<h2>CLIENT - JAPANESE SNACK BRAND&nbsp;</h2>
<h4>FOCUS - Purchase decision in a complex category&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>THE PROBLEM - Understanding customer demand for world food snacks to win space on supermarket shelves&nbsp;</h4>
&nbsp;
<h4>CHALLENGES&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li>Supermarket world food aisles largely lack curation - all 'ethnic foods' together in one space</li>
<li>Growing globalisation and demand for diversity means&nbsp;huge opportunities for brands</li>
<li>Lack of visual cues that UK shoppers are used to (e.g. green crisp packet = cheese and onion) can limit experimentation</li>
<li>Less data on consumer behaviour in this complex space can be a barrier when approaching category managers</li>
<li>How do you improve your product when there is little understanding of how consumers navigate and make purchase decisions?</li>
</ul>
<h4>&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>WHAT WE DID&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li>Qualitative research</li>
<li>Panel - 50 open-minded shoppers</li>
<li>Survey creation -
<ul>
<li>Store visit to world food aisle - identifying good and bad examples of packaging</li>
<li>Snack taste testing - in-depth critique of 4 products identifying areas for improvement in product and packaging</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Responses - video, written &amp; photo</li>
<li>WhatsApp survey distribution</li>
<li>14 day turnaround</li>
</ul>
<h4>&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>INSIGHTS&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li>Appealing packaging allowed participants to understand or connect with the product -
<ul>
<li>Bright, colourful, vibrant designs that made the product stand out</li>
<li>Clear descriptions of flavour and or texture e.g. spicy, citrusy, crunchy, crispy</li>
<li>Visual representation of the snack on packaging so customers know what to expect</li>
<li>Perceived health qualities - claims such as less fatty or more nutritious</li>
<li>Price point being perceived as affordable or good value for money</li>
<li>Some participants were drawn to new, exciting options that felt culturally authentic</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Unappealing packaging alienated or failed to catch attention of participants -
<ul>
<li>Bland or dated or conversely overly busy or hard to interpret designs</li>
<li>A lack of information or description about what the product is or includes</li>
<li>Concerns about processed or artificial looking foods</li>
<li>Culturally inauthentic or mainstream looking products</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Of the 4 products samples in the taste test there were 2 clear front runners -
<ul>
<li>Both had high contrast, engaging, clear packaging that visually represented the snack or flavour, with non-English text in the design which was seen as authentic</li>
<li>The winning formula was a balance of cultural authenticity and familiarity with specific flavour description with participants enjoying unexpected flavours with crunchy textures</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>ACTIONS&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li>Adaption of packaging to appeal to UK consumers and stand out on supermarket shelves</li>
<li>Quantifiable data for approaching category managers and supporting a business case for product shelf space</li>
<li>Evidence to strategically drive NPD innovation and influence ranges and products for the UK market</li>
</ul>

Case study - understanding purchase decision for a snack brand 

<h2>CLIENT - INTERNATIONAL LINGERIE BRAND&nbsp;</h2>
<h4>FOCUS - Brand perception and customer experience&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>THE PROBLEM - Slow&nbsp;sales and retail footfall despite refreshed brand values&nbsp;</h4>
<h4>WHAT WE DID&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li>Qualitative research</li>
<li>Panel - 50% lapsed shoppers, 50% new to brand</li>
<li>Survey creation -
<ul>
<li>1x brand perception</li>
<li>1x in-store experience</li>
<li>1x online experience</li>
<li>1x post-experience brand perception</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Responses - video, written &amp; photo</li>
<li>WhatsApp survey distribution</li>
<li>10 Day turnaround</li>
</ul>
<h4>RESULTS</h4>
<ul>
<li>Pre-shopping brand perception - a&nbsp;glamorous and hyper feminine brand&nbsp;that had positive nostalgic association for some participants, but felt in need of a change to meet modern expectations. When it came to the refreshed brand values, participants believed they were talking the talk but not walking the walk with representation and diversity.</li>
<li>Key takeaways from in-store shopper experience -
<ul>
<li>Positive first impressions around feminine glamorous store layout and feel</li>
<li>Not enough representation - some efforts to show larger size mannequins contradicted by brand photography of traditionally sized models</li>
<li>Underutilised signage, promotional materials and in-store information</li>
<li>Well received additional ranges such as loungewear and fragrance, but a lack of awareness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Key takeaways online shopper experience -
<ul>
<li>Positive first impressions with an easy to navigate site</li>
<li>Lack of diversity and representation in models and photography</li>
<li>Room for improvement with stock availability</li>
<li>Effective copy, promotional and online store information, particularly around bra fitting</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Common themes -
<ul>
<li>Not enough larger sizes offered</li>
<li>Well priced promotions, but a general feeling that products were expensive</li>
<li>Lack of awareness of everyday underwear category, which was well received but unexpected</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Post shopping brand perception - pleasantly surprised by the breadth of the brand&rsquo;s offering and the majority enjoyed their shopping experience. Some were keen on the feminine brand feel, though a larger commitment to representation was needed to convert some participants.</li>
</ul>

Helping an international lingerie brand understand how customers see their brand and identify room for improvement in-store and online 

