The Top-5-Hot Vs. Top-5-Not Issues for Market Research

As part of the Next Generation Market Research (NGMR) collaboration we were invited to share our view on the 10 most important things for the research industry going forward. This is our take on the 5 things that will continue to be 'Hot' and the 5 things that will not in regard to market research in the next few years.

The 5 “Hot”

1.    “Grow your own”
As high quality sample becomes increasingly more difficult to acquire clients will increasingly develop and manage their own online panels and communities.

2.    Research/insight managers will become community managers
Building ongoing relationships with community members, listening to discussions, asking fewer but more relevant, targeted questions among members, being part of the conversation.

3.    Mobile Research Convergence
Telephone, SMS and email will merge into “online mobile” as web enabled surveys are increasingly conducted online via Smartphones and Tablets.

4.    The web: harnessing, listening understanding and engaging
We will become increasingly more adept at harnessing the potential of the web for listening to what is being said about products and brands; and harvesting that information into insights that help business make better decisions. From gaining unsolicited insights to stimulating co-creation, web listening is going to get bigger, better and faster.

5.    How ideas and influence travel on the web
It will become crucial to be able to identify and connect with key influencers – on forums and on clients’ own communities. Enabling a dialogue among advocates and detractors will become a key driver of insight and brand advocacy.

The 5 “Not”

1.    Long, dull surveys
Survey fatigue, low boredom thresholds, low attention spans and less time will contribute to make long, boring, surveys a thing of the past. We need to start treating respondents with more respect.

2.    Face to face and telephone
As internet penetration grows, web listening and online panels will reduce the need for data collection through face to face and telephone interviews.

3.    Methodology
Let’s not just focus on what methodologies are used, but more on the quality of insights generated. No client really cares if something is qual or quant or somewhere in between. “Whatever it takes” to answer the business questions becomes the preferred methodology!

4.    Using venues to moderate focus groups for the hard to reach
If you want to conduct a focus group discussion with doctors, bankers, C-Suite execs, don’t book a venue any time soon – you can get all you the interaction you need online. The group saves time on travel you save money for which can be passed on in better incentives.

5.    The deck that passes the weight test
Whatever applies to dull surveys is also true of boring presentations. Presentations will need to focus less on length of content and more on being insightful, informing and entertaining. Research will increasingly be about communication, dissemination and collaboration.