Skip to content

Unlocking the Future of Consumer Insights: Balancing Technology and Empathy

Overall takeaways from the track follow, but click the below links to dive into each session:

  1. Fruit of the Loom Case Study: Spinning Qual Feedback into Insights Gold: Laura Kegley, Chief Revenue Officer, Canvs & Chad Holleman, Head of Consumer Insights, Fruit of the Loom
  2. Revolutionizing Wellness Through Radical Consumer Empathy: Angelina Iturrian, Senior Director Consumer Insights & Analytics, Self Esteem Brands – Anytime Fitness

Key Takeaways 

  1. AI as a Collaborative Partner: AI is not replacing researchers—it’s enhancing their work by automating repetitive tasks and facilitating deeper insights. 
  1. Holistic Consumer Understanding: Brands need to move beyond just product-focused segmentation and dive deeper into consumers’ emotional and wellness needs to stay relevant. 
  1. The Power of Empathy in Research: Understanding the human experience behind the data is more important than ever, and leveraging qualitative research with empathy can reveal profound insights. 

A Day in the Future of Consumer Research

The 2024 TMRE event was a whirlwind of ideas that showcased the evolution of market research. The focus wasn’t just on harnessing the power of AI but also on ensuring that consumer insights remained grounded in human understanding. Sessions illustrated how data analysis has shifted from manual, time-consuming processes to being augmented by AI tools that make research faster and more impactful. But as the day unfolded, one thing became clear: the human element is still crucial. 

One of the standout themes was how AI is shifting the research landscape. AI tools are revolutionizing the way researchers handle massive amounts of qualitative data. What used to take days now takes hours, enabling the team to focus on what truly matters: the story the data tells. With the help of AI-powered tools, researchers can quickly identify patterns, sentiments, and key themes—essentially giving them more time to strategize and create actionable insights. 

But while AI is proving to be a game-changer in terms of speed and efficiency, the takeaway here is clear: AI is a powerful assistant, not a replacement. The technology can automate the grunt work, but it’s still up to researchers to interpret the data and turn it into meaningful stories. The idea is to use AI to complement human expertise, not substitute it. The real value comes when AI and human empathy work together—AI crunches the numbers, while humans provide the intuition and contextual understanding. 

Leveraging Qualitative Insights 

As AI tools and data analysis become more powerful, qualitative research still plays an essential role in understanding the heart of consumer behavior. Sessions throughout the day emphasized the importance of empathy when conducting research. It’s not just about collecting data—it’s about understanding the human experiences behind those data points.  

One of the most exciting aspects of the day was the discussion on speed to impact. In a world where time is money, the ability to accelerate the research process without sacrificing quality is essential. By using AI to automate tasks like thematic coding and sentiment analysis, researchers can shift their focus to higher-level strategic thinking. The emphasis here was not just on speed but on creating insights that are actionable. Faster analysis means faster decisions, which is vital in today’s competitive marketplace. 

The Future Is About Balance

TMRE 2024 painted a picture of a future where research is no longer about choosing between technology or empathy—it’s about striking the right balance. The combination of AI-powered tools and qualitative insights ensures that research is not only faster but also deeper and more impactful. In a world where technology is constantly evolving, one thing remains clear: it’s the human touch that will continue to make the difference in truly understanding consumer behavior. 

10 KEY ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

  1. AI as Partner:
    • Action: Explore how AI can enhance your qualitative data analysis.
  2. Holistic Understanding:
    • Action: Expand your consumer segmentation beyond product focus to include broader needs.
  3. Power of Empathy:
    • Action: Integrate more qualitative research methods into your studies.
  4. Tech in Research:
    • Action: Identify a time-consuming research task that could be automated by AI.
  5. Consumer Obsession:
    • Action: Focus on interpreting the meaning and story within the data.
  6. Beyond Fitness:
    • Action: Re-evaluate your consumer segmentation for a more holistic view.
  7. Qualitative Insights:
    • Action: Explore using AI-enabled tools to scale qualitative research.
  8. Faster Insights:
    • Action: Implement AI tools to accelerate research and increase speed to impact.
  9. Balance Technology:
    • Action: Develop a strategy to balance AI and human empathy in research.
  10. Consumer Research Future:
    • Action: Prioritize understanding consumers’ needs on multiple levels.

Contributor

  • Seth Adler

    Seth Adler heads up All Things Insights & All Things Innovation. He has spent his career bringing people together around content. He has a dynamic background producing events, podcasts, video, and the written word.

    View all posts

Related Content

Finding an Insights Strategy

An insights strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how an organization will leverage insights to drive business decisions and achieve strategi…

 
 

More Related Content

A needle in a literal haystack!
operational insights

Finding an Insights Strategy

An insights strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how an organization will leverage insights to drive business decisions and achieve strategi…

Thumbs up or thumbs down on a variety of customer service questions like quality, reliability, etc.
consumer insights

Driving Innovation and Consumer Loyalty

TMRE 2024’s day two, track three brought a fresh take on how brands are navigating the evolving landscape of consumer insights. Sessions explored leve…

A 'robot' data-like hand shaking the hand of businessperson.
data science

The AI-Enhanced Research Revolution

At TMRE 2024, the AI Summit spotlight was on how companies can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of AI-powered research while still staying grounde…

Colorful sharpened pencils in a range of colors in a row.
consumer insights

Sharpening Insights Best Practices

The overarching theme of the Insights Best Practices track at TMRE 2024 was the evolving landscape of insights, driven by technological advancements,…

