by Crispin Beale CEO, Insight250 | Photos by Pixabay
Another year has flown by, bringing a whirlwind of innovation and intrigue about where the insight industry is heading. Now that we are squarely in the ‘AI Era,’ there is a good amount of observation and opportunity, along with confusion and chaos. The constant hype of artificial intelligence raises questions about the right technology to adopt and the appropriate applications.
Previously, we closed out the past year by getting the perspectives of market research experts and insight innovators from around the world on the primary learnings and lessons from 2024.
Now, I contacted a spectrum of insight experts to get their thoughts on where they see the market research industry heading in the year to come in 2025. I asked them, 'What do you see are the major innovations or advancements that will impact the insight industry in the coming year?'
Watch the Insight Industry 2025 Predictions (click the image below)
(If the image link does not work visit - https://youtu.be/5N9h9ym6UrQ?si=GTBq2mdxII3bfB4m)
Here are the intriguing answers.
Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman S4 Capital plc, UK
“In 2025 everyone will have to start developing significant AI and AGI use cases to absorb the huge AI-driven capacity being built out, particularly in the United States, China, and now in the Middle East.”
Kristin Luck, Founder, WIRe, Scalehouse, Growgetter, President ex-officio ESOMAR, USA
“At the end of every year this industry is asked to issue predictions for what’s ahead….and every year I’m wrong. Largely because, as an industry, we’re slow (and generally slower than I predict) to adopt all things “new” in favor of the tried and tested. That said, I think most betting folks would put their money on AI as the one “transformative” advancement that will have the most impact in 2025. Whether that’s AI for automating processes, AI for real-time analytics, AI for predictive analytics, or AI-generated synthetic data, I think it’s unlikely that any other innovation or advancement is going to have more impact than AI.”
Justine Clements, Consumer Insights Manager, Samsung Electronics, Australia
“Apart from more AI-driven insights and faster consumer feedback cycles and/or AI feedback cycles, we can all hope for better data integration across platforms. We can expect to see more automated processes and blockchain used to improve data security and transparency. Privacy regulations will challenge traditional practices so we’ll need more innovative privacy-conscious methodologies. And finally, we can expect more immersive experiences for consumer insights in digital environments.”
Sharmila Das, Chairwoman, Purple Audacity, India
“The previous 5 to 10 years have witnessed the insight industry being surprised, awed, threatened, and hopeful about generative AI and technology. In 2025, the industry will start championing the value of human intelligence in an increasingly tech-driven world. In addition, the norms around privacy and data protection will undergo continuous evolution with newer data collection and analysis technology being invented.
“While technology like AI and wearables will enhance efficiency and provide richer data, it is human insight that will give this data meaning. Local researchers, with their deep cultural understanding and empathy, are uniquely positioned to interpret emotions, values, and aspirations in ways machines cannot and they will start getting their due recognition.
“I feel research in 2025 will not only be faster and smarter but also deeply relevant, fostering connections between businesses and the people they aim to serve.“
Alexander Edwards, President, Strategic Vision, USA
“No duh! – The major innovation impacting the insight industry in the coming year is the continuing experimentation and implementation of AI in our insights research. However, AI finds the most success when it assists, not replaces valid research, critical thinking, and a dedication to understanding the individual values of consumers. Insights and analysis from AI systems in 2024 came back with conflicting EV market predictions and inaccurate election forecasts highlighting the chaos when personal biases influence AI training. Those who ditch their agenda and FOMO (see previous Insights250 article) and boldly engage with AI to develop insights will own the future.”
Sarah Ashley, EMEA Market Insights, Google, UK
“I think we’ll move even further along the AI ‘hype’ to ‘how’ journey as more people get hands-on with the technology. I believe we’re just scratching the surface of the ways AI can beneficially augment our work. We’ll see further improvements around translation, sentiment analysis, identifying patterns in unstructured data - and more. I want to see AI enhance the research experience - imagine more conversational-style surveys that garner more thoughtful and honest answers, or real-time transcription and translation services that make participation more accessible and inclusive across the globe. I hope 2025 will bring exciting and ethical experimentation!”
Jean-Marc Leger, President/CEO, Leger, Canada
“AI is the new bridge between qualitative and quantitative research, allowing them to inform each other in real-time and deliver impactful, immediate insights for clients.”
