How Consumer Insights platforms are impacting Qualitative Research

Gone are the days when Qualitative researchers had to write discussion guides from scratch, conduct consumer interactions in stuffy (sometimes too hot, sometimes too cold) rooms, manually write notes, monitor color-coded sticky notes, and spend weeks transcribing recordings by hand. Today, consumer insights platforms are redefining the way qualitative data is gathered, analyzed, activated.

Why the Shift to Digital Platforms?

Monitoring of Consumer Behavior has evolved rapidly, so researchers need tools that can keep up. According to a 2024 GRIT report, 68% of research buyers now say Agility is their top priority in choosing methodologies. That’s where digital qualitative research platforms come in – offering speed, flexibility and depth; all streamlined in one place.

• Capture rich, unfiltered insights from global participants through asynchronous interviews and mobile ethnography.

• Use AI-assisted analysis to quickly elicit key themes, saving hours (or even days) of manual coding.

• Collaborate effortlessly with stakeholders via cloud-based workflows and live tagging features.

• A CPG brand launched a new snack line across 3 countries and needed feedback on the launch, to tweak strategy. Using a platform, they conducted 30 mobile video diaries and 10 online interviews – all recruited, moderated, translated, transcribed and analysed within 1 week.

• A UX researcher tapped into tagging and visualization tools offered by a platform, to identify unmet needs in a new app concept; thus presenting clear, compelling insights to stakeholders – visually and interactively.

Traditional qualitative approaches to data collection, analysis and reporting do have their strengths. Yet, they can indeed fall short in today’s fast-paced, insights-starved environment.

A consumer insights platform lets you:

Here’s what using a platform can look like, in the real world

Are the robots taking over?!

A commonly held misconception is that using a platform means sacrificing the human connection that’s core to Qualitative Research. But in reality, these platforms enhance the researcher-data relationship. You’re still asking open-ended questions, reading between the lines and diving into lived experiences – just equipped with tools to support you.

Consider this: earlier, researchers possibly wrote discussion guides afresh, for each new study they handled. Today, Generative AI can give you multiple starting points to explore, and help you write more evocative discussion guides. Think of it like this: you're not replacing your craft with software; in fact – you're amplifying it.

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Getting Started

Consumer insights platforms aren’t a trend – they’re the new normal. For qualitative researchers, they offer a rare opportunity: to work smarter, go deeper, free up your time from operations and make your insights matter more.

If you’re a qualitative researcher curious about making the leap, start small. Run your next study (maybe start one where you do have extra time to spare) through a platform. Explore AI-enabled coding offered by platforms. Play around with GenerativeAI prompts on the platform. Purpose-built platforms like flowres are designed by Qualitative researchers, for Qualitative researchers… which makes your learning curve gentler and amplifies your payoffs.

So whether you're a solo consultant or part of a large insights team, it’s time to rethink how you do qual. With the right platform to equip you, you're not just conducting qualitative studies. Instead, you're creating impact.