About Walt Hilker

Intuition, Creativity And Insight – Built From Experience

Walt Hilker

With more than 30 years of experience in both qualitative and quantitative marketing research design, implementation and analysis, Walt has become a focus group moderator-of-choice for several clients.

He has conducted thousands of focus group sessions, in-depth interviews and ethnographies for a wide range of clients and industries, with a deep emphasis in automotive.

His affable moderating style is forged from that experience: He creates a relaxed environment for respondents to speak openly, and he proactively and opportunistically explores relevant issues. Afterwards, he delivers analyses that focus on relevant insights, using storytelling when appropriate to enhance understanding and engagement.

Issues and Objectives

  • New product development
  • Exterior and interior design
  • Interior package assessment
  • Electrification/alt-fuel vehicles
  • Autonomous vehicles
  • New features and technologies
  • Needs exploration and laddering
  • Ideation and metaphor research
  • Advertising research
  • Brand image and positioning
  • Societal trends
  • Customer satisfaction/loyalty
  • Lost shoppers and disloyalty
  • Sales and service experiences
  • Retail environment evaluation
  • Financing and leasing
  • Vehicle placement
  • Expert evaluation

Experience To Count On

Walt successfully ran his own qualitative business from 1998-2022. In 2025, he elected to return to his role as an independent qualitative consultant.

Walt joined Ipsos from 2022 to 2025 to serve as its lead automotive qualitative consultant. While at Ipsos, Walt realized his long-held concept of a timely, syndicated qualitative research study, AutoMOTIVES. In 2024, a watershed time in electrification, AutoMOTIVES explored the opinions, experiences, and motivations of 1st-time BEV owners as well as of those who seriously considered but ultimately rejected a BEV.

From 1999 to 2007, Walt was a key member of the qualitative team in support of General Motors’ “Standards For Excellence” dealership training initiative for Cadillac. He evolved into taking a leadership role with the team, identifying key issues, crafting qualitative approaches, and training the team.

Prior to establishing Hilker Research, Walt served as Director of Research and Client Development for J. D. Power. Walt redesigned and managed the Dealer Attitude Survey and co-wrote the original Early Buyer Survey, the firm’s flagship study, which annually yielded the Initial Quality Study and Sales Satisfaction Index. Later, he created the Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study, an annual report measuring dealer principals’ satisfaction with lenders they use for wholesale and retail financing.

Walt holds an MBA degree from Brigham Young University and an undergraduate business degree from the University of Southern California.