Case study - Brand perception & customer experience for a lingerie brand

The problem - How do we get a notoriously complex demographic to engage with market research?&nbsp;&nbsp;
The challenges - Gen Z are game changers and are approaching pretty much everything differently than the generations that went before them. The preferences and attitudes that are inherent to this generation make engagement with market research much more challenging. Here a few reasons why -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Shorter attention spans &ndash; traditional approaches to market research often fail to hold Gen Z attention, and completion is less likely as a result. There is a desire for fast, interactive and visual approaches that don&rsquo;t feel outdated.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Scepticism towards brands and institutions &ndash; Gen Z are highly sceptical when it comes to sharing personal data, and are unlikely to do so if they don&rsquo;t see a benefit or suspect their information may be misused.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Preference for authenticity &ndash; Gen Z prefers genuine interaction over formal communication. Experiences perceived to be transactional or impersonal won&rsquo;t resonate.&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Values alignment &ndash; brands that aren&rsquo;t perceived to reflect personal core values are not of interest to Gen Z consumers. There is a desire for legitimate authenticity, inclusivity, diversity and sustainability over more traditional commercial agendas.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Digital fatigue &ndash; this generation is over-saturated with ads, surveys, social media, etc making them more selective about where they direct their attention. Research may not rank highly on their list of priorities if it isn&rsquo;t rewarding.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Appropriate incentivisation &ndash; Gen Z expect immediate and tangible rewards for their time. If incentives, monetary or experiential, don&rsquo;t feel worthwhile, they are unlikely to engage.&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Brand Jar&rsquo;s solutions - By 2025 Gen Z will represent 25% of the global population. Counting them out of market research is not an option, particularly as in the years to come Gen Z will be the ones shaping the future economy and consumer landscape. Brand Jar have seen great success in engaging Gen Z participants in research by adopting the following approaches -
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
WhatsApp - Brand Jar uses Whatsapp as our primary way of sending questions to participants. It has proven to be popular with Gen Z, as well as many other demographics, as it is easy to use, an inbuilt part of many people&rsquo;s day-to-day communication and there is no need to download an additional app or learn a new interface. We believe that the simplicity of engaging with research through Whatsapp has significantly reduced the drop out rate of Gen Z participants.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Pace - Strike while the iron is hot! Getting surveys to participants quickly when they are engaged is vital. Whatsapp allows for rapid responses, whenever and wherever is convenient, which means you can capture feedback at the point of peak engagement.&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Question and response variety - creating interesting and engaging surveys will ensure better responses and more valuable insights from any generation. Keeping question types varied keeps surveys interesting. Gen Z grew up on social media and are generally at ease with creating video, so don&rsquo;t miss the opportunity to ask for selfie video answers which can produce powerful and valuable verbatim.&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Water tight GDPR - Gen Z are more aware than ever about how their data is collected and used. Brand Jar clearly informs participants about how their data will be used, stored, and shared. It&rsquo;s not only the right and legal thing to do, a commitment to data protection fosters trust which is more likely to lead to more honest and valuable insights.&nbsp;&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Paying incentives quickly - Making sure that the participant receives incentives as quickly as possible makes for a more positive research experience and acknowledges the value of that person&rsquo;s time and perspectives.&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Offering unincentivised research - It may sound counterintuitive, but when the motivation for taking part in research is a passion or investment in the subject matter, contributing to the process can be rewarding enough. This can be particularly appealing to Gen Z audiences who value the chance to contribute and shape areas they are engaged with.&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Lead with purpose - Though not always an option, where possible, sharing the reason and the aim of research can be incredibly appealing to Gen Z audiences, and more likely to get them onboard. Understanding the purpose of a piece of research and how their feedback will be shared can be a real motivator.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Share results - Again, it&rsquo;s not always possible, but sharing the results of research with participants can increase their feeling of investment in the process. Knowing that they have played an active part in improving or changing a brand can be a game changing element in producing Gen Z trust and commitment to market research.&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;&nbsp;
While it&rsquo;s not always easy getting Gen Z participants on board with research, employing some of the tactics above can make a significant impact, and have certainly made a difference for Brand Jar. Ensuring there is a Gen Z voice in market research will ensure that the consumers of tomorrow are being factored into the perspectives of today.
&nbsp;

How do we get a notoriously complex demographic to engage with market research?

How to get Gen Z to engage with market research

You'd be pretty hard pressed to find someone with a smartphone that doesn't know what WhatsApp is. In fact, for many people, WhatsApp has come to dominate the way we communicate. Launched in 2009, Whatsapp gained traction quickly as a result of its simplicity, reliability and cross-platform compatability. As one of the first apps to offer free internet-based messaging, it quickily began to replace SMS messaging, and it has stayed not just relevant but dominant, with it's user-friendly interface and lack of adverts.&nbsp;
In 2014 Meta acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion. At the time is was one of the largest acquisitions in the tech space, reflecting the immense potential and user base of over 600 million active users at the time. The acquisition turbo powered WhatsApp's growth enabling it to add funcation like WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp pay, and WhatsApp is now used by more than 2 billion people worldwide.&nbsp;
Why did Brand Jar choose WhatsApp as our prefered method of communication with consumers?&nbsp;
There are a myriad of reasons that&nbsp; makes Whatsapp just make sense for Brand Jar
<ul>
<li>Ease of use - Whatsapp has removed some of the barriers to entry for market research. Participants don't need to download a new app, figure out a new interface, or be faced with a piece of tech that isn't going to work. They just answers some questions on an app they are really familiar with&nbsp;</li>
<li>Multi-media capabilities - Whatsapp takes text, photo, video, even voicenotes in its stride. It ensures that participants can capture their thoughts and feelings in a way that is simple for them, and incredibly powerful for the brand that has commissioned the research and no one has to sit staring at a spinning wheel of doom while a video doesn't upload&nbsp;</li>
<li>Higher completion levels - When the task is simple, it's much more likely to be completed. We see a much lower dropout rate than you would expect to see from participants using other survey completion methods. Preventing friction with the communication method also means participants can just concentrate on the survey, giving higher quality results</li>
<li>Convenience - Participants can engage with Brand Jar surveys whenever and wherever is convenient to them. It doesn't require any additional equipment beyond their phone, which makes taking part in market research more user friendly and less daunting.</li>
<li>Speed - Using WhatsApp makes pretty much every step of the research process quicker. As soon as the invitation arrives with the participant (which takes a matter of minutes), they can begin the survey. The questions clearly describe what is needed from the participant, and the next question follows seconds after the previous is completed. It makes fast turnaround of research a reality, and brands can see the answers coming into the Brand Jar platform from participants in real time.</li>
<li>Reach - According to OFCOM, there are over 34 million users of WhatsApp in the UK in 2024, which is 90.3% of smart phone users. On the basis that all you need to take part in research with Brand Jar is a phone number and WhatsApp, the potential panel for your research is incredible! We know it's not for everyone, but even a single digit % of those numbers is still pretty impressive.</li>
<li>Connection with younger audiences - It is notoriously difficult to get recruit and maintain engagement with Gen Z participants. We have found that the convenience and familiarity with Whatsapp has made it easier to secure their feedback and insights.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
We could probably list more, but you get the gist - it's a marvellous solution!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Brand Jar's ability to utilise Whatsapp to gain consumer insights has been a game changer for the brands who have chosen to work with us. It's opened up the possibility of reaching current and future customers in a way that is convenient, effective and fast, resulting in powerful insights and positive research experiences for everyone. What's not to like!&nbsp;

