By Dave Birch
Technology is your friend. It’s not as big, bad, or ugly as some would have you believe. And those that do have a disliking of it should also come to a realisation: it’s here to stay. The only way forward is through Silicon Valley with a technologist’s mindset.
In terms of tech, Market Research has suffered a slow start, but in recent years the shape of the industry has begun to change. Automation has quickened the arduous processes that have bogged researchers down for decades, but it’s also these very researchers who must take it upon themselves to learn what is, essentially, an entirely new language. They must become literate in the art of reinvention – or reinvigoration.
I and two other representatives from ZappiStore held a workshop at ESOMAR Congress 2016 so as to outline why (if your company is reluctant) every one of us should get to grips with tech, its thinking – and fast. I shared my learnings with the room, and went home with a great many more.
Forward thinking
You may have heard about ‘Agile’ working – the work mode is one you probably admire, even if from afar. Originating with technologists in the ‘Agile manifesto’ (the highest priority of which is to satisfy the customer), its results undeniably add value for all involved: speed, flexibility, specificity. But, in order to access those advantages, a company must be willing to invest the proper amount of time and energy into making it work. The benefits of Agile materialise within its restraints.
Let’s face it – the demands placed on market research have evolved. Businesses require quicker insights and consumers expect faster innovation – they’ve supercharged their newsfeeds, sharing pictures and video across a multitude of social media platforms; they can even order a fresh batch of toilet roll directly from their bathroom with a touch of Amazon’s new Dash Button. We live in changing times. But as computers tend to the most repetitious tasks, time is spared for us to engage with clients on a deeper level.
Dave Birch is a director at ZappiStore in the UK
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