Research is now a transformation agent

Dr Smith maintains that the age of progress is upon us and that the Market Research (MR) industry needs to take a look at its future and the challenges that need addressing.

What emerges is a need to integrate. Data provision will become more of a commodity and market researchers need to extend their offering to provide a value-add by interpreting information to relate precisely to the business decision-making process.

"The context of market research has changed, the technology has changed, competitors have changed, customer demands have changed but market research in South Africa has not," says Andrea Rademeyer, CEO of Ask Afrika.

The challenge is being able to offer a wider range of consultancy skills. Intuition emerges as a vital tool for MR leaders in decoding data. Reducing the gap between data and decision means providing strategic and tactical advice for strategic market intelligence. The solution is for MRs of the future to be more transparent about their processes. This will facilitate clarity in their response and data by resonating with managers and senior decision makers.

"Research is now a transformation agent where whatever you are measuring - service, market size, product or internal culture - the company is measuring because it wants to improve," says Rademeyer.

The need then surfaces for multi-disciplinary MRs. This means that analysts need to provide decision makers with a holistic analysis and interpretation of data. Integrating qualitative and quantitative research to develop a set of principles and frameworks that incorporate management thinking into the data analysis process.

It is moot as to whether the future is already here when we understand how invisible market research affects us everyday, following our consumer trends. Fortune Magazines' February 2004 edition profiles a large US company that manages 20 billion customer records and maintains a database of 96% of US households giving marketers a 'real-time', comprehensive view of their customers. How? By applying a 13-digit code that identifies them wherever they go, whatever they do. The Big Brother implications are real, which is why future MR's must display integrity to potential customers.

Ask Afrika has confirmed its industry innovator status by making use of new wireless technology and intuitive systems. The strategic research company boasts over 10 statisticians and all the business analysts and research specialists either have at least a masters' degree in their field or are in the process of completing these degrees.

Rademeyer concludes: "We have found that our customers want a partnership - a long term partnership based on a good relationship in which they get strategic input."