The benefits of using WhatsApp to reach consumers to get their views, opinions and feedback  

Is WhatsApp a good solution for market research?

Tracking studies are like the fitness trackers of market research, only instead of counting steps, they&rsquo;re keeping tabs on things like brand engagement, customer loyalty, and key trends. Some people are natural runners, lucky them, but if you want to become a professional athlete, you&rsquo;re going to need more than an affinity for pounding the pavement. Just as an Olympian will know every single metric about their health and fitness, and will use that information to their advantage, tracking studies give companies a steady flow of insights that will help them to hone and finesse their strategies.
What is a tracking study?&nbsp;A tracker is an ongoing study that collects data over time to monitor changes in consumer perceptions, behaviors, and brand performance. Rather than a one-time survey, tracking studies are conducted at regular intervals&mdash;weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annually&mdash;to gather consistent data on specific metrics. The ongoing monitoring allows brands to see how consumer attitudes shift over time and identify trends and potential issues.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s say a company launches a new product, like an all-natural low-sugar, keeping to the fitness theme. They could just get it launched and hope people love it, or, with a tracking study, they can get ongoing feedback about the product from real consumers to see how it&rsquo;s actually landing. Is it appealing to the intended customer demographic? Do the product and packaging compliment each other? Is the low-sugar claim communicated effectively? These regular insights keep brands in the loop on what&rsquo;s working and what isn&rsquo;t over time, not just a singular snapshot view.
Tracking studies also help companies spot those more subtle, slow-burn trends. Imagine a brand starts noticing through tracking data that consumers are increasingly interested in refillable packaging that feels luxurious. Desire for sustainability isn&rsquo;t new, but not wanting to compromise on something that feels aspirational is an emerging theme - sentiment is shifting. With this information, the brand can jump on the trend early, roll out green packaging that&rsquo;s giving luxe, and be a brand that &ldquo;just gets&rdquo; their customers.
Let&rsquo;s not forget brand perception - tracking studies can help companies avoid those awkward moments that come with jumping on a trend too late (demure anyone?). Maybe last year, the brand&rsquo;s marketing campaign came across as fun, quirky and of the moment, but now consumers feel like it&rsquo;s been played to death. With regular consumer understanding, brands can course-correct, keeping their marketing fresh and aligned with, if not ahead of, current tastes.
Then there&rsquo;s the competition. Tracking studies don&rsquo;t just measure how a brand is doing; they can also look at how competitors are faring. If a rival brand suddenly has a spike in popularity, it&rsquo;s worth investigating why. Did a new product land really well? Did a specific ad campaign resonate? These insights let brands stay sharp and learn from competitor&rsquo;s approaches in increasingly competitive environments.
In conclusion, tracking studies can be the secret weapon that help brands become Olympic athletes in their field. The powerful information gathered in a tracker allows a brand to stay tuned into their audience, identify trends, and make adjustments in real-time. In a world where consumer loyalty is becoming hard to maintain, a tracker can help create a brand that&rsquo;s actively listening to their consumer, adapting, and staying ahead of the game, today, next month and next year.
&nbsp;
Want to know how Brand Jar can deliver a tracking study for your brand? <a href="https://www.brandjar.co.uk/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drop us a line</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;

How regular consumer insights can help brands to finesse their offering

Tracking Studies - The Secret to Staying Relevant (Without Guesswork)

