action. This divergence, subtle yet consequential, has far-reaching implications for product strategy, demand forecasting, and innovation success. For Peshwa Acharya, IIT–IIM alumnus, former Reliance Retail and FMCG leader, and founder & CEO of Think As Consumer, understanding this “say–do gap” is not just an analytical exercise but a strategic imperative. In this piece, Acharya examines why traditional research methods fall short, how behavioural realities reshape consumer decision-making, and why bridging this gap is essential for building sustainable, consumer-centric growth.
Ask a consumer what they intend to buy, how they feel about a category, or which brand they prefer, and the answer is often clear and confident. Observe actual purchase behaviour, and the picture shifts. This disconnect, widely known as the “say–do gap,” sits at the heart of one of marketing’s most persistent blind spots.
At its simplest, the gap reflects the difference between stated intent and real-world action. Consumers articulate preferences in surveys, interviews, or feedback loops, yet behave differently when faced with price, availability, context, or habit. This divergence stems from how decisions are formed under real-world constraints.
The scale of the gap
The magnitude of this disconnect is significant enough to impact business outcomes. A study by DISQO found that 38 per cent of consumers misreport their digital shopping behaviour, highlighting how unreliable recall-based responses can be.
At the same time, marketers are struggling to reconcile different data streams. According to a recent NIQ CMO outlook, 54 per cent of CMOs report difficulty connecting data across sources, indicating that the challenge is not a lack of data but a lack of integration.
The consequences are visible in market performance. Industry estimates suggest that up to 85 per cent of new CPG products fail, often due to misreading consumer needs through incomplete or misleading insights.
The blind spot is clear. Marketing decisions are frequently built on what consumers say, while revenue outcomes are driven by what they actually do.
Where traditional research falls short
The divergence between what consumers say and what they do is often seen as inconsistency. In reality, the gap is between language and meaning. Consumers express decisions in rational, acceptable terms, while behaviour is shaped by trade-offs such as price, context, and social signalling.
This becomes evident in how categories are described. When consumers frame Ariel as a product for “special clothes,” the statement signals appreciation. The behaviour reveals price resistance. What appears as selective usage is, in reality, a constraint. Similarly, buyers of brands like BMW or Audi point to performance and engineering, but the decision is also driven by status and identity. Performance justifies the purchase. Brand perception drives it.
Behavioural science further explains this pattern. Consumers tend to overstate socially desirable behaviours, such as sustainability or health-conscious choices, while underreporting convenience-led or impulsive actions. Recall bias adds distortion, as past behaviour is often reconstructed rather than accurately remembered. As a result, stated preferences reflect aspiration, while actual behaviour reflects prioritisation under constraint.
These dynamics expose a limitation in traditional research. While surveys and focus groups capture attitudes effectively, they are often used to predict behaviour. This creates misalignment. Stated intent reflects assumed actions, whereas behavioural data reflects real decisions. When this distinction is overlooked, product strategy, demand forecasts, and innovation priorities risk drifting away from actual consumer behaviour.
Bridging the Gap: From listening to observing
Bridging this gap requires a shift in focus from data accumulation to data alignment. The objective is not to collect more inputs, but to connect what is already being captured. This means integrating attitudinal insights with behavioural signals across the consumer journey. Survey responses need to be read alongside transactional, digital, and in-market data to understand how intent translates into action. The emphasis moves from isolated interpretation to connected insight.
At the same time, static research models are being replaced with continuous tracking, as organisations move beyond one-time studies to build ongoing visibility into how decisions unfold in real conditions shaped by price, availability, and context. This makes it possible to pinpoint exactly where intent converts and where it collapses, revealing the thresholds that actually govern behaviour. Instead of inferring demand from stated preference, organisations can now see the conditions under which consumers follow through, delay, or switch, turning insight from assumption into observable reality.
The way forward
The say–do gap reflects how decisions are shaped under real-world constraints, but it is not noise, but a signal. Every divergence between intent and action reveals something fundamental, whether it is price sensitivity, the pull of habit over aspiration, or the influence of context at the moment of choice.
For organisations, the implication is structural. Competitive advantage will increasingly depend on the ability to interpret these signals within context, moving beyond stated preference as the primary input for decision-making. Companies that decode this gap gain precision, grounding strategy in observed patterns of action. Those who rely only on what consumers say risk operating on assumptions rather than reality.
In an environment defined by data abundance, the constraint is not access but clarity. Advantage will not come from hearing more, but from seeing clearly what consumers actually do, and using that visibility to drive sharper, more reliable decisions.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
Brands
Magellanic Cloud names Syed Ameeruddin CEO of e-surveillance arm
Keeping a sharper eye on the future, Magellanic Cloud is putting a seasoned watcher in charge.
MUMBAI – Magellanic Cloud Ltd. has elevated Syed Ameeruddin as Chief Executive Officer of its e-surveillance business, bringing its iVIS and Provigil operations under a unified leadership to accelerate growth in intelligent monitoring and infrastructure solutions.
Ameeruddin, a nearly two-decade veteran of the company, steps into the role after leading the e-surveillance vertical. His career trajectory—from Business Development Manager to the top of the vertical—reflects a steady climb built on operational depth, client engagement, and strategic execution across multiple subsidiaries.
Over the years, he has played a central role in expanding the company’s footprint, strengthening client relationships, and streamlining operations. He has also been instrumental in integrating acquisitions, helping align new businesses with Magellanic Cloud’s long-term strategy while stabilising performance across diverse domains.
More recently, Ameeruddin has contributed to securing key mandates spanning railways, the National Highways Authority of India, and the BFSI sector—wins that have bolstered the company’s order book and deepened its presence in critical infrastructure.
Commenting on the move, Joseph Sudheer Thumma said Ameeruddin’s leadership has been “pivotal in shaping the e-surveillance business,” citing his ability to drive growth, build teams, and deliver strategic wins as key to the company’s journey. His elevation, Thumma added, is expected to further accelerate expansion in AI-driven surveillance and infrastructure solutions.
The transition comes as demand surges for AI-enabled monitoring, centralised command systems, and large-scale deployments across mission-critical environments. Magellanic Cloud’s e-surveillance segment—anchored by iVIS and Provigil—has emerged as a significant growth engine, delivering projects across banking, transport, highways, and public infrastructure.
In his new role, Ameeruddin will focus on scaling platform capabilities, expanding deployments in complex environments, and developing integrated solutions that enhance real-time intelligence and operational resilience. He will continue to serve as Chief Operating Officer of the company alongside his new responsibilities.
With this leadership shift, Magellanic Cloud is doubling down on its ambition to stay ahead in India’s rapidly evolving surveillance ecosystem—where seeing, increasingly, is not just believing, but predicting.
