Balancing tradition and technology in modern market research

As market researchers, our role in decoding consumer behavior and guiding business decisions has never been more critical. With digital platforms multiplying and markets evolving rapidly, the challenge is to keep up. Relying on old data won’t cut it—we need agile tools to listen at scale and react fast. Choosing the right software, which offers deeper insights and more efficient workflows, is key.  

Yet one of the biggest challenges can, in fact, be the abundance of choice. With new solutions hitting the market daily, teams are often overwhelmed by options that cater to every phase of the research process - from problem definition and data collection to visualization and storytelling.   

Fortunately, while the stakes are high, the rewards of making the right investment are even higher. It’s important to look for tools that not only streamline operations but also boost productivity, reduce costs and offer the agility to adapt in an unpredictable market. The right software should also make it easier to communicate insights across large, complex and global organizations. Depending on your current processes, the change you need to make to keep up can range from small to significant.  

Navigating the overload of research tech options 

As researchers live through this transformation to an arguably tech-led industry, AI has been stealing much of the limelight. After all, smart software can help us to streamline and automate tasks that were previously manual and time-consuming. From automatically generating questionnaires to summarizing large volumes of qualitative data, AI is improving workflows and freeing up researchers to focus on higher-value tasks - enabling us to get back to the strategic, forward-looking, impact-driving work. But as we’ve been saying for decades: technology should enhance the human side of research rather than replace it. 

Today there are a plethora of platforms that can automate analysis to reveal patterns and trends in the data, removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing. The right tool can find differentiators, uncover unique data points and deliver insights, automating mundane processes, to allow you to focus more on data-driven decision making and strategic oversight. 

Meanwhile, more traditional research methods still have a critical role to play, and insights professionals must become adept at orchestrating a combination of tools and techniques at precisely the right moment. Like a conductor in a music hall – the true skill lies in knowing when one should step in or speed up, and another fade out. Take brand trackers. These still have a rightful place, while other restech tools and sources – even perhaps synthetic data – can be used to supplement rather than replace, in a layering of technologies and techniques. 

Constant change and evolution also requires a more contextual approach – and here is where the skills of seasoned insights professionals really come in. In the world of media measurement, for instance, with so much data – from social listening and product reviews to customer feedback – integration is key. No longer can we rely solely on survey-based research methods. The evolving landscape of consumer behavior, technological advancements and socio-economic shifts requires modern, highly contextual and diversified approaches. 

And so it’s crucial that we find ways to connect traditional types of market research input with all the other consumer touchpoints now available to us. Often this can only be done with technology. From sales data to online reviews and geo-location data, through to tracker data, only through integration can we hope to gain a complete picture. 

Breaking down data silos to integrate traditional research with modern tech 

Another important function of a skilled researcher in this complex landscape is to challenge siloed functions. Marketing teams may utilize social media analytics tools, for instance, while sales teams rely on customer relationship management systems and product development teams gather data from user feedback platforms. The effect of disparate data sources is generally to hinder an organization's ability to gain a comprehensive understanding. Too many companies still house CX data apart from survey research results, e-commerce and sales data apart from geographic consumption data, and so on; leading to fragmented strategies and missed opportunities for optimization and growth.  

But failing to take into account all these variables is akin to attempting to solve a jigsaw puzzle with several missing pieces. Conversely, taking a holistic approach to data collection and analysis by integrating the whole data puzzle surrounding consumer behavior and preferences can give that competitive edge.  

It’s clear that, with multiple external data sources to examine, siloed internal data sources to be integrated, we need solutions that are built to ingest and organize large, diverse data sets, enabling centralized analysis, visualization, dashboards and reporting. Technology can help break down many of the barriers, but only when the right combination of tools is leveraged by a skilled researcher who can orchestrate and ensure that the thinking is joined-up, and the approach appropriate for the task in hand.  

Empowering stakeholders through interactive, shareable insights 

Finally, when it comes to telling the story of your discoveries, interactive, shareable dashboards for viewing insights are now a mainstream expectation. Make sure you are employing technology that enables easy sharing of such dashboards with everyone who needs to see the data. Better yet, find a system that allows stakeholders across your business to carry out their own investigations which can fuel buy-in and engagement. 

Technology implementation, generative AI and other ResTech tools offer promising avenues for enhancing the capabilities of more traditional research methods such as brand trackers; often helping researchers get more out of this valuable data. With a mindset of innovation and adaptability, use your data to stay competitive and navigate today’s complex landscape; to unlock new insights, drive informed decision-making and give yourself space to think.  

As the market research landscape continues to evolve, embracing new technologies thoughtfully and strategically will be key to staying ahead and delivering exceptional value to our organizations.