Priscilla McKinney, CEO, LIttle Bird Marketing, USA
"I expect we'll see more integration between different research platforms. We need fewer siloed solutions and more seamless ways to combine multiple data sources while maintaining quality. The vendors who can deliver on both fronts will be the winners. Ultimately, technology providers need to understand that teams don't want their workflows interrupted - they want solutions that fit naturally into their existing processes so they can stay focused on their core tasks."
Ritanbara Mundrey, Global Head of Insights & Innovation (Dairy), Nestle, Switzerland
"Technology will continue to leapfrog and automate basic data collection and provide immediate answers. However, the profound understanding of the underlying reasons behind the "what,» the “why not”, the “what else” and the “what more” will continue to grip marketers and business. This presents abundant opportunities for the field of Insights to stay at the helm."
Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association, USA
“The explosion of data, paired with advances in platforms and AI tools, ushered in a new era for insights generation. Simultaneously, economic pressures and growing concerns around data quality prompted many research buyers to insource more of their operations.
At the same time, rapid sociopolitical changes heightened the demand for brands to gather insights at unprecedented speeds. As we look toward 2025, these trends are expected to continue reshaping the landscape, influencing where both financial resources and talent will be directed in the insights industry.”
Simon Atkinson, Chief Knowledge Officer, IPSOS, UK
“Some of them may already be with us! It looks like GLP-1 drugs may be starting to have a negative effect on some snack food sales. Clients and agencies may need to recalibrate some of their expectations.
“Synthetic data is not a new concept, but Generative AI gives it the power to have a resurgence. If we use it well, it can help us test more things out more quickly, grounding ourselves in the realities of people’s behaviours.
“And AI may help us to personalise more things and at a greater scale. We’ll be able to tailor the research process to individual needs and circumstances more than ever before, helping us to close the gaps between what we know about individuals and what we really need to know.”
Mark Langsfeld, CEO, mTab, USA
“This coming year, market research teams will gain a significant advantage as they integrate their disparate datasets, instantly analyze customer segments, and rapidly deliver actionable, enterprise-wide insights — all despite shrinking resources and reduced personnel. The evolution of insight management is already giving innovative early adopters an edge, and it's set to become a technology standard across many industries. I’m thrilled to be at the forefront of this innovation.”
Mariela Mociulsky, CEO, Trendsity, Argentina
“In 2025, the insights industry will transform with generative artificial intelligence and real-time analytics, enabling faster and more personalised responses. The fusion of structured and unstructured data will provide a comprehensive view of the consumer. Cloud platforms will enhance global collaboration, while innovations in privacy must ensure the ethical use of information. Moreover, advanced visual interfaces will make data more accessible and understandable, empowering decision-makers to act with confidence. Curiosity and responsibility will continue to set us apart as humans, and we must not lose sight of this.”
Lucy Davison, Founder, Keen as Mustard, UK
"When I asked ChatGPT4 this question (of course I did), what it came up with was nothing new (which proves the echo chamber of generative AI I suppose) – indeed I feel I would have got the same answers five years ago:
- Generative AI Integration
- Real-time Data Collection
- Ethics and Privacy Tech
- Advanced Data Visualization
- Behavioral and Emotional Analytics
“So, I’d like to go back to the lessons from 2024, in my predictions for 2025 – insights communication will at last be built into projects, teams will start communicating pro-actively, the voice of the customer will be heard. This is the final frontier for insights teams to move to stage four maturity and 2025 will be the year it happens."
Nick Graham, Founder, Vertimis, Portugal
“In 2025, AI will evolve from clever chatbot to genuine game changer, unlocking faster, smarter and more predictive insights. But, as its use ramps up, so will the demand for greater transparency, ethical standards and controls. I hope that, alongside this, we will also see a growing focus on quality, ensuring that AI elevates, enriches and deepens our insights, rather than commoditising them.”
Debrah Harding, Managing Director, Market Research Society (MRS), UK
“AI continues to develop at a rapid pace, and with that so does its impact on the insight sector. This year the subject of synthetic data rose in prominence and its use within research will no doubt continue to expand in 2025. Strengthening IT infrastructure, such as 5G and Edge Computing, will also allow businesses to access more data more quickly helping them to discover deeper insights and predictive analysis in near-real time. This has the potential to hugely improve customer insights and experiences by making them faster and more reliable.”
Isabelle Fabry - Associate, ACTFUTURE, ESOMAR - Co-Representant, France
"In 2025, the insights industry will undergo profound transformation driven by major innovations. Generative AI will enable faster, more precise data analysis, offering advanced visualizations and refined behavioral predictions. At the same time, the integration of epigenetic technologies in market research will open new perspectives on environmental influences on consumer behavior. These technological advancements, combined with strengthened ethics and increased transparency, will redefine data collection and analysis methods, positioning the insights industry at the forefront of human understanding."
