Market

Research

Trends2025

6ForcesShapingtheFutureofInsights

INTRODUCTION

Introduction:

ForgetcrystalballsandTarotcards—predictingthefutureofmarket

researchdoesn’trequiremysticism(oroutdatedmethods).Instead,wedidwhatweknowbest:wedidourresearch.

Nowinitsfifthyear,thiseditionofMarketResearchTrendsfeatures

commentaryfromexpertsandinsightsfromindustryreports.Butthisyear,we’veaddedsomethingspecial:findingsfromourownDecember2024

study.Usingourown

conversationalresearchplatform

,weengagedcloseto120researchersinashortchatsurveyandcapturedrobustandrich

quant,qualandvideofeedback.

Theirinsightshelptacklesomeofthebiggest

questionsintheindustry:What’strending?Whichtoolsaremakingwaves?And,ofcourse,howisAIchangingthegame?

Whileourindustryiscomplex(justlookat

benchmarkslike

GreenBook’sGRITreport

or

ESOMAR’sGlobalMarketResearchreport

),

ourresearchshowsglimmersofoptimismandinnovation.Lessthan9%ofparticipantsare

worriedaboutthefuture,andover70%are

alreadyusingAIatleastafewtimesaweekintheirwork.

Notsurprisingly,AIisleadingthecharge.AsBillTrovingerfromAlbertsons

Companiesputit:“AIisgoingtoleveltheplayingfieldintermsofspeed

andefficiency.Whoevercandigdeeper—whetherusingAIornot—willbe

thewinnerin2025.”

Butit’snotallaboutAI.Ourresearchuncoveredotherkeytrendsshaping

thefutureofinsights:

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INTRODUCTION

?Techmeetshumanexpertise:Strikingtherightbalanceisbecomingcrucial.

?Qualitativeresearchgoesdigital:It’sscalinglikeneverbefore.

?DIYresearchtools:Empoweringteamstotakethereins.

?Participantexperience:Finallygettingtheattentionitdeserves.

?Dataquality:StilltheMVP,holdingstronginthespotlight.

Thesearen’tjustrandomguesses—they’rebackedbyharddataandexpertinsightspointingtoexcitinggrowthahead.Withtheindustryprojectedtotop$150Bgloballybyyear’send(ESOMAR,2024GMR),there’sneverbeenabettertimetobepartofthistransformation.

Whetheryou’reaninsightsveteranoracuriousnewcomer,thisreportisyourglimpseintowhat’snextforarapidlyevolvingfield.

2025willbeatransformationalyearin

marketresearchasbrandswillcontinue

theirdrivetogetclosertoconsumersand

agencieswillincreasinglyleveragenew

technologiestoenablemoreorganic,naturalandauthentichumanunderstanding.”

MattKleinschmit,CEOandFounder,Reach3Insights

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

Trend#1:TheAITakeover5

ExcitingUsesofAI8

Trend#2:HumanintheLoop11

Trend#3:QualatScale,DrivenbyAI14

Trend#4:DIYUnleashed18

Trend#5:TheParticipantExperience,Fixed?21

Trend#6:DataQuality:TheComebackTour24

TREND#1:THEAITAKEOVER

Trend#1:

TheAI

Takeover

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TREND#1:THEAITAKEOVER

IammostexcitedtoseeAIbecomemoreconversational.”

BillTrovinger,DirectorofCustomerInsights-Health&Wellness,AlbertsonsCompanies

Letstalkabouttheelephantintheroom:AI.Itcameupconstantlyinourfindings,nomatterthequestion.ResearchersareusingAIinallkindsof

wayswritingsurveys,analyzingresponses,creatingvisualreports,and

speedinguptimelines.Infact,67%ofourrespondentssaidAIcapabilitiesarecriticalorakeyconsiderationwhenchoosingaresearchvendor.

