Bonsai Lab
If you want to understand people, you have to look beyond mere opinions, desires, or reasons for purchasing. After all, our thoughts and actions never arise in a vacuum—they are always embedded in social relationships, cultural influences, and specific everyday situations. That is why Bonsai ’s qualitative research puts people at the center—with all their relationships, roles, experiences, and values. We don’t provide isolated, stand-alone findings, but rather a deep, contextualized understanding—serving as a solid foundation for brand management, product development, and communication strategies.
How We Work
We always consider expectations, needs, and behavior in the context of the social and cultural environment. Only in this way can we form a holistic picture. We do not analyze statements in isolation, but rather within their specific context of use, decision-making framework, and cultural background. This means we take into account what often seems self-evident in everyday life—and is therefore particularly effective. We use a variety of qualitative methods and get close to people’s real-life experiences—on-site, digitally, or through a hybrid approach.
Our portfolio
Our portfolio is diverse and agile—we’re always on the lookout for new methodological, technical, or content-based approaches that bring us even closer to consumers. We particularly enjoy collaborating with other companies that offer innovative approaches. We aim to be pioneers in methodological development without compromising our foundation: a deep, holistic understanding of people.
Our holistic approach
We explain the "why? We gain a deep understanding of the consumer and translate it into marketing-relevant insights.
The deep immersion into different life worlds is what makes up our field of research. Since consumers often don't say what they mean - and vice versa - understanding the context, the socio-cultural construct that shapes people, is as much a part of it in our eyes as explicit and implicit questioning and observation.
Qualitative Classics
Group discussions or in-depth interviews - on & offline; diaries, communities and workshops are among the basics that we often enrich with ethnographic elements.
For example, we conduct interviews at home - at the respondents' homes - and enrich the insights with photos. Or we use a digital "homework assignment" as preparation for the group discussions and ask the participants to introduce themselves in a short video sequence.
Experimental research
A lab without research and experimentation would be like brainstorming without brainstorming. We think outside the box and develop creative, customized approaches for you. We use modern technology and interview unusual target groups.
We experiment with the latest, technical solutions: implicit, AI-powered, crowd-based, in VR/AR workshop rooms or the Metaverse. If it helps answer the client's question, we include it in the portfolio.
Innovation development
We develop innovations together with consumers, customers and other stakeholders: from the initial idea to market maturity. We combine the design thinking process with agile feedback from consumers, semiotic analyses and social media data - and thus bring amazing, innovative ideas to light.
For example, the new online supermarket myEnso: In this community we research - and find creative consumers for new co-creation workshops. More about the cooperation with myEnso.
Semiotics & Cultural Analyses
Semiotics is the study of signs. We decipher the signs of the times. In this way, we support companies in finding the visual language and tonality that resonate with their target group.
We examine the social context and cultural discourse that influences consumer preferences and choices. And we identify the social codes that can be used to translate messages in a contemporary way.
Changing values
We keep our finger on the pulse with Social Media Listening (SML). The Values Index, Germany's largest social media study on the subject, monitors digital buzz and maps values and their changes over time. By continuously monitoring social media, we can offer companies up-to-date and industry-specific evaluations.
We build on the basic research that we offer with the values index with qualitative studies in the Bonsai Lab - often in a team with our foresight unit Bonsai Future, where we have based the values index.
Trend and future studies
We conduct so many future and trend studies that we founded Bonsai Future as a separate unit in 2024. But of course we at Bonsai Lab are also involved in foresight research with our qualitative expertise.
We. Accompany. Innovation.
We.
Interlocking is our guiding principle - and that is why "we" are not just "we", but always teams of researchers, consumers, trade and industry. Real teamwork, in other words.
Accompany.
We are good listeners: both to our clients in order to develop customized solutions for business issues. As well as with consumers, whose behavior we observe and explore in real life.
Innovation.
Trying things out, daring to try new things, exploring technical possibilities - that's in our DNA. We love unusual requests, new formats and clients for whom we can develop creative, customized approaches.
To the Bonsai Lab team
Alexandra von Cukrowicz
alexandra.voncukrowicz@bonsai-research.com
+ 49 171 7411992
The Bonsai Lab team at YouTube -
an unusually "animalistic" performance.
News from the Lab
