2020 certainly brought a new set of challenges with a global pandemic, lockdowns, and restrictions. As a result, humans became more virtual than ever before.
As a result, market research companies like Drive Research have continued to embrace technology as in-person methodologies were put on pause.
In this blog post, we will discuss new and upcoming market research trends in 2021!
Still nervous about conducting in-person market research? Get inspired with 4 Market Research Methodologies to Consider During the COVID-19 Outbreak.
Trend #1: Virtual Market Research
Before COVID-19, focus groups were primarily done onsite at Drive Research.
With the help of online software such as Zoom, the team can gather insights from people across the world.
Seeing respondents in their own homes and space gives a greater opportunity for authentic responses.
The increased usage of meeting software has made conducting virtual interviews and focus groups here to stay, even after the pandemic is over.
Using virtual methods also opens up the pool of research participants exponentially.
For example, rather than recruiting people who live locally, teams are able to recruit nationally.
Looking on the bright side, doing this could also offer opportunities to cut down on recruitment costs.
Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Online Focus Groups.
Trend #2: Artificial Intelligence
Simply put, artificial intelligence enables computers and machines to mimic the perception, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities of humans.
Using machine learning and algorithms, AI is changing how we see and understand the world around us in a variety of industries.
AI in market research has the potential to transform how we understand data.
Depending on the needs of the project, the use of AI could cut down project timelines from weeks and months to days and hours.
Therefore, using AI in market research has the opportunity to make research more cost-effective and minimize time spent on projects.
As AI technology continues to be used across all industries, market researchers will have to learn how to utilize these tools to open-text data, analyze and sort information and visualize key findings.
Trend #3: Social Listening
As social media’s footprint grows, it is more important now than ever to understand the impact of social media on consumer behavior.
More people were on social media during the pandemic than ever before, sharing thoughts, opinions, and insights.
Social listening is the process of monitoring social media channels for mentions of a particular brand, competitors, product, and more.
This is an excellent tool to be utilized by market research firms to better understand customer complaints and purchase behavior, among other insights and data.
This gives companies the opportunity for a sneak peek into the social media conversation regarding their brand and products.
Utilize New Market Research Trends with Drive Research
Drive Research is a national market research company. Our team of certified market research professionals partners with organizations across the country to conduct qualitative and quantitative research studies.
Our market research firm stays up to date on current industry trends, so you don't have to.
Interested in working with our team? Contact us today.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