ESOMARsGlobalMarketResearchReportbacksthisup:“TheintroductionoflargelanguagemodelslikeChatGPTattheendof2022hasbrought

rapidchange.Firmsmustadapt,whetherthroughacquisitionsorbydevelopingtheirowntools.”

In2025,it’snotjustaboutusingAI—it’saboutusingitwisely.AIis

becomingaco-pilot,handlingrepetitivetaskslikecleaningdataorcodingresponses.Thisfreesresearcherstofocusonwhattheydobest:asking

smarterquestions,diggingdeeperintoinsights,andtellingimpactfulstories.

Ofcourse,therearechallenges.MichaelWehrman,SeniorManager,

GrowthInsightsatComcast,stressesthat“theindustryalsowillneedto

reckonwiththeeconomicandenvironmentalimpactofthemachinery

requiredforAItofunctiontheresourcesneededtobuildandmaintain

themachineryaswellastheenergyneededtosupplyitaswell.AImayyetshiftparadigms,butopendiscussionabouttradeoffsaswellasupsidesiswhereweneedtofocus.”

TREND#1:THEAITAKEOVER

ForbuyersnavigatingAI-poweredservices,resourceslike

ESOMAR’s20

QuestionstoHelpBuyersofAI-BasedServices

andtheMarketResearchSociety’s

MRSStandardsGuidanceonAI

canhelp.

AIisspeedingthingsupandraisingexpectations.Researchersareusingittopersonalizeexperiences,identifydatathemes,andevensimulatetestaudiences.Thechallengefor2025?Balancingautomationwiththehumancreativityandcriticalthinkingthatmakeresearchmeaningful.

AIAdoptioninInsights

MostresearcherstodayareincorporatingAIintheirrole,usingittoimprovetheirefficiencyandspeed.

HowfrequentlydoyouuseAI?Everyday:36.2%

Onceorafewtimesaweek:35.3%

Lessthanonceaweek:20.7%

Idon’tuseAI:7.8%

HowimportantisAIwhen

evaluatingresearchsuppliers?

Criticaltomydecision:14.7%

Aconsideration,butnotcritical:47.4%

Notcritical:25%

Idon’tworkwithsuppliers:12.9%

HowresearchersareusingAItoday

Usingthe

RivalAISummarizertool

,weidentifiedthesetopusecases

forAIinresearch.

1.Communicationandwritingassistance(includingdraftingoutlinesandquestionnaires).

2.Researchanddataanalysis,

includingcapturingthemesfromqualandvideofeedback.

3.Optimizingtaskslikecodingandtranslation.

4.Creativesupportandideation.

5.Surveydraftingandrefinement.

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EXCITINGUSESOFAI

ExcitingUsesofAI

Whilewe’vealreadyseenmanyAIfeaturesandproductsintheinsights

industry,we’relikelyjustscratchingthesurvey.Weaskedresearchleaders

whichapplicationsofAIthey’remostlookingforwardtoseeingandwhy.

I’mmostexcitedaboutAIoptimizingoursocialroleas

researchers,particularlyintime-consumingorrepetitive

tasks.Forinstance,I’vebeenhearingalotaboutinsights

teamsusingAItoputtogetherbite-sizedvideoandaudio

clipsthatsummarizelearnings,tosharewithstakeholders.Switchingtomoredigestibledeliverableshelpsfreeuptimeformorestrategicthinking.”

SofiaGomezGarcia,ExecutiveDirectorinInnovation,SpecialProjects&GlobalCommunityManagement,WarnerBros.Discovery

Thequalityandlatencyofvoice-enabledconversationalAIwilldramaticallychangethewaythatresearcherscollect

dataandparticipantsgivefeedback.It’salreadybeginningtoblurtheboundariesbetweenqualandquantresearch

andit’sgoingtoextendmuchfurtherintogathering

unstructureddataatscale,changingthewaythatsurveysaredeliveredandextendingwhatpeoplearedescribingas‘qualatscale.’”

