MARKET RESEARCH
The Future Is Here: 3rd
Evolution Of Market
Research Is Underway
By Enock Wandera
I
n typical business conversations today,
one cannot miss to touch on the topic
of the ever-changing consumer needs
and of course, the discussion around the
increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex
and ambiguous business environment.
In the meantime, as technology keeps
evolving and getting more and more
sophisticated, our lives, including what
we do every day as work will keep getting
disrupted. We are getting more and more
connected digitally (online) whilst the
traditional face to face connection declines
- from the mobile phone alone, we can
stay connected socially with friends and
relatives, get news, stay entertained, get
medical advice, shop and pay for goods
and services.
There are claims that on average, we
touch our mobile phones 150-300 times
a day - the mobile phone, arguably, is a
threat to natural human connection and
in the wider scope of things, to how life is
and will be in future - as technology and
automation take center stage in more and
more aspects of our lives.
We have all made different observations
on the effects of technology - both
positive and negative. I was reflecting on
how the local market research industry
has evolved - over the last 20 or so years.
I came up with what I personally think
could represent the different seasons in
the industry. I believe that locally, we are
in the third season, the 3rd evolution -
with very familiar characteristics.
The first season, the Traditional Research,
that to me, lasted up to about 2010
was characterized by costly fieldwork
budgets due to lengthy and inefficient
data collection methods such as postal
surveys, Pen & Paper interviewing,
limited automation in data processing as
data clerks had to code and key in data
From people and skills perspective, new
skills will be required beyond the technical
researcher of the years gone by - may be a
hybrid of technical research knowledge and
story-telling? Right brainers will start to
rule in market research? Or may be a full
insights gurus who will look at connecting
the revealed data patterns and inter-rela-
tions in the context of client strategy to
help businesses grow amidst the reality of
disruption?
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manually.
The researchers during this season were less
specialised - they were ‘generalists’ - they
did budgets for projects, managed project
teams in field, managed data processing,
wrote reports and presented to clients -
and for both qualitative and quantitative.
The reports were huge - clients wanted
every bit of the data in charts. The market
and indeed the consumers were simple -
and hence the insights were simple as well.
No complex analytics were required.
The second season lasted about 6-7
years. We started seeing the signs in
2015 into 2016 - market research budget
rationalization kicked in - the huge
budgets for programs like brand health
tracking got reviewed. Traditional data
collection methods got challenged and
adoption of new methods such as CAPI,
mobile data collection and online surveys
to some extent picked up.
As the consumer landscape got more
complex, need for more advanced analytics
grew. The overall industry also grew
as footprint of global market research
agencies expanded in Kenya and the
broader region as a whole. I would call the
early years of this season, the early tech.
This is when small shifts into automation
started.
The later years of this season - towards 2016,
were more of mid tech characterised with
more pressure for budget rationalization,
demand for shorter, sharper and cheaper
surveys. There were also increasing calls
for predictive analytics/modelling.