Decades in the industry have shown us one thing is clear: evolution should be norm for the insights industry. We must always strive to keep up with the latest trends, technology and influences from both within and outside the industry, in order to stay in step with consumer behaviour and sentiment. Our CCO, Richard Thornton, has written two recent articles about the current state of the industry and massive transformation that is occurring, pushed by “global crises and societal disruption.”
His original articles, which appeared in Research Live (Read here) and on the Insights Association (Read here) blog, explore some of the digital and global disruptions that are driving an increased need for solutions like automation and smart market research technology implementation.
For Research Live, Richard takes a close look at what’s happening in emerging markets like the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Digital acceleration in these regions should cause market research companies to stand up and take note, as connectivity rises in these fast-growing areas.
He believes that as brands and businesses that look to MEA for expansion and possible investment, will “increasingly seek insights from these regions, and online access to targeted audiences for comprehensive studies will prove invaluable.” Time to take a look at how to access these audiences (hint: Cint’s online sample offering has 100+ million panellists in more than 150 countries).
In the Insights Association piece, Richard takes more of an expansive view on some of the trends that are driving change across the market research landscape. Market research companies are turning more and more to automation and AI-driven solutions to speed up processes and create operational efficiencies. Online sample exchanges, like Cint, are using these programmatic approaches to speed up fieldwork and field management and automate the delivery of sample to data jobs.
He goes on to writes about persistent problems in the industry, such as fraud, which requires new mitigation techniques in the face of a “tech savvy fraudster.” Diving into some of the types of fraudulent behaviour that we see (and battle using advanced techniques) at Cint, Richard covers the need for market research to combine “dynamic proprietary tools and techniques with more traditional approaches to catch fraud at multiple stages during the process.”
As data privacy takes centre stage, digital approaches can make a big difference. Richard recommends looking to the ad tech space for some predictions on how market research will be affected. Many companies are employing a number of technologies to help with privacy compliance, and this ecosystem promises to become more complex in the months to come.
Richard concludes: “Organisations are being put to the test to see if they are viable for the future. Digital transformation is pushing for new market research technology solutions, new regulations and compliance that will, hopefully, mean we all come out better on the other side. COVID and other global disruptions may have provided the catalyst for this recent accelerated change, but forward thinkers in market research industry were already moving in this direction. It is now up to us to address the challenges head-on with innovative solutions and embrace the new opportunities that will future-proof the insights space.”