MikeStevens,Founder,InsightPlatforms

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EXCITINGUSESOFAI

I’mreallyexcitedabouthowAIcantransformtheanalysis

phaseofqualitativeresearch.Abigpartofqualitative

workinvolvesquantifyinginsightssoyoucanactuallyworkwiththem.AIcanhandletheheavyliftingofcodingand

organizingdataquicklyandaccurately(aslongasyouguideitcorrectly).”

HannahShamji,CustomerResearcher,HannahShamjiResearchInc.

AIinnovationshavelargelycenteredaroundqualitativeresearch.Iamexcited(andcautious!)toseehowAIwillsupportquantitativeanalysisinthefuture.”

KarinePepin,Co-Founder,TheResearchHeads

Thenextstagewillbeenablingeasieranalysisof

quantitativesurveydata,ideallymeldedwithotherdata

sources.However,surveydataisnotoriously‘messy’,often

withinconsistentlabellingandcomplicatedrouting.Sofirmsneedtomakesurethey’regatheringandannotatingthedatacorrectlyinthefirstinstancetounlockfuturevalue.”

HenryPiney,HostoftheFutureViewpodcastandChiefResearchAdvisoratMX8Labs

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EXCITINGUSESOFAI

I’mgenuinelyexcitedaboutthepotentialofsyntheticdata

andpersonastorevolutionisemarketresearch.TheseAI-

generatedprofilesgobeyondaveragesandstereotypes,

simulatingrealbehaviours,preferences,anddecision-makingprocesses.Theyofferapowerfulwaytouncoverdeep

insightswithoutriskingcustomerrelationshipsorprivacy.”

GraemeFord,MRXInnovationConsultant,PunkMRX

I’mmostexcitedabouttheapplicationofAIinthefront-

endandmiddlestagesofprojectexecution.Naturally,our

industryracedtoleverageAIfirsttoassistwithback-end

dataanalysis—primarilyunstructureddata—butmoving

forward,I’minterestedtoseeitsapplicationsmoveupstreamintheprocess.”

JonathanDore,EVP&FoundingPartner,Reach3Insights

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TREND2:HUMANINTHELOOP

Trend#2:

HumanintheLoop

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TREND2:HUMANINTHELOOP

Wecan’ttalkaboutAIintheindustrywithouttalkingaboutbalancingit

withthehumantouch.Afterall,we’reinthebusinessofstudyinghumans,right?

Researchersarelearninghowtostriketherightbalance—usingAIto

handlerepetitivetaskswhiletheyfocusonwhattheydobest:interpretingthe“why”behindthedata.

Weneedrealhumanstomanageallthe

AItoolstheyaretryingtoimplement…

BusinesseswillrealizetheyneedhumanstointerpretandmanageAI-driveninsightseffectively.”

Open-endsurveyresponses,RivalTechnologies,MarketResearchTrendsSurvey2024

ThisisespeciallytrueasAIbecomesbetteratgeneratingsynthetic

personas,conversationalsurveys,andquick-turninsights.Inoursurvey,themajorityofrespondentswere“notexcited”(39%)or“meh”(31%)about

syntheticdata,showingthatatleastthisaspectofAIintelligencehasalittlewaytogobeforewidespreadadoption.

Thechallengefor2025?UsingAItocomplementhumancreativitywithoutlosingthenuanceandempathythatmakeresearchmeaningful.

Inthisyear’s

AllThingsInsights’FutureofInsightsReport

,manyofthe

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TREND2:HUMANINTHELOOP

intervieweesagreedthatit’snotthetimetoletAIrunwildintheindustry.Therecanstillbemajorchallengeswiththingssuchascontextualaccuracy,dataauthenticityandmore.AnuSundaram,VicePresident,Business

Analytics,RueGiltGroupe,saidinthereport,“Humanswiththeeyefordetailandexperiencecanhelpbalancethischallenge,forexamplea

seasonedmarketresearcherorbusinessleadcandiscernwhatistrulybeinggeneratedfromrealcustomers.”

