Based in London and New York we operate all over the connected world. Our team consists of researchers, planners and creative technologists as well as thousands of networked consumers and experts within our co-creation communities.
We all know a good and engaging story when we hear it and our clients are no different! 2012 should be the year in which we take the art of MR storytelling seriously. Let’s ban the 100 slide reportage debrief and develop the skills of our teams to communicate findings in more engaging ways. Spend 10% more time on thinking about how we tell the story using imagery; video, graphics and customer voices will make a huge difference to the reputation of the MRX industry.
2. Ask less questions and listen more
As researchers we like asking questions. If we are totally honest, most of us think we know the answers before we run our surveys and are simply testing our hypotheses. Today, we live in the age of social media data – consumers globally are talking about every aspect of their lives 24/7. We no longer need to second guess and ask as many questions about what consumers think and feel with so much data available. We just need to develop the skills of our teams to listen and interpret more.
3. Stop using the word respondent
We have all done this. But is it not time to stop using this word to describe people who we work with in research projects. In 2012 we must encourage our teams to develop collaborative skills so that we can see consumers as people who we can co-create value with rather than as lab rats to carry out tests on.
4. Have more fun
The MRX industry has a pretty dull image and we need to ask ourselves why. A large part is because we need to try harder to be creative and have fun with our clients. We should be encouraging our teams to spend time experimenting, by piloting new ideas with clients. In a world where things are changing so fast, this is not only essential but fun.
5. Don’t just embrace change – drive change
Above all in 2012 I think there should be an acceptance amongst researchers that the pace of change we are seeing in technology is just going to speed up and that the old certainties of Quant and Qual research are over. It is only then that we can help shape the skills of our teams to adapt to the challenges of a world where so much data is available and where consumers expect to collaborate with brands.
The value of data is only fully leveraged when multiple data sets are connected. Connecting the data allows us to understand the context of the dataset and turn figures into stories and insights. MROCs will evolve to become Hubs for consumer understanding by enabling clients to overlay other data streams, such as sales
2. Co-creation
The more experience clients have with MROC, the more they will understand that the power of these communities goes beyond gamification of online research tasks. By segmenting consumers by their ability and skill to co-create we will see more consumers being invited to work closely with brands to crack strategic brand challenges.
3. Real-time
MROCs will increasingly be connecting to the social media profiles of their members, thereby giving clients access to selected areas of their real-time social data. Such data might include their status updates, their musical preferences, their Likes, the people they follow on Twitter. This will mean as researchers we will use MROC to ask fewer questions and concentrate more on actual behaviours.
4. Mobile
As smart phone penetration increases, MROC members will be able to use apps to post pictures, videos, soundbytes, status updates, respond to polls, engage in discussions and generally participate in tasks on the go. This mobile interface will enable a richer contribution from members and a deeper and more seamless connection between what they do in their daily life and what they do in MROC.
5. Smarter
Automated analytics tools will enable researchers to gain faster and deeper understanding of MROC data. This will include natural language processing software to run semantic analysis of the contents and cluster consumer feedback by topics. Machine learning will also start to be overlaid to enable more effective categorization of textual, visual and audio content. Real-time interactive visualizations via dashboard will also be adopted to spot patterns quickly and guide in-depth analysis of content.
In an urban environment, our perceptions of how to manage our time are changing. Days and nights blur into one another, and many feel the need to fill any ‘in transit’ moments with activity. As our desire to remain ‘switched on’ intensifies, our brains and fingers remain ever active and this accelerates our life’s speed. This perpetuates our need to rely on services, apps and products to help us cope with the stresses and strains of time poverty and demanding lifestyles. The ‘space’ around convenience is more critical than ever but the delivery of convenience is changing with the onset of innovation and seamless platforms of technology. This blog looks at smart technology and services that are emerging as important life props for the hyper active.
Maximising Time
Talking to a fellow Facer this week, I recommended she get an au pair. “It makes life so much easier” I said. The only thing is she doesn’t have kids. Time wastage solutions is an emerging sector set to grow this year. For the time poor, waiting in for a delivery, or holding on for an hour to a Customer Service line for an hour is not only frustrating but often impossible. The little chores that are a nuisance for one person are being swapped with others who have more time on their hands.