<h2>CLIENT - INTERNATIONAL COLA BRAND&nbsp;</h2>
<h4>FOCUS - In-store </h4>
<h4>THE PROBLEM - How to improve on-shelf presence to drive sales in supermarkets</h4>
<h4>WHAT WE DID&nbsp;</h4>
<ul>
<li class="p1">Quantitative research</li>
<li class="p1">Pariticipant selection - 90 participants selected fitting key criteria</li>
<li class="p1">Survey creation - 3 surveys</li>
<li class="p1">WhatsApp survey distribution</li>
<li class="p1">7 day turnaround&nbsp;</li>
<li class="p1">Surveys designed to understand shopper loyalties, retail&nbsp;environments, in-store experience, shopping habits and sustainability preferences</li>
<li class="p1">Participants attended a range of specific supermarkets including Sainsbury&rsquo;s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi and Co-op</li>
</ul>
<h4>RESULTS</h4>
Data included in-store video, photos, written opinion and participant profile&nbsp;information
<ul>
<li class="p1">Understanding of product location and how easy participants found locating and purchasing bradn items in-store</li>
<li class="p1">Examination of the quality of the shopper experience through video and&nbsp;photo, including -&nbsp;
<ul>
<li class="p1" style="font-weight: bold;">in-store experience</li>
<li class="p1" style="font-weight: bold;">promotional merchandising</li>
<li class="p1" style="font-weight: bold;">on-shelf presence</li>
<li class="p1" style="font-weight: bold;">pricing</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="p1">Understanding of potential improvement of in-store experience</li>
<li class="p1">Evaluation of range of cola choices available and how brand products compared&nbsp;</li>
<li class="p1">Evidence to support improved product display and promotional materials</li>
<li class="p1">Understanding of loyalty schemes including -
<ul>
<li class="p1">Which loyalty schemes participants used</li>
<li class="p1">How regularly participants used loyalty schemes</li>
<li class="p1">Percieved value of loyalty schemes</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Identifying areas of improvement with supermarket on-self presence 

Case study - In store with an international cola brand 

In this blog, we take a look at Agile NPD (New Product Development), what it is, why it matters and how it could benefit your business. Topics include;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What is Agile Methodology?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What is Agile NPD and why does it matter?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Agile for FMCG&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Being more Agile - The benefits you&rsquo;ll see!
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">What is a Agile Methodology</h3>
&nbsp;
Coming from a software development background, it&rsquo;s no surprise that our founders are big fans of Agile methodology. Software development and Agile pretty much go hand in hand, providing an iterative and flexible approach to development and project management. They emphasise collaboration, adaptability, and customer feedback throughout the development process.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Key principles and characteristics of Agile methodology include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Iterative and incremental development: Projects are divided into small, manageable increments called iterations. Each iteration aims to produce a potentially shippable product increment.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Customer-centric approach: Customers and stakeholders are involved throughout, to ensure that the product meets their needs and expectations.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Adaptability and Flexibility: Teams can respond to changes quickly and adjust their approach accordingly.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Cross-Functional Teams: Agile teams are typically small, cross-functional groups that include members with various skills (e.g., developers, testers, designers) necessary to deliver a product increment.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Collaboration and Communication: Daily stand-up meetings, frequent communication, and continuous feedback help ensure everyone is aligned and aware of project progress.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Transparency: Progress, challenges, and project status are made visible to all team members, stakeholders, and customers. Transparency helps in identifying and addressing issues promptly.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Continuous Improvement: Agile promotes a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging teams to reflect on their processes and outcomes regularly and make adjustments to enhance productivity, quality, and efficiency.
</li>
</ul>
Teams often choose and tailor a specific Agile framework (e.g. scrum, kanban, lean) based on the nature of their project and team dynamics.
 
<h3 dir="ltr">What is Agile NPD and why does it matter?</h3>
&nbsp;
Agile NPD - New Product Development - involves applying the same principles of agile methodology to developing products and services.&nbsp;
In traditional New Product Development (NPD) processes, development follows a linear or waterfall approach, where each stage has its defined set of tasks and requirements. However, this can lead to challenges when requirements change, or if customer feedback is received late in the process. Involving the customer throughout the process is a critical part of ensuring that the marketing mix (price, product, packaging, place, promotion, people, physical-evidence and process) is one that is attractive to customers and makes them want to spend more.
A great example of where Agile NPD can be used to the best effect is in rapid prototyping and testing of advertising campaigns. Sharing early stage ideas such as scamps or campaign concepts can help marketers to identify how the general population will perceive the idea. A best case scenario is that their ideas are great, the participant thinks they&rsquo;re great and the campaign lands perfectly. A small amount of early stage research has helped make sure that the idea is well received. Importantly, the brand is enhanced, the product will see an uplift in sales and everybody in the marketing team sleeps well.
In another scenario, the campaign doesn&rsquo;t land well at all. In fact it lands really badly. The audience feels indifferent about it (or even worse) they spot something that actively turns them off from the product or brand.&nbsp;
Involving the customer at early stages can help to save the day. Their feedback allows the marketing team to iterate on their campaign, to develop the idea further and make it much more appealing. Without early stage testing, the marketing team would have blissfully proceeded with the campaign, have actively upset existing customers and spent a lot of budget on a failed campaign that resulted in a lot of lost sales (and sleep).&nbsp;
For a great example check out how John Lewis made a blunder with one of their insurance products - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/27/john-lewis-pulls-controversial-advert-for-being-potentially-misleading
 
<h3 dir="ltr">Agile for FMCG&nbsp;</h3>
&nbsp;
Agile New Product Development (NPD) can offer several significant benefits for the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. The FMCG industry, characterised by high consumer demand, rapid product turnover, and frequent market changes, can particularly benefit from Agile methodologies in the product development process.&nbsp;
Agile NPD allows for quicker development cycles and shorter release times. Cross-functional teams work collaboratively in iterations, delivering product increments rapidly. This &lsquo;faster-to-market&rsquo; advantage is crucial in the FMCG sector where getting products on shelves quickly is a competitive advantage.
Agile NPD emphasises making decisions based on market data and customer feedback. This 'market-driven decision making&rsquo; approach ensures that product features and requirements are continuously refined based on actual market needs, resulting in a product that is more likely to succeed in the market.
In summary, Agile NPD offers the FMCG industry a powerful approach to streamline product development, meet consumer demands, and stay ahead in a highly competitive market by delivering high-quality products quickly and efficiently.&nbsp;
 