Howresearchersfeelabout

commonAI-relatedtoolstoday

20.7%

areexcitedaboutsyntheticdata

54.3%

areexcitedaboutAIassistants

76.7%

areexcitedaboutAIsummarizertools

TREND3:QUALATSCALE,DRIVENBYAI

Trend#3:

QualatScale,DrivenbyAI

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TREND3:QUALATSCALE,DRIVENBYAI

Qualitativeresearchishavingabigmoment,and(youguessedit)AIis

leadingthecharge.Whatusedtotakeweeks—like

analyzingopen-ended

responses

orvideotranscripts—cannowhappeninaclick.It’snosurprise

that78%ofoursurveyrespondentswereexcitedabouttheseAIcapabilities.

Qualdatahasneverbeenmoreaccessibleorscalable.Toolslikeautomatedtranscription,sentimentanalysis,andreal-timetranslationarehelping

researcherscollectrichinsightsfromdiverse,globalaudiences.Evencooler,videofeedbackandvirtualrealityareturningtraditionalqualitativeresearchintoimmersive,interactiveexperiences.Over66%ofourparticipantswereexcitedabouttheseadvancements.

2025shouldleadtoarenaissanceof

ethnographicresearch.Ifexecutivestrulywanttoknowwhatconsumersthink,whyandhowtheyuseproductsandservices,andcriticalcontextaroundtimingand

circumstance,eyes-wide-openqualitativeworkshouldalwaysbeonthemenu.”

MichaelWehrman,SeniorManager,GrowthInsights,Comcast

Thisnewefficiencyisfuelingtheriseofhybridresearch.Blendingquant’sprecisionwithqual’sdepthisgivingresearchersamoreholisticviewof

consumerbehavior.Whilequantstilldominatesthemarket(70%,per

ESOMAR’s2024GMR),qualisgrowingfastat14%.Researchersarefinding

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TREND3:QUALATSCALE,DRIVENBYAI

newwaystocombinethetwofordeeper,moreactionableinsights.

AIisn’tjusthelpingresearchersdomorequal—it’shelpingthemdoit

better.AsMaxellIskiev,SeniorMarketResearchAnalystatHubspot,puts

it,“AItoolscanmoderatequalitativeinterviewsatscaleandassistwith

analysis,makingmehopefulI’llbeabletodomorequalprojectsinthe

future.”Withsmartertoolsandfewerbarriers,2025isshapinguptobetheyearthatqualitativeresearchtrulyhitsitsstride.

Withbettertoolsandfewerbarriers,2025isshapinguptobetheyearqualitativeresearchhitsitsstride.

Newtoolslike

Rival’sAISummarize

rmakesiteasierandfastertoanalyzeopen-endsandvideofeedback.

TREND3:QUALATSCALE,DRIVENBYAI

I’mmostexcitedabouttheabilityto

fieldqualitativestudiesatthespeedand

scaleofquantresearch.WithAI,researchprofessionalshaveauniqueopportunity

toapplyinsightsbestpracticesinexcitingnewwaysandemphasizethevalueoftheespeciallyhumansideofinsights:intuition,curiosity,relevance,andqualitycontrol.”

BrianFowler,ExecutiveDirectorandCo-Founder,InsightsCareerNetwork,andBusinessStrategyConsultantatBrainFlowerServices

Community2.0

InsightCommunitiesReimagined,PoweredbyConversation.

Increaseengagementandgetclosertoyourcustomersusinganagile,

conversationalresearchplatform.

/community-2.0

/community

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Carbonationcreatesadistinctivetinglingsensationwhatmakessodarefreshing.Thissensoryexperienceenhancesoverall

enjoyment.2.Surveyresponsesrevealthatmanypeoplespeci?callycite

carbonationasarefreshingelement,underscoringitssigni?cance.This

?ndingchallengestheassumptionthatonly?avorandcoldnesscontribute

torefreshment.3.Therefore,emphasizingcarbonationinmarketingand

productdevelopmentcouldfurtherenhancetherefreshingqualityofsoda.