Ray Poynter, President, ESOMAR, UK
“I think we will start to see headcounts reduced on the agency side of the industry, partly due to the efficiency of AI and partly due to more clients using AI-enhanced DIY platforms. There will be winners, but I expect to see some notable losses in 2025.”
Urpi Torrado, CEO, Datum Internacional, Peru
“The insight industry in the coming year will be shaped by leveraging major advancements in generative AI, which enhance the speed and accuracy of data analysis, along with stronger data governance for secure, ethical AI use. Real-time data access will enable businesses to respond more dynamically to market shifts. Together, these innovations promise to strengthen analytical capabilities, protect data integrity, and deliver more precise insights, positioning the industry to meet evolving client demands.”
Claire Rainey, Head of Insights, Virgin Media O2, UK
“Innovations I see are more joined-up thinking, more short-form content such as podcasts and vlogs. The growth in platforms that democratise data and insight means less time is spent on answering queries and enabling the role of Insight managers to move closer to business strategic thinking. This brings with it different skills, so for me, it’s time to plan for this tomorrow now.”
Ryan Barry, President, Zappi, USA
“Times have been tough. This means many businesses have fallen right back into short-termism, cutting their foresight, trend spotting, and long-term thinking in exchange for short-term gains. I get it--many businesses lost the price war. They spend on the wrong bets and have goals they are accountable for. But the brands that are continuing to play the long game and invest in future capabilities and longer-term trends will be rewarded!”
Nick Baker, Chief Research Officer, Savanta, UK
“Clearly so much is focused on AI, but looking beyond this it is increasingly realistic to deliver on the decade-old promises that came with all the noise around 'big data'. In particular take a look at the rise of Snowflake as a single platform to access all your data, including data that’s unstructured, in open formats, and from third parties. Simplicity and interoperability at its core, including with emerging AI solutions make this one to get familiar with.”
Alex Hunt, CEO, Behaviorally, USA
“2025 will be another year that the data and insights sector finds itself becoming more predictive (we have the datasets and tools to be incredibly precise about the commercial value that any marketing effort will create), more widely available (through systematic and accessible platforms), as well as sufficiently dynamic to tackle channels previously difficult to unpack (such as leveraging synthetic data to conquer the expansive frontier that is e-commerce). In other words, 2025 will be another year where the data and insights services on offer to buyers are significantly better, cheaper and faster!”
Arundati Dandapani, Founder and CEO, Generation1.ca, Canada
“AI and synthetic data are set to dominate the landscape, driving innovation and setting new benchmarks for data quality and governance. Mastery of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) issues will be a key differentiator, pushing beyond standard practices to align with ethical and sustainable goals. The ability to pinpoint and mitigate data biases will grow trust in AI-driven tools, techniques, and technologies. Human-AI collaboration will be pivotal, enabling the generation of mission-critical, noise-free insights that empower organizations, brands, institutions, and governments to make more informed, inclusive, and impactful decisions.”
Mark Ursell, CEO, QuMind, UK
“New approaches to data collection and quality will continue to evolve and also I think AI could start to transform the way quantitative and qualitative data is collected. I think this will be more of a focus than creating synthetic data or data derived from algorithms rather than actual respondents, which is emerging but has its challenges.”
Although the role of insights has never been more important and instrumental to brands and industries, the industry stands at an evolution point that will likely accelerate the speed of innovation in the coming years. This will make generating and identifying insights both easier and more complex, but through it all, it should be quite exciting.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Crispin Beale - Chief Executive, Insight250, Senior Strategic Advisor, mTab; Group President, Behaviorally
Crispin Beale is a marketing, data, and customer experience expert. Crispin spent over a decade on the Executive Management Board of Chime Communications as CEO of leading brands such as Opinion Leader, Brand Democracy, Facts International, and Watermelon. Before this, Crispin held senior marketing and insight roles at BT, Royal Mail Group, and Dixons. Crispin originally qualified as a chartered accountant and moved into management consultancy with Coopers & Lybrand (PwC). Crispin has been a Fellow, Board Director (and Chairman) of the MRS for nearly 20 years and UK ESOMAR Representative for over 10 years. Crispin is currently a Senior Strategic Advisor at mTab as well as Group President at Behaviorally.