<h3 dir="ltr">Be more Agile - The benefits you&rsquo;ll see&nbsp;</h3>
An Agile approach to product innovation can give your business a steady and consistent way of innovating through constant iteration. The feedback you receive from customers can boost your chances of producing a better product and a better way of marketing that product. You&rsquo;ll appeal to more customers and reduce the chance of failure.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;ll also help you build a better business culture, focused around the customer and real feedback rather than internal perception and blame when things go wrong.
&nbsp;
The principles of Agile can be adapted and tailored to suit the unique needs and challenges of various domains, promoting better collaboration, faster delivery, and higher customer satisfaction. However, organisations need to assess their specific context and requirements to determine the best fit for adopting Agile NPD practices.
To understand more about the Agile NPD and how you can use it to improve your products and marketing, speak to the Brand Jar leadership team.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Drop them an email on <a href="mailto:hello@brandjar.co.uk">hello@brandjar.co.uk</a>
&nbsp;

Agile NPD methodology is an iterative and flexible approach to new product development 

Agile NPD - What is it and why does it matter?

In this blog, we explore the concepts of &lsquo;Omnichannel&rsquo; and &lsquo;Omnichannel Market Research, examining the following topics;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What is Omnichannel?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What are the key aspects of Omnichannel ?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What is Omnichannel market research?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Why is Omnichannel market research the future?
</li>
</ol>
<h2 dir="ltr">What is Omnichannel?</h2>
&lsquo;Omnichannel&rsquo; refers to a marketing and customer service approach that aims to provide a seamless and integrated experience across multiple channels and touch-points. It is a strategy that focuses on creating a unified and consistent customer journey, regardless of the channel or device used by the customer.
Traditionally, businesses have operated through multiple channels, such as physical stores, websites, mobile apps, call centres, and social media platforms. However, these channels often operate in silos, with limited coordination and integration. This fragmented approach can result in inconsistent messaging, disjointed experiences, and customer frustration.
In an omnichannel approach, businesses strive to break down these silos and create a holistic and interconnected experience for the customer. The goal is to provide a seamless transition and consistent messaging as customers move between channels or interact with multiple channels simultaneously.
<h2 dir="ltr">What are the key aspects of Omnichannel?</h2>
Aspects of an omnichannel strategy may include:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Channel Integration: Omnichannel aims to integrate different channels so that they work together harmoniously. This can involve sharing customer data, enabling cross-channel communication, and ensuring a consistent brand experience across all touch-points.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Customer-Centric Approach: The focus of omnichannel is on meeting customer needs and preferences, regardless of the channel. It involves understanding customer behaviour, preferences, and expectations at each touchpoint, and tailoring the experience accordingly.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Seamless Experience: Omnichannel aims to provide a seamless and consistent experience across channels. For example, customers can start a transaction on one channel and seamlessly continue it on another without losing progress or having to repeat information.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Personalisation: An important aspect of omnichannel is personalising the customer experience. By leveraging customer data and insights, businesses can deliver relevant and targeted messaging, recommendations, and offers based on individual preferences and behaviours.
</li>
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Data Integration and Analytics: Omnichannel relies on integrating and analysing data from various channels to gain a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey. This data-driven approach helps businesses optimise their strategies, identify pain points, and make informed decisions to enhance the customer experience.
</li>
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Multi-Device Compatibility: With the proliferation of devices, an omnichannel approach considers the different devices used by customers, such as smartphones, tablets, desktops, and wearables. It ensures that the customer experience is consistent and optimised across all devices.
</li>
</ol>
By adopting an omnichannel strategy, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement. Customers benefit from a seamless and personalised experience, while businesses can gain insights into customer behaviour and preferences, improve their marketing efforts, and drive sales growth.
<h2 dir="ltr">What is Omnichannel Market Research?</h2>
Omnichannel market research refers to a research approach that incorporates multiple channels and touchpoints to gather data and insights from a diverse range of sources. It involves using various research methods across different channels to collect information and understand consumer behaviour, preferences, and opinions.
In omnichannel market research, researchers leverage a combination of traditional and digital channels to engage with participants and gather data. Some common channels and methods used in omnichannel market research include:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Online Surveys: Conducting surveys through web-based platforms or mobile apps to collect quantitative data from a large number of participants. Surveys can be distributed via email, websites, social media, or messaging apps.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
In-Person Interviews: Conducting face-to-face interviews with participants in physical locations such as stores, shopping malls, or events. This method allows for deeper probing and observation of participants' behaviours.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Telephone Interviews: Conducting structured interviews with participants over the phone, using either random or targeted sampling. This method allows for efficient data collection and can be useful for specific demographic or geographic targeting.
</li>
