Ask about the last purchase instead of hypothetical buying intent
AI-assisted editorial field note · Educational planning framework
Why ask a customer about their last purchase?
A recent purchase gives you a concrete sequence to investigate: the trigger, alternatives, people involved, trade-offs and outcome. A question about what someone might buy often produces a polite prediction. Past behaviour is still imperfect evidence, but it gives you details you can compare across interviews and investigate further through records or an observed task.
Put it into practice
Choose a recent event
Ask the participant to recall the last time they solved the relevant problem. If the event is distant, note the likely recall limitations.
Reconstruct the sequence
Follow the journey from the initial trigger to the final decision. Ask what happened next instead of jumping immediately to preferred features.
Identify real alternatives
Include spreadsheets, doing nothing and hiring someone. Your competition includes the current workaround, not only products with similar marketing descriptions.
Separate fact from interpretation
Record specific actions in one column and your interpretation in another. Mark claims you could confirm with a receipt, calendar entry or workflow demonstration.
A worked example
Illustrative scenario — not a customer case study
A studio owner says automation is important. The last purchase reveals a different constraint: staff could not move appointments between calendars. The owner paid for a tool after three missed reschedules. This does not prove a market exists, but it gives the next interviews a specific problem to investigate.
Make the next decision
Look for repeated triggers and costs in the same segment. Build the next test around the actual decision context instead of treating a single compelling anecdote as validation.
A mistake to avoid
Do not assume that a person who bought once will repeat the purchase. Ask what changed after adoption and whether the problem remains frequent.
What if the customer has never bought a solution?
Ask about the last workaround, failed attempt or decision to leave the problem unresolved. That can reveal whether the problem is urgent enough to deserve action.
Take the next step
Check the broader business context with the free six-question assessment. Use your own evidence to choose the next action.
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