Name: Aligning to the post-pandemic shifts in market research
Uploaded: 2022-02-22T17:11:11.751Z
Duration: 435.15
Description: The consequences of COVID-19 have hastened advances in market research's digitalisation. That's not all, though. Leaders in market research and insight discuss the obstacles they faced and the adjustments they underwent during and post-pandemic periods.

Aligning to the post-pandemic shifts in market research.vtt

English

{{00:00:40}}
What are some of the biggest changes
that you've seen in the market research

{{00:00:43}}
and consumer research community
because of the COVID pandemic?

{{00:00:47}}
Everything had to move
to virtual, right?

{{00:00:49}}
It's great to be talking to you
in person for the first time in a

{{00:00:52}}
year and a half, two years almost.

{{00:00:54}}
And that has really had
an impact on research too.

{{00:00:58}}
We moved everything from in-person
to online and we've seen that certain

{{00:01:02}}
things are benefits to that, right?

{{00:01:04}}
Rather than the focus group that
is physically in any one location,

{{00:01:08}}
I can now do a virtual group with
people all over the country or

{{00:01:12}}
all over the world if I wanted to.

{{00:01:14}}
And that has certainly allowed
us to look at the diversity of

{{00:01:21}}
respondents a lot more because I
don't have to get them physically

{{00:01:24}}
into a room from that perspective.

{{00:01:26}}
There's also things
that just don't work.

{{00:01:28}}
Like I cannot do virtual zoom
research with preschoolers.

{{00:01:32}}
It's just not going to work.

{{00:01:34}}
You can't get them to focus on
a screen, let alone when you

{{00:01:37}}
know, there's nobody there.

{{00:01:38}}
So like usability research for our
kids, preschoolers streaming services

{{00:01:43}}
and stuff has to be in person.

{{00:01:45}}
So that was one of the first
things that we moved back in.

{{00:01:48}}
Or you have a setup where you have the
mom filming over the shoulder and it

{{00:01:53}}
gets very complicated, very quickly.

{{00:01:55}}
But overall, I think we've all
learned that it can be done virtually.

{{00:01:59}}
So now we're a lot more thoughtful
about what do we need to do in person?

{{00:02:02}}
What do we want to do in person?

{{00:02:04}}
What's the actual benefit?

{{00:02:05}}
Before all of this, virtual
research was all about cost.

{{00:02:08}}
It was all about figuring
out how to do things cheaper.

{{00:02:11}}
Now it's about how to do things better.

{{00:02:13}}
Which way does it make more sense?

{{00:02:20}}
I think the biggest difference
is we haven't been allowed

{{00:02:22}}
to do in-store research.

{{00:02:25}}
There's no traditional
shop-alongs that are happening.

{{00:02:28}}
We haven't been able to go out in our
own stores, even in Canada, to talk

{{00:02:32}}
to shoppers in front of the shelf.

{{00:02:34}}
So we've had to utilise a lot more
methodologies that incorporate

{{00:02:38}}
shoppers doing it on their own
and then giving us feedback.

{{00:02:41}}
So whether that's geo-tracking
surveys, anything involving their

{{00:02:46}}
phone, where we can talk to them
while they're in the store without

{{00:02:49}}
actually having to be there.

{{00:02:50}}
Digital bulletin boards.

{{00:02:52}}
I feel like we've been relying
on those a lot, more versus the

{{00:02:56}}
in-person research that would be
more traditional in the industry.

{{00:03:00}}
And I know that's the way
we were moving before, but

{{00:03:03}}
this has really just, I feel
like, escalated that trend.

{{00:03:07}}
So that's how we've been talking to
people, even when we can't get out and

{{00:03:10}}
have direct communication with them.

{{00:03:17}}
I would say it is speed, speed, speed.

{{00:03:21}}
So when I first started working
in market research, I had

{{00:03:24}}
a month to write my survey.

{{00:03:26}}
I would send it over
to the services team.

{{00:03:28}}
They would say, we'll
get it back in a month.

{{00:03:30}}
I would have a couple of weeks
to put together my PowerPoint

{{00:03:32}}
presentations, which I would
fiddle around with, and so on.

{{00:03:37}}
Night and day to where we are
today, it is literally push

{{00:03:39}}
button, push button, push button.

{{00:03:41}}
And I think it's not just about
speed of getting consumers feedback.

{{00:03:45}}
It's really about removing those
bad ideas, gauging what the

{{00:03:50}}
consumer thinks and feels while
you're in a meeting as well.

