What are the latest trends in research evolving alongside infrastructure development, and what remains the universal goal?

Research to grasp customer characteristics and insights is fundamental and foundational for developing and implementing marketing strategies. While "mail surveys" were once the standard method, advancements in infrastructure have driven the evolution from "telephone surveys" to "internet surveys."Furthermore, since the proliferation of diverse opinions online via social media and other platforms, techniques like social listening—gathering comments posted on the internet—have become commonplace, replacing the need to create specific survey questions. However, regardless of how methods evolve, "gathering information about the market and target audience" remains the core of marketing.

This article revisits the fundamentals of marketing to explore the latest trends in research. We spoke with Mr . Tatsuhiko Saito of Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc., a group company of Macromill Inc ., the largest player in the research industry, about the evolving landscape of research.

Research Evolving Beyond "Asking"

Q. Research methods have evolved alongside infrastructure development. What direction is it evolving in recently?

Saito: First, within the realm of traditional asking data (data obtained by questioning consumers), a key theme is how to effectively integrate it with actual data (historical data like website access, TV viewing, or purchase records). For example, we want to ask specific questions to people who "watched YouTube" or "received a promotional tweet on their Twitter account." In terms of verifying the effectiveness of marketing initiatives, the critical point is how much we can enhance the precision of that targeting.

Particularly going forward, legal changes and usage restrictions will make cookie-based actual data linkage increasingly difficult, making how to achieve this a major challenge. We believe we must thoroughly develop specialized Research Panel, Inc. tailored to specific research objectives to enhance the precision of our research targets.

Another area is beyond "asking." We're also expanding into domains like sentiment analysis and facial expression analysis.Recent advancements in IoT devices, such as smartwatches and other wrist-worn devices, have made it easier to collect biometric data. This allows us to increase our efforts in areas beyond "verbal research." We are currently challenging ourselves, including through Proof of Concept (PoC) initiatives, to understand the benefits and drawbacks of these approaches.

Q. Regarding areas beyond asking, various methods gained attention for a time about 15 years ago. For example, in "CM evaluation," it wasn't just about "watching a commercial and answering a questionnaire." There were also approaches like selecting scenes that sparked interest while watching the commercial, or using eye-tracking to measure attention levels in simulated shelf surveys. However, none of these became mainstream. Compared to that time, would you say various changes have occurred?

Saito: That trend certainly existed before. Compared to that time, technological advancements mean these methods are now less labor-intensive and, crucially, data can be measured at an overwhelmingly lower cost.

It's not that "asking is bad" or that "vital data (biometric data like pulse, blood pressure, body temperature) is good." I think the key is to look at a combination of both approaches.However, with survey-based research, you can only capture data at the moment someone "responds." In contrast, vital data has the characteristic of being continuously collected. For example, suppose you want to investigate "what kind of feelings people have while using" a certain smart appliance throughout the day.Previously, while we could log whether someone was using it or not, capturing "their emotional state" required asking via survey. Now, vital data can capture the emotional fluctuations during actual use. We can understand if they're alert, if it's comfortable, and so on. With subscription services becoming more widespread, cases where we need to capture evaluations within continuous usage, rather than just at a single point, will likely increase going forward.

Q. Indeed, when the service itself is ongoing, a single-point survey feels insufficient, and the need for vital data seems likely to grow.

Saito: In the realm of facial expression analysis and image analysis, take analyzing customer movement within stores. We gather data on when and where customers gather, what movements they make, and what their emotional state is at that moment. Using this data, we consider what's needed to create more appealing stores.

For research companies like ours, the strength has traditionally been in "how many panels we hold and how much data we have on those panels." However, going forward, we believe the key will also be how well we can capture nonverbal data. That's why we're expanding our challenges into this area.

Surveys for "gathering opinions" are becoming lighter and quicker

Q. With the widespread adoption of digital devices like smartphones, I imagine there's a growing need for lighter, quicker surveys. What are your thoughts?

Saito: Yes.Separate from the focus on collecting vital data, traditional questionnaire surveys are becoming quicker and more flexible. Previously, the standard procedure involved carefully planning the survey, creating the questionnaire, sending it to a specific population, and waiting a considerable amount of time for responses. Now, however, it's possible to "immediately send questions to a panel as soon as they come to mind, and have a certain number of responses collected within a few hours."Of course, if sample accuracy and meticulous survey design are priorities, ample time should be dedicated to preparation and response collection. But for cases like "I just want a quick, simple assessment" or "I want to grasp broad trends," a speed-first approach where you can "ask what you want to know immediately" is more suitable.

Today, we're inundated with all kinds of actual data. Social listening makes it easy to grasp various opinions and behaviors without conducting formal surveys. Therefore, we're also building environments that enable quick research, much like gathering opinions on social media.

The desire to focus on individuals and understand people is growing stronger

Q. Amidst this, what trends do you perceive in recent research?

Saito: This is purely my personal observation, but I sense a growing demand for qualitative research. As mentioned earlier, while actual data is more abundant than ever, looking at it alone doesn't reveal customer insights. The more you examine behavioral data, the more you wonder, "What kind of person is doing this?" and the more you want to focus on that individual.

Also, during the pandemic, group interviews and similar sessions started being conducted via online meeting systems. While there was some initial apprehension, after conducting a significant number, we can now run them without issue. Most importantly, the removal of spatial and geographical constraints has made it easier to gather participants. Even after the pandemic subsides, I believe we'll continue to operate primarily online.

Q. How do you think research will evolve going forward?

Saito: Advancements beyond the asking phase will continue. As we gain access to various vital data, the demand for single-source insights will likely grow. There's a rising trend toward tracking an individual's entire day—where they were and what they were doing at the moment their feelings changed. Of course, personal information protection is a critical issue, so technically speaking, how we capture an individual's movements will become increasingly important.

That said, as we gain access to ever more diverse data, it becomes increasingly difficult to integrate and analyze these vast volumes. However, even as we collect more data, the core goal of research remains unchanged: "understanding people." This pursuit will only intensify. Therefore, we in the research field must strive to be the foremost experts in "understanding people."

As infrastructure and technology evolve, the volume and quality of data we can collect become richer and richer. The means of collecting data also become more diverse and quicker. On the other hand, the purpose of research – "understanding people" – is universal. Precisely because the scope of collectable data is expanding, the need to "understand the profile of a single individual" is becoming increasingly pure.

To ensure more customers "continue choosing" our products and services, it is crucial to grasp customer profiles more realistically and concretely. While research methods evolve, the essential task remains "understanding customers." To achieve this, why not reconsider "research methods" and explore what possibilities exist?