TREND4:DIYUNLEASHED

Trend#4:

DIYUnleashed

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TREND4:DIYUNLEASHED

Researchsoftwarehasbeentheenginedrivinggrowthacrosstheindustry,withthemostactionhappeningintheself-serveorDIYsegment.These

platformsaremakingiteasierthaneverforbusinessestotakechargeof

theirownresearch—whetherit’srunningaquicksurveyormanagingafull-scaleglobalstudy.

“Startingfromasmallhistoricalbase,self-serveresearchplatformshave

nowsurpassedtheUSD$3.5billionmarkafterstupendousgrowthover

theyearsanddonotseemtoshowsignsofsaturation.”(ESOMAR,2024GMR)WithAI-poweredtemplatesanduser-friendlyinterfaces,thesetoolsaregivingteamsmoreflexibilityandcontrol,whilealsoshakingupthe

traditionalresearchlandscape.

Theexplosionofaccessible,user-friendlyresearchtechnologiesisempowering

businessesofallsizestotakemattersintotheirownhands.”

GraemeFord,MRXInnovationConsultant,PunkMRX

Butwithallthisgrowthcomesnewopportunities—andsomechallenges.

?Teamempowerment:Thesetoolsputthepowerofresearchintothehandsofdecision-makers.Noneedtowaitweeksforresults;youcanquicklygatherinsightsonyourownschedule.Thecatch?Without

therighttrainingorstrategy,itcanbetoughtotacklemorecomplexchallenges.

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TREND4:DIYUNLEASHED

Viewershipmeasurementwillkeepevolvinginthecomingyear,movingawayfromjust

focusingonlinearviewershipandshifting

towardamorecross-platformapproach.Thisshiftreflectshowmuchmorefluidaudiencebehaviorhasbecomeinrecentyears.But

it’salsointerestingthatstreamersare

startingtoadapttothetraditionallinearTVmeasurementmodel.AsstreamingplatformslikeNetflixandPeacockcontinuetoexpandtheirsportsofferings,thisapproachislikelytobecomemoreprevalent.”

MichelleAuguste,VicePresidentofGlobalMediaInsights,NBA

?Balancedapproach:WhileDIYtoolsaregreatforgettingquickanswers,moredetailedorhigh-stakesprojectsmaystillneedaprofessionaltouch.Thebestsolutionsofferflexibility—meetingclientswherevertheyare,

whethertheywanttogoDIYorworkwithexperts.

?Accessibility:Lower-costoptionsmeanthatevensmallerteamscan

diveintodata-drivendecision-making.Butwithsomuchaccessibility,

it’simportanttoensuredataisbeingusedthoughtfully—notjustforthesakeofcollectingit.

Again,weseeAIplayingahugeroleinshapingthefutureofthesetools,butthatalsomeansit’sgettinghardertostandout.CompanieswillneedtothinkbeyondjustAIandfocusoncombiningsmarttechnologywith

tailored,expertsupportfortheirclients.

TREND5:THEPARTICIPANTEXPERIENCE,FIXED?

Trend#5:

TheParticipantExperience,

Fixed?

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TREND5:THEPARTICIPANTEXPERIENCE,FIXED?

WeneedtotackleAI’sunintended

consequences.Accuracy,privacy,and

securityareallimportant.Butwemust

scrutinizetheparticipantexperiencetoo—ifwecan’tgetthebasicsright,we’llneverunlockAI’sfullpotential.”

AndrewReid,CEOandFounder,RivalTechnologies

Optimizingexperiencesforresearchparticipantsisnotanewmantraforthemarketresearchindustry.It’sreallycommonsense:don’troutethemendlessly;don’tpresentsurveyoffersforwhichtheydon’tqualify;rewardthemfairlyfortheirtime;and,forgoodnesssake,don’tsubjectthemto

long,boring,complexsurveys.