{{00:03:53}}
I think a lot of decisions are made
at company's based on, we all live in

{{00:03:57}}
New York and we think this will be a
great product or great name, and those

{{00:04:01}}
things, we don't have time to test it.

{{00:04:03}}
So I think often bad ideas and
kind of groups think a brand

{{00:04:08}}
can be a little dangerous
without that customer feedback.

{{00:04:11}}
So tools like Suzy and many other Agile
tools have really enabled brands get

{{00:04:15}}
incredibly fast feedback, bring those
consumers into that meeting and say,

{{00:04:20}}
oh wow, we were, that was way off.

{{00:04:22}}
That was a really bad idea.

{{00:04:24}}
Or this was an incredible idea,
actually, we need to dig deeper

{{00:04:27}}
into this particular topic
and then conduct some more

{{00:04:30}}
significant research around it.

{{00:04:32}}
So it's really about enabling companies
to bring that consumer voice to the

{{00:04:36}}
room much earlier and much faster.

{{00:04:42}}
COVID-19 really accelerated some
of the trends that were already

{{00:04:45}}
happening within the industry.

{{00:04:47}}
So that's a move more toward
online, away from in-person

{{00:04:51}}
qualitative, in-person ethnographies,
things along those lines.

{{00:04:55}}
And so ourselves within Mars, we
had S we have shifted many of our

{{00:05:01}}
methodologies to be more agile.

{{00:05:04}}
Some do it yourself, which before the
pandemic, we never would have, not

{{00:05:09}}
never, but we wouldn't have embraced.

{{00:05:13}}
And we've also been really creative
in regards to product testing.

{{00:05:18}}
So as you can imagine for dog
food, you want to have the product

{{00:05:22}}
testing in home and you also
want to be able to have some

{{00:05:25}}
interaction with that pet parent.

{{00:05:27}}
And so all of that has moved online,
with special deliveries and things

{{00:05:34}}
along those lines to ensure that
we're getting the right product to

{{00:05:37}}
the right consumers for that testing.

{{00:05:43}}
I think honestly prioritisation
has become more of a

{{00:05:46}}
challenge as a result of that.

{{00:05:48}}
So it is really trying to drive
focus on where are we going to have

{{00:05:52}}
the biggest impact, as work-life
boundaries are blurring, my team's

{{00:05:56}}
still working from home primarily.

{{00:05:58}}
And so it's like we don't have
the disconnect time at the end of

{{00:06:02}}
the day that we're all used to.

{{00:06:04}}
So I think I'm really
intentionally trying to help the

{{00:06:06}}
teams say, what are the highest
value added things we can do?

{{00:06:11}}
And where are some of those things
that you can either democratise

{{00:06:15}}
or help teach people how to fish?

{{00:06:19}}
Or frankly just say we're not going
to do that because it's not actually

{{00:06:23}}
going to drive the business forward.

{{00:06:24}}
What are the three things I can do this
week to drive the business forward?

{{00:06:27}}
Is the lens that I try to
take and coach the team.

{{00:06:31}}
And then on the other end of the
spectrum, I would say recruiting

{{00:06:34}}
has become more of a challenge.

{{00:06:37}}
Because I think it's linked
to the demand and the value of

{{00:06:42}}
people seeing what we bring to an
organisation, in insights or analytics

{{00:06:47}}
or strategy, all of the above.

{{00:06:50}}
And as people increasingly are
more flexible on hiring remotely,

{{00:06:54}}
I think that the talent pool
just becomes so much more vast,

{{00:06:58}}
which can be a good thing.

{{00:07:00}}
That opens it up for us as well.

{{00:07:01}}
But it's a different way of
working with your HR departments,

{{00:07:04}}
and trying to find the right
people and the right fit.

What are some of the biggest changes
that you've seen in the market research

and consumer research community
because of the COVID pandemic?

Everything had to move
to virtual, right?

It's great to be talking to you
in person for the first time in a

And that has really had
an impact on research too.

We moved everything from in-person
to online and we've seen that certain

Rather than the focus group that
is physically in any one location,

I can now do a virtual group with
people all over the country or

And that has certainly allowed
us to look at the diversity of

respondents a lot more because I
don't have to get them physically

There's also things
that just don't work.

Like I cannot do virtual zoom
research with preschoolers.

You can't get them to focus on
a screen, let alone when you

So like usability research for our
kids, preschoolers streaming services

So that was one of the first
things that we moved back in.