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Focus Groups: Organising group discussions with a small number of participants, facilitated either in-person or online. Focus groups provide qualitative insights, allowing researchers to explore participants' opinions, attitudes, and motivations in-depth.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Social Media Listening: Monitoring and analysing conversations, mentions, and discussions on social media platforms to gain insights into consumer sentiment, trends, and preferences. This method allows for real-time tracking and analysis of public opinions.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Customer Feedback Management Systems: Utilising feedback mechanisms such as online feedback forms, chatbots, or customer service interactions to collect feedback and insights from customers at various touch points in the customer journey.
</li>
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Mobile Ethnography: Leveraging mobile devices and apps to capture participants' behaviours, experiences, and context in real-time. Participants can record their activities, take photos, or provide video feedback, allowing for rich qualitative data collection.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Online Communities: Creating online communities or panels of participants who can provide feedback, engage in discussions, and participate in research activities over an extended period. This method enables longitudinal research and ongoing engagement with participants.
</li>
</ol>
The aim of omnichannel market research is to gather data from multiple sources to gain a holistic understanding of consumer behaviour and preferences. By utilising various channels and methods, researchers can capture a wider range of perspectives, improve data quality, and gain deeper insights into the target audience.
Additionally, the integration of data collected from different channels allows for a comprehensive analysis of the customer journey, identifying touch points, pain points, and opportunities for improvement. This integrated approach helps businesses make data-driven decisions and develop strategies that align with customer expectations across multiple channels and touchpoints. 
<h2 dir="ltr">Why is Omnichannel Market Research the future?</h2>
Omnichannel market research is considered the future of market research due to several key reasons:
<ol>
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Changing Consumer Behaviour: Consumer behaviour has evolved significantly with the proliferation of digital technology and the increasing use of multiple channels. Today's consumers engage with brands through various touchpoints, including physical stores, websites, social media platforms, mobile apps, and more. Understanding these complex customer journeys requires an omnichannel approach to capture accurate and comprehensive data.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Integrated Customer Experience: Customers expect a seamless and consistent experience across all channels. They want their interactions with a brand to be connected and personalised, regardless of the channel they choose. Omnichannel market research allows businesses to understand customer preferences, pain points, and expectations across multiple touchpoints. This understanding helps in delivering a unified and enhanced customer experience.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Holistic Insights: By adopting an omnichannel approach, businesses can gather data from diverse sources and gain a holistic view of consumer behaviour. Integrating data from various channels provides a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey, enabling businesses to identify patterns, trends, and correlations that might be missed by using a single-channel research approach. This holistic view allows for more accurate insights and better-informed decision-making.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Data Integration and Analysis: With the advancement of technology, data integration and analysis have become more accessible and efficient. Omnichannel market research leverages data integration techniques to combine and analyse data from different sources, such as online surveys, social media conversations, in-store interactions, and more. This integrated analysis provides deeper insights and a comprehensive understanding of customer behaviour and preferences.
</li>
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Real-Time Insights: Omnichannel market research leverages real-time data collection and analysis capabilities. With the use of digital channels and automated tools, businesses can capture and analyse data in real-time, allowing for immediate insights and timely decision-making. This agility and responsiveness are crucial in today's fast-paced business environment.
</li>
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Personalisation and Targeting: Omnichannel market research enables businesses to gather data on individual customer preferences, behaviours, and interactions across channels. This data can be leveraged to personalise marketing messages, offers, and experiences, leading to higher customer engagement and satisfaction. Personalisation is a key driver of customer loyalty and repeat business.
</li>
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Competitive Advantage: As more businesses embrace omnichannel strategies, those that adopt omnichannel market research gain a competitive advantage. By understanding the customer journey across multiple touchpoints, businesses can identify gaps, optimise their marketing efforts, and deliver a superior customer experience. This advantage can lead to increased customer loyalty, market share, and profitability.
</li>
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Evolving Technology: The continuous advancement of technology opens up new opportunities for omnichannel market research. Innovations such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and big data analytics enable more sophisticated data collection, analysis, and interpretation. These technological advancements enhance the capabilities of omnichannel market research, making it a powerful tool for businesses.
</li>
</ol>
In summary, omnichannel market research is the future because it aligns with changing consumer behaviour, provides holistic insights, leverages data integration and analysis, offers real-time insights, enables personalisation, and provides a competitive advantage.
By embracing an omnichannel approach, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and meet the evolving demands of their customers in a digitally connected world.
To understand more about Brand Jar&rsquo;s Omnichannel approach to gathering consumer intelligence, speak to the Brand Jar customer success team. They will offer you genuine and objective advice and support about this topic.&nbsp;
Drop them an email on <a href="mailto:hello@brandjar.co.uk">hello@brandjar.co.uk</a>

