Filling the New York Javits Center with more than 1,500 attendees, Quirk’s New York 2023 was one of the most-attended conferences in our industry this year. The venue offered an expansive exhibit floor, several networking and working lounges, and four unique session rooms packed with client-focused content. As with many events in the last several months, there was substantial focus on AI and the more tangible impacts the technology is having on market research as it has become more established.
Here are the InnovateMR and Ivy Exec teams’ top takeaways from Quirk’s New York 2023:
1. AI is enhancing Human Generated Insights, but not replacing them. Market research, at its fundamental core, is about understanding what makes real people tick and diving deep into emotional decision-making with the intent to deliver on evolving needs. It is becoming clear that so far, no technology has been able to replicate all nuances of the human experience in a meaningful way. Instead, it is empowering researchers to better gather, interpret, and implement human generated insights at scale. In a session from Ipsos and AWS, as well as several others, speakers outlined how humans still very much have a place in the research journey with AI serving to provide time-saving enhancements:
- AI can be used to ensure data quality in quantitative research. By using AI tools to evaluate survey participant behavior and open-ended text, researchers can trust that their data is accurate and actionable.
- AI can interpret mass amounts of unstructured data at scale. What would be 10-12 hours for a research team to structure 8,000 open ended questions now takes minutes, allowing researchers to tap into the organized data set and identify specific actionable brand trends.
- AI can be a great data source, but we must make sure that trained researchers are asking the right questions. It can be easy to take generative AI results at face value, but researchers must play a part in crafting prompts properly to prevent biases, unsubstantiated information, and misinformation created from AI hallucinations.
2. To secure the right audience opinions, we need to go where they are. As technology and AI capabilities change, so do how target audience make decisions. It is becoming increasingly important to go beyond recruiting from just panels and use technologies to meet people where they are whether that is on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, in online publications, or other organizational boards. Highlighted in a session with Momentive, a growing percentage of audiences are making more purchasing decisions in these platforms and working to capture in-the-moment opinions will provide far more meaningful insights.
3. Mix-method research continues to be of paramount importance. Sticking with just one narrow research type can mean the potential for deeper and more authentic customer experiences are not taken into consideration. With many consumers losing faith in traditional B2B quantitative panels as a sole research approach, it is essential to consider adding in-depth interviews, focus groups, or other qualitative methods for more well-rounded answers. In a session with LinkedIn, speakers explored how NPS alone was not actually a true indicator of perceived value within B2B. In order to measure perceived value more accurately, researchers must now leverage both qualitative and quantitative research methods in intentional ways.
4. Through all of these changes, end-to-end partnerships are still essential. As researchers are continuing to add new methods and technologies to their holistic strategy, they must do so with partners who can deliver everything they need under one roof. We are seeing far less decentralized buying and service-line purchasing (B2B quantitative, B2B qualitative, DIY, etc.) Instead, vendors that can offer topical opportunities, taking deep dives into verticals such as ESG, customer empathy, and TAM, among others, are finding far more success.
Conclusion
AI is finding its place, settling into the essential role it will continue to take in the market research industry. We are finding that these new technologies are best served enhancing human researchers and providing a better experience to research participants, instead of replacing steps in the journey. It remains our duty to support our clients’ understanding during these times, stay innovative, and future-proof our services for the needs of tomorrow.
About InnovateMR – InnovateMR is a full-service sampling and ResTech company that delivers faster, quality insights from business and consumer audiences utilizing cutting-edge technologies to support agile research. As industry pioneers, InnovateMR provides world-class end-to-end survey programming, targeted international sampling, qualitative and quantitative insights, and customized consultation services to support informed, data-driven strategies, and identify growth opportunities. Known for their celebrated status in customer service and results, InnovateMR combines boutique-level service with extensive global reach to achieve partner success.