An increasingly popular US website offers a unique service to busy urban executives and has been gathering momentum since it was launched in 2008. Users post their tasks on the Taskrabbit website, along with what they’re willing to pay, and a ‘runner’ picks it up and does it for them. The tasks range from snow clearing (currently very popular) through to waiting in for home deliveries. According to Gawker last week, Google employees are now being offered free credits on Taskrabbit to take away the strain of ‘the little stuff’ so they can concentrate on being really clever. Runners tend to be Stay at home parents, students and retirees.
On a similar theme, various home services have also been spotted in the US (Du Monde and A Step Above) and UK (wewaitforyou), where reliable house sitters are on hand to help tradesman and take deliveries during work hours. More luxury services provide temporary relief to the stressed out with a portfolio of staff to cater for every need: chefs, butlers, personal assistants and even in home spa therapists.
For those looking forward to the home comforts upon their arrival, A Step Above will light the fire, put away the shopping or run you a piping hot bath for when you get back home.
Robotic vacuum cleaners have been around for a while, but boffins at Dundee University have taken the idea of convenience one step further by patenting a process using nanotechnology, for self cleaning carpets. Put the kettle on, and kick back, as one chore can be crossed off the list.
Immediate Solutions
For Gen i, life is about information, interactions and immediacy. This has implications for any company, in terms of ensuring Customer service delivers against users’ increasing demands as well as a rethink for brands’ distribution channels.
If you live in the States, then Uber cabs is a neat concept. 1. Download an app to your smart phone. 2. Next time you need a cab within in 5 minutes, send a text with your pick up address. 3. No need to pay – the fee is automatically deducted from your credit card. PayPal have linked up with various technology platforms to enable wireless, automated transactions for everyday purchases. The idea of mobile phones becoming a kind of “digital wallet”, used for payments and identity purposes, has been around for a while but will benefit Londoners later this year when an Oyster card app on smartphones will enable users to pay and use their phone for carefree access across London’s transport system.
Expect to see V-Commerce rise in 2011. Vending machines have always focused on convenience but normally at a compromise. As technology has improved, and stock is more in tune with trends, we have spotted some brilliant examples of well placed machines offering high quality, well needed products. From freshly baked canned bread and umbrellas in Tokyo, Diaper Bag Basics in Buffalo, US to healthy, nutritious meals in the Netherlands and Spain.
Just Cook It! meal ranges have proved popular across Europe for the last few years but in Oz, a franchise retail concept has popped up in key cities, offering fresh, quality and easy to prepare meals sold in well located outlets.
2010 saw more retailers offer the click and collect service, where shoppers bought online and pick-uped in store. Collaborations and partnerships will mean that this year, you will be able to buy from John Lewis but pick up in Waitrose, or purchase a surfboard online and pick it up when visiting Devon.
This weekend, supermarket giant Tesco announced the opening of the UK’s first drive-thru store in Baldock, Hertfordshire, as a pilot. The service is aimed at customers who do not want to carry out their weekly shop themselves, but who also do not have time to wait at home for an internet delivery. For a flat fee of £2, they will be able to drive to a dedicated area in a Tesco store at a set time and pick up their shopping without having to leave their car. Laura Wade-Gery, chief executive of Tesco dotcom and Tesco Direct, said:
‘This will be especially popular with busy mums who have the school run and children’s activities to manage. It also offers a solution to parents who want to avoid the challenge of shopping in a busy store with children in tow but can’t afford the time to stay in for the shop to arrive to their door. We also expect it to help young professionals.”
More than one million UK households regularly order goods from Tesco’s website.
Tesco invested heavily in dotcom technology last year and Jan 6th saw the first ever TV ad where the retail giant plugged their smartphone grocery apps. Launched last October the barcode scanner allows customers to add out-of-stock and other items to their online shopping basket by scanning the barcodes of their empty items at home.
Laura Wade-Gery, CEO of Tesco.com, explained the new feature: “We’re always looking for ways to make life easier for customers and for busy mums in particular. The barcode scanner will make online ordering much quicker for those that have an iPhone. This is the perfect solution for iPhone lovers that are always forgetting to add items to their shopping list or haven’t the time to even write one!”
The app is free to download from the App Store, and requires a Tesco online shopping account.
Implications for Brands:
Be ever accessible and available both virtually and in real time
View time as currency – how can you extend the amount of ‘free’ time dedicated to pleasure and entertainment?
Look at apps and other technology platforms to deliver Convenience based upon immediacy, interactions and simplicity
connect