Omnichannel research gains insight from consumers in the best way for them as individuals. It provides more accurate results for hard to reach people

What is Omnichannel Market Research?

In this blog, we explore consumer intelligence and the core features you should expect from a Consumer Intelligence platform in 2023. Topics include;
<ol>
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What is consumer intelligence?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What are the key challenges in gathering consumer intelligence?
</li>
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How to choose the best Consumer Intelligence Platform for your needs
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
What key features should you look out for in a consumer intelligence platform in 2023 
</li>
</ol>
<h2 dir="ltr">What is Consumer Intelligence?</h2>
Consumer intelligence is the gathering, analysing, and understanding of information about consumers, their behaviours, preferences, and needs. It involves collecting data from various sources, such as surveys, social media, online reviews, customer feedback, and market research, and transforming it into actionable insights that businesses can use to make informed decisions.
It is crucial for businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of their target market, make informed decisions, develop effective strategies, and stay competitive in today's dynamic business environment. By harnessing consumer insights, companies can build stronger customer relationships, drive innovation, and achieve long-term success.
But often gathering consumer intelligence can be a real challenge with many people having concerns about how to use the technology they&rsquo;re presented with or about how their data is being used and stored.
When selecting a platform, it&rsquo;s really important to consider the options and make a great choice. Here we&rsquo;ve highlighted a few of the best the market has to offer and delved into their product features.&nbsp; 
<h2 dir="ltr">What are the key challenges in gathering consumer intelligence?</h2>
Gathering consumer intelligence can present a number of challenges for your research and insight teams. With increasing concerns around data privacy and regulations like GDPR, businesses need to ensure that they collect and handle consumer data in a legal and ethical manner. Obtaining informed consent, anonymizing data, and maintaining data security are crucial considerations, as is maintaining accuracy and quality; essential for meaningful insights. Challenges such as respondent bias, incomplete or inaccurate information, and reliance on self-reported data can impact the quality of the data collected.&nbsp;
Ensuring a representative sample is also crucial to obtaining reliable consumer intelligence. Employing appropriate sampling methodologies and reaching out through multiple channels can help address this challenge. This will also lead to higher participation. Factors like survey fatigue, low response rates, and lack of motivation can affect the quantity and quality of the data collected. Designing engaging surveys, offering incentives, and maintaining clear communication with participants can help improve respondent engagement.
With the increasing number of channels and touchpoints, gathering consumer intelligence across multiple platforms can be complex. Ensuring consistency in data collection methods, integrating data from different sources, and managing data across channels can be challenging. Adopting tools and technologies that facilitate data integration and analysis can help overcome these challenges.Making sense of large datasets, identifying patterns, and drawing actionable insights can be complex. Employing data analysis techniques, data visualisation tools, and involving experienced analysts can help extract meaningful insights from consumer intelligence.
Gathering consumer intelligence can be resource-intensive in terms of time, budget, and personnel. Limited resources may restrict the scale and scope of research initiatives. It is important to allocate resources effectively, prioritise research objectives, and leverage technology and automation where possible to optimise resource utilisation. Overcoming these challenges requires careful planning, robust research methodologies, adherence to ethical standards, and leveraging appropriate technologies and tools. Regular monitoring and evaluation of research processes can help identify and address any challenges that arise, ensuring the collection of accurate and meaningful consumer intelligence.
<h2 dir="ltr">How to choose the best Consumer Intelligence Platform for your needs</h2>
Choosing the best Consumer Intelligence Platform (CIP) for your needs requires careful consideration of various factors. Here are some steps to help you make an informed decision:
1. Define your objectives: Start by clearly understanding your business goals and what you aim to achieve with a CIP. Identify the specific insights and analytics you need to gather from consumer data to drive your decision-making process effectively.
2. Evaluate data sources: Consider the types of data sources the CIP can integrate with or access. Look for platforms that offer comprehensive coverage, including social media, web analytics, market research data, customer surveys, and any other relevant sources for your industry.
3. Analytical capabilities: Assess the platform's analytical capabilities and the range of insights it can provide. Look for features such as advanced segmentation, trend analysis, sentiment analysis, predictive modelling, and data visualisation tools. The platform should offer specific analysis methods that align with your objectives.
4. Data visualisation and reporting: Consider the platform's reporting capabilities and the ease of interpreting and sharing the insights it generates. Look for features like customizable dashboards, interactive visualisations, automated reporting, and the ability to export data in various formats for further analysis.
5. Integration and scalability: Determine whether the CIP can seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, marketing automation platforms, or data warehouses. Additionally, consider the scalability of the platform to accommodate your growing data needs as your business expands.
6. Data privacy and security: Ensure that the CIP follows robust data privacy and security practices. Look for platforms that comply with relevant regulations, have data encryption protocols, offer role-based access controls, and have a track record of maintaining data confidentiality.
7. User interface and ease of use: Evaluate the user interface and overall user experience of the CIP. The platform should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing your team to navigate and extract insights without significant technical expertise or extensive training.
8. Customer support and training: Consider the level of customer support and training provided by the CIP vendor. Ensure that they offer sufficient onboarding assistance, access to documentation and tutorials, and responsive technical support to address any issues or questions that may arise.
9. Pricing and ROI: Compare the pricing models of different CIP solutions, considering factors such as subscription costs, data usage fees, and additional services. Balance the pricing with the potential return on investment (ROI) the platform can deliver based on the insights and value it provides to your business.
10. Industry expertise and references: Assess the vendor's industry expertise and reputation. Look for customer reviews, case studies, and references from businesses in your industry or similar use cases to understand their experience with the platform.
By following these steps, you can evaluate different Consumer Intelligence Platforms and select the one that aligns best with your specific business needs and goals.
<h2 dir="ltr">What key features should you look out for in a consumer intelligence platform in 2023?</h2>
It goes without saying we might have some strong and specific opinions on this topic. Regardless of what we think, it is important to look for key features that align with the evolving needs of your business and your insights team. Our top 5 features to consider include:
<h3 dir="ltr">]Easy flow of data with your API</h3>
Having a robust API is critical to ensure that data can be moved quickly and easily through our systems. The platform should have the capability to integrate and centralise data from various sources, including online surveys, social media, customer feedback, and other relevant channels. This allows for a comprehensive view of consumer behaviour and preferences. Most importantly it&rsquo;ll make things very efficient and save loads of time for your insights team.
<h3 dir="ltr">Easy to understand and share Analytics&nbsp;</h3>
The platform should offer a suite of analytical capabilities. These features help in deriving actionable insights, identifying patterns, and making data-driven decisions. Data visualisation tools should also be available to present findings in a clear and visually appealing manner. Where the analytics come to an end, your API should give you the ability to pipe this data easily into other systems for deeper analysis. The platform should also facilitate collaboration among team members, allowing for seamless sharing and collaboration on consumer intelligence projects.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">A user experience that your cat could understand</h3>
A user-friendly interface and intuitive user experience are essential for maximising productivity and adoption. The platform should be easy to navigate, with clear workflows and accessible features that do not require extensive technical expertise. It should be mobile first and adaptable to all screen sizes. It should also support multichannel data collection and analysis, encompassing online, offline, and mobile channels to capture a comprehensive view of consumer behaviour.
<h3 dir="ltr">Slice and dice your data with ease</h3>
Look for a platform that provides tools for customer segmentation. This will allow you to identify distinct consumer groups based on behaviour, demographics, and preferences. It enables targeted campaigns and personalised experiences to enhance customer engagement and loyalty. It should help you slice and dice your data easily to gain deep understanding of specific segments and enable you to go back to these customers with further questions to enrich tier profile&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">&lsquo;Future proof&rsquo; and &lsquo;bullet proof&rsquo;</h3>
Data Privacy and Security: Given the growing importance of data privacy and security, the platform should have robust measures in place to ensure the protection of consumer data. Compliance with relevant data protection regulations should be a priority. It should also be able to scale and be capable of handling growing data volumes and evolving research needs. It should be adaptable to changing business requirements and enable customization based on specific industry or organisational needs.
To understand more about the Brand Jar&rsquo; platform and the key features it offers, speak to the Brand Jar customer success team. They will offer you an honest and objective viewpoint on this topic.&nbsp;
Drop them an email on&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hello@brandjar.co.uk">hello@brandjar.co.uk</a>