Or you have a setup where you have the
mom filming over the shoulder and it

But overall, I think we've all
learned that it can be done virtually.

So now we're a lot more thoughtful
about what do we need to do in person?

Before all of this, virtual
research was all about cost.

It was all about figuring
out how to do things cheaper.

I think the biggest difference
is we haven't been allowed

There's no traditional
shop-alongs that are happening.

We haven't been able to go out in our
own stores, even in Canada, to talk

So we've had to utilise a lot more
methodologies that incorporate

shoppers doing it on their own
and then giving us feedback.

So whether that's geo-tracking
surveys, anything involving their

phone, where we can talk to them
while they're in the store without

I feel like we've been relying
on those a lot, more versus the

in-person research that would be
more traditional in the industry.

And I know that's the way
we were moving before, but

this has really just, I feel
like, escalated that trend.

So that's how we've been talking to
people, even when we can't get out and

So when I first started working
in market research, I had

I would send it over
to the services team.

They would say, we'll
get it back in a month.

I would have a couple of weeks
to put together my PowerPoint

presentations, which I would
fiddle around with, and so on.

Night and day to where we are
today, it is literally push

And I think it's not just about
speed of getting consumers feedback.

It's really about removing those
bad ideas, gauging what the

consumer thinks and feels while
you're in a meeting as well.

I think a lot of decisions are made
at company's based on, we all live in

New York and we think this will be a
great product or great name, and those

So I think often bad ideas and
kind of groups think a brand

can be a little dangerous
without that customer feedback.

So tools like Suzy and many other Agile
tools have really enabled brands get

incredibly fast feedback, bring those
consumers into that meeting and say,

Or this was an incredible idea,
actually, we need to dig deeper

into this particular topic
and then conduct some more

So it's really about enabling companies
to bring that consumer voice to the

COVID-19 really accelerated some
of the trends that were already

So that's a move more toward
online, away from in-person

qualitative, in-person ethnographies,
things along those lines.

And so ourselves within Mars, we
had S we have shifted many of our

Some do it yourself, which before the
pandemic, we never would have, not

And we've also been really creative
in regards to product testing.

So as you can imagine for dog
food, you want to have the product

testing in home and you also
want to be able to have some

And so all of that has moved online,
with special deliveries and things

along those lines to ensure that
we're getting the right product to

I think honestly prioritisation
has become more of a

So it is really trying to drive
focus on where are we going to have

the biggest impact, as work-life
boundaries are blurring, my team's

And so it's like we don't have
the disconnect time at the end of

So I think I'm really
intentionally trying to help the

teams say, what are the highest
value added things we can do?

And where are some of those things
that you can either democratise

Trend

The consequences of COVID-19 have hastened advances in market research's digitalisation. That's not all, though. Leaders in market research and insight discuss the obstacles they faced and the adjustments they underwent during and post-pandemic periods. 

small_Anna Estlund.jfif

thumbnail_Anna Estlund.jfif

xsmall_Anna Estlund.jfif

Anna Estlund.jfif

Anna Estlund

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Chrisitan Kurz.jfif

Christian Kurz

SVP, Global Streaming & Corporate InsightS

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Karen Lee.jpg

Karen Lee

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small_Strobel_Amelia_MarsPetcare.jpg

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xsmall_Strobel_Amelia_MarsPetcare.jpg

Strobel_Amelia_MarsPetcare.jpg

Amelia Strobel

Global Strategic Innovation & Insights

large_Katie_Gross.png

medium_Katie_Gross.png

small_Katie_Gross.png

thumbnail_Katie_Gross.png

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Katie Gross

Chief customer officer

All organisations, large or small, must accelerate their digital adoption and alter their processes to provide their clientele with the experience they want and a more precise picture of changing customer behaviour.

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In times of crisis, the decision-making capacity of market research and consumer intelligence is even more valuable. However, in today's world, research must be done quickly to maintain its worth. Gross shares her experience on how the industry evolved, and speed became a critical component of success.


Speed, speed, speed

During the epidemic, product testing was challenging for market researchers. Companies began to replace face-to-face research with DIY research solutions for their clientele. Strobel emphasises Mars Petcare's agility and how it explored new ways that it wouldn't have needed if the epidemic hadn't struck.

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Working from home may sound attractive, but if you can't prioritise your to-do list effectively, it becomes a challenge. As an insight leader, Estlund highlights the significance of establishing the added value of each assignment for market researchers.