Thatsaid,howwe’readdressingtheseissueshasevolvedsignificantly.

Whileparticipantengagementhasalwaysbeenachallenge,thetools

andtechniquesavailabletodayoffernewopportunitiestocreatebetter

experiences.Andifthere’sonearearipefortransformation,it’sthesurveyitself.

Long,staticsurveysarebecomingathingofthepastasnewtechnologiesreshapehowweinteractwithparticipants.Keytrendsinclude:

?Shorter,dynamicsurveys:AIismakingiteasierthanevertoauthorsurveysthatsoundmorenaturalandlesslikeatest.Mobile-firstis

absolutelyessential,andoursurveyshowedthatmorethan50%wereexcitedaboutthisapproach.

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TREND5:THEPARTICIPANTEXPERIENCE,FIXED?

?Conversationalapproaches:

Conversationalsurveys

cannowmirror

everydaycommunicationstyles,usingchat-basedformats,emojis,

selfies,andvideoresponses.AIcankeeptheconversationgoing,using

AIprobingtechniques,anapproachthatexcited64%ofourparticipants.

?Improvedengagement:Participantsfeelmorecomfortableandheard,whichreducesfatigueandenhancesdatareliability.

Thisshiftisn’tjustaboutconvenience—it’saboutcreatingauthentic,

engagingexperiencesthatleadtobetterinsights.Ourindustry

associationshavenotbeenrestingontheirlaurelswhenitcomestothisissueeither.ESOMAR’sguideforimproving

participantexperience

wasreleasedlastyearandtheInsightsAssociation’s

ParticipantBillofRights

protectsexperiences,justtonameacouple.

Improvingparticipantexperienceandengagementhassomanyadvantages,nottheleastofwhichistoimprovedataquality.

Surveyswithdozensofquestionsarelosing

favorasconsumerattentionspansshorten.

Respondentsoftendisengage,leadingtolowerqualitydata.Agile,mobile-friendlymicro-surveysandpassivedatacollectionmethodsareemergingasreplacements,

deliveringquicker,morereliableinsights.”

JorgeCalvachi,DirectorofInsights,La-Z-BoyIncorporated

TREND6:DATAQUALITY:THECOMEBACKTOUR

Trend#6:

DataQuality:

TheComebackTour

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TREND6:DATAQUALITY:THECOMEBACKTOUR

Dataqualityservesasthebedrockupon

whichtheedificeofmeaningfulanalysisand

informeddecision-makingstandstall.”

MelanieCourtright,InsightsAssociation(in

ResearchLive

)

Likealong-runningLasVegasact,thechallengesurroundingdataqualityrefusestoleavecenterstage.Whilethetopichasdominatedthespotlightforyears(decades!?),littleprogresshasbeenmadeevenastheindustryfacesincreasinglysophisticatedfraud(drivenby—youguessedit—AI),

technologicalshifts,andevolvingdatacollectionmethods.

However,there’sreasonforoptimism.Therelativelyrecentformationof

theGlobalDataQualityInitiativemarkedamajorstepforward.Thiscross-functionalcoalition,ledbysomeoftheworld’stopindustryassociations,

istacklingbothpersistentandemergingriskstodataqualityinmarket

research,consumerinsights,andanalytics.Bypoolingglobalexpertise,theinitiativeaimstostrengthentrust,shareresources,anddevelopactionableframeworkstoimprovedataintegrity.

Dataqualityisn’tanisolatedissue.Itisinextricablylinkedtosomethingwealreadycovered:participantexperience.Apoorparticipantexperience,

markedbyoverlylongorirrelevantsurveys,leadstodisengaged

respondents,straight-lining,orworse,dropouts.Conversely,creating

surveysthatareengaging,conversational,andrespectfulofparticipants’timeisn’tjustawinforthem—it’sawinfordataquality.

Emergingtechnologiesarealsomakingiteasiertocaptureclean,accuratedata.Toolsthatscreenforfraudulentresponsesinreal-time,adaptive

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