Consumer insight is best gathered from the most diverse groups. Brand Jar's inclusive approach maximises the reach of surveys using WhatsApp, SMS and web forms

What features should I look for in a Consumer Intelligence Platform in 2023?

We're a bunch of consumer behaviour nerds, brand obsessives and tech geeks. We want to help you do more with your budget and bring great ideas to market faster.

<div>Technology should be built for the very best user experience. Why should research participants have to download and learn new software just to take part in research? And why should clients need a qualification in coding to access research data?Brand Jar started out with a single goal - make it super-easy to collect and analyse consumer insights. We have a built a platform that works for everyone involved. Participants are asked questions via Whatsapp. It's simple, which means it works. For clients, our tried and tested tech shows data in real time. Built with intuitive filtering, AI summaries and transcripts to save significant time.We'll relentlessly pursue the core values, simple and proficient, in everything we do.</div>

"Make brilliant research and essential insights easy to achieve, so brands can make game changing decisions.”

Manchester company Brand Jar has launched its platform which looks set to disrupt the consumer research space.

Featured Blog

<div>Our team help you to build the perfect question sets and ensure that the data collected will provide genuine insight.</div>

<div>Our platform allows secure, safe data collection via WhatsApp, SMS or Email, allowing in-survey analysis.</div>

<div>Our extensive panel makes sure you gain real insight, from real people, in real-time that fit your specific criteria.</div>

We're not just a software business, we work with our clients every step of the way to get the best insights. We will get to know your brand so we have a deep understanding of your market and the things that make a real difference, then we build a perfect plan.

No panel? No problem! We find the best people to participate in your research. We ensure they are engaged, compliant and fit your exact criteria before they start offering insights, guaranteeing high-value results.

 The Brand Jar platform lets you gather insight in real-time, seeing data as it comes in. Our intuitive platform allows you to identify the top-line with changeable data visualisation, AI summaries and auto-transcripts, which will save you a huge amount of time. It can also give you the finer detail by showing specific questions  and participant responses. 

Your first Brand Jar survey is the start of getting to understand your customer in detail. We'll help you build a long term plan, creating follow-on surveys for long-term analysis. Whatever your goals is, we're here to help you get the knowledge that builds market leading products, services and campaigns.

How it works

Introduce new ideas and test concepts with your customers over WhatsApp.
Reduce the risk of failure by using data to make informed decisions. 
Brand Jar is the fast and easy way to test your ideas.

Brand Jar helps you to understand your customers. It gives you the data to shape decisions on product, advertising, pricing and packaging.

Give your participants a voice and listen to their feedback as true verbatim.

Share and receive images of your product, venue, marketing, whatever you need to see for instant feedback.

Let your participants show you their world sending you videos of themselves and what they see!

Brand Jar provides the perfect blend of quantitative and qualitative data collection.

We have all the things you'd expect, such as NPS, Likert scale, yes/no, multiple choice and free-text questions, and Brand Jar facilitates multimedia.

Backed by AI, our real-time platform gives your insight, product and marketing teams the data they need to make revenue changing decisions.

A user interface thats tried, tested and intuitive.

Segment based on whatever criteria you want with our unique filtering system.

See participant results appear in real-time.

Track the sentiment of your panel over long periods to build deep market knowledge.

Why reinvent when you can realign? Brand Jar uses WhatsApp, SMS &amp; Email channels to collect data so respondents can participate on at their convenience. No new apps to download and nothing new to learn. Just an easier experience, higher participation, lower drop out rates and better insights. It's simple, which means it works.

Use the power of WhatsApp, SMS and email to gather consumer feedback at scale. We lift the lid on your market to give you fast, cost-effective insights.

<ul><li>Access for 5 team members</li><li>Monthly survey</li><li>Customised question jar (10 questions)</li><li>WhatsApp, email &amp; webforms </li><li>Insights from up to 100 panel members</li><li>Data dashboards</li><li>Customer success manager</li></ul>

For small teams testing big ideas

Essential

<ul><li>Access for 10 team members</li><li>Up to 3 monthly surveys</li><li>Customised question jar (30 questions)</li><li>Multimedia questions &amp; answers</li><li>WhatsApp, email &amp; webforms </li><li>Insights from up to 250 panel members</li><li>Panel segmentation and tagging</li><li>Data dashboards</li><li>Customer success manager</li><li>Tracker survey options</li></ul>

For high growth brands needing deeper insights more regularly

Evolution

<ul><li>Full team access</li><li>Unlimited surveys</li><li>Media Questions</li><li>WhatsApp, SMS email and webforms </li><li>Unrestricted panel access</li><li>Panel segmentation and tagging</li><li>Dedicated account manager</li><li>Question architect</li><li>Customisable dashboards and reporting</li><li>Option for custom branding</li><li>Multiple projects and access levels</li><li>Tracker surveys</li><li>API access</li></ul>

For UK &amp; International organisations that want to own their market

Enterprise

Our subscription model is perfect for research and insight teams