Founder-led · Based in India
Ethnographic consumer research for D2C and digital-first brands
Founder-led ethnography for Indian D2C brands. What consumers actually do — not just what they say.
Primary method
Ethnography
We sit with people in their kitchens, autos, and clinics — the rooms where your product is actually used. You see decisions get made, not just remembered.
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Method
In-Depth Interviews
Ninety unhurried minutes with one customer. Useful when you need to map a specific decision, an objection, or the gap between intent and behaviour.
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Method
WhatsApp Diary Studies
Five to ten days of voice notes, photos, and screenshots from customers, on the platform they already live in. Captures the long tail of context that a one-hour interview cannot.
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For D2C and digital-first founders who've outgrown guesswork.
Analytics tell you what dropped, what converted, what churned. They cannot tell you why a customer in Indore felt your packaging was "too clinical," or why your repeat rate craters in the second month after a perfectly fine first delivery. Ethnography sits in that gap.
- Which customer segment to double down on next
- What messaging actually resonates — and what is filler
- Where the product quietly falls short of expectations
- Why customers leave, in their words, not your funnel's
A four-step engagement, run by the founder herself.
- 01
Listen
We start with the business question, not the method. What decision is this research about to inform?
- 02
Observe
We meet customers in their setting — homes, clinics, autos, WhatsApp threads. Behaviour first, opinion second.
- 03
Interpret
We connect observations to patterns. The output is a clear point of view, not a transcript dump.
- 04
Activate
We sit with your team to convert findings into product, positioning, and pricing moves you can ship.
Notes from the field.
15 September 2026
When the biggest business risks don't show up on a dashboard
At a Chennai fish market, almost everyone involved had grey or white hair. What an ageing workforce can signal about livelihoods, skills and resilience.
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15 September 2026
What if Gen Z isn't buying products at all?
Gen Z often buys confidence, recognition and trust, not products. Bourdieu's idea of symbolic capital explains why, and what it means for brands.
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8 October 2025
Why D2C brands need ethnography, not another survey
Surveys can tell you what customers say. Ethnography tells you what they do. For a D2C founder making product decisions, the second answer is the one that matters.
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What people who've worked with Arrpita say.
“Arrpita was given a research project on ethnography and she has delivered the insights in the most scientific manner. Her ability to take the project to conclusion, understand the domain, understand behaviours and then connect the dots to get unique insights was commendable.”
“Arrpita worked with us on a couple of ethnography projects. She clearly knows her subject very well. She did her studies and brought out insights that were consistent with our understanding. It was therefore a good validation. She is a purist and follows methodologies and styles accordingly.”
The work
What consumers actually do. Not just what they say.