A human hand and a robot hand, both touching a virtual display screen.
human insights

Activating the Future of Insights

All Things Insights held a special panel at TMRE 2024 featuring commentary centered on our Future of Insights Report. With the market research communi…

A large road sign that points to Data, information, knowledge, and learning.
brand health tracking

TMRE 2024 Report: Leading Through Change

A resilient market research community came together at Universal’s Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in Orlando, FL, this past December for TMRE 2024. It ma…

Champagne glasses and confetti, celebrating new years.
future of work

Top Insights Themes from 2024

As we close out our review of 2024, we wanted to examine the top insights themes of the year, based on our blogs, research reports and events that we…

A colorful butterfly resting on a rippling body of water.
insights culture

Transforming Insights: A Review of Q4 2024

During the fourth quarter of 2024, All Things Insights prepared for coverage of TMRE 2024 and featured a wide range of insights related topics and int…

Curved glass side of building, one window is lit up.
data quality

Leveraging Insights: A Review of Q3 2024

During the third quarter of 2024, All Things Insights featured a wide range of insights related topics and interviews for our community of market rese…

Abstract swirls of light and colors on a black background.
insights strategy

Navigating Insights: A Review of Q1 2024

During the first quarter of 2024, after wrapping up the TMRE 2023 edition the past October, All Things Insights was gearing up for a year filled with…

Kind of futuristic graphic, streams of data moving off into the distance.
artificial intelligence

Evaluating the Use of Synthetic Data

This year’s recent “Road to TMRE” virtual event featured an insightful panel on, “Consumer Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence: The Showdown of t…

Business person holding a tablet with virtual data rising up out of it.
audience engagement

Unlocking the Power of AI for Media Insights

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the media industry, offering unprecedented opportunities for deeper, more actionable insights into aud…

Binary numbers moving into the distance in black space.
data science

Weighing the Potential of Synthetic Data

With advancements in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, the questions swirling around synthetic data continue to grow in the ins…

Happy woman shopping on line on laptop with shopping bags around her.
digital entertainment

Exploring How Consumers Spend Their Time

Consumers today are increasingly turning to digital platforms for entertainment and information. According to recent studies, the average person spend…

Futuristic, walls of data coursing through space.
data science

Exploring Synthetic Data Applications

Synthetic data, a type of artificial data generated through algorithms rather than real-world interactions, is rapidly gaining traction in various ind…

Hand with remote control facing TV with a lot of choices on screen.
consumer engagement

Redefining How We Discover Content

The media discovery landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer behavio…

Fans gathered around the TV in the living room watching a sports game.
sports fandom

Transforming Sports Fandom

The landscape of sports fandom is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by technological advancements, shifting demographics, and evolving cons…

A shining metallic puzzle piece rising up out of metallic puzzle.
design awareness

Unlocking User Experience Insights

Media user research refers to the practice of studying how people interact with and consume media, including digital platforms like websites and socia…

Robot hand and human hand touching with strand of DNA in between, futuristic.
future of insights

Exploring the Evolution of Insights

With the market research community currently reaching a key inflection point focused on AI and human insights, All Things Insights has released its “F…

Stylish and colorful young woman taking a selfie.
media and entertainment

Inspiring Generation Z in a Digital World

Marketing to a new generation can seem challenging yet Generation Z is bringing a lot of innovation and insights power to the table, which is only exp…

Chalk arrows on the street pointing in three different directions.
choice architecture

Helping Consumers Make Better Choices

We’ve all experienced the indecision that comes with making a difficult choice. This can often happen, for example, when shopping for a new product an…

Future-like image showing head with circuits symbolizing artificial intelligence.
synthetic data

Leveraging AI in Market Research

This year’s “Road to TMRE” virtual event featured a range of sessions related to artificial intelligence and how best to leverage the technology in ma…

A 'conductor' facing an audience in a theater.
audience engagement

Powering Audience Engagement

Audience engagement is a key aspect of digital marketing and digital brands, from media platforms that offer rich content to entertain and educate the…

scuba diver in water with equipment, searching for something.
artificial intelligence

Searching for Emerging Market Research Trends

Consumer behavior is an ever-evolving field, and market research is particularly suited to explore the changing dynamics behind understanding the cons…

Woman holding her hands up and looking at various colored thought bubbles around her.
customer feedback

Improving Customer Conversations

When was the last time you had a conversation with one of your customers? Having a conversation generates analysis that can be used for qualitative ma…

Man sitting down, holding and spinning a small globe.
reskilling

Find New Insights Career Opportunities

Science, technology and innovation are accelerating at a rapid pace in today’s marketplace. Machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, pred…

A round pizza cut into slices, one bite taken out of one slice.
artificial intelligence

Activating Insights Leadership

Insights leaders are facing new challenges and demands from their organizations. With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, and the influx of B…

A locket with a red heart shape with key.
brand trust

The Value of Building Brand Trust

As consumers overall, and growing demographic groups such as Generation Z, call for more honesty, transparency and authenticity regarding the companie…

Robotic hand holding a light bulb shaped points of light rising up into the sky.
machine learning

The Fusion of AI and Market Research

Market research has traditionally been a hands-on task that is time consuming and resource-intensive, from generating data collection to holding in-pe…

Young girl outside blowing bubbles.
consumer trends

Staying on the Pulse of the Youth Market

Children and young people have their own unique perspectives on products and services. In gaining qualitative market research from these demographics,…

human insights

Leading with Human-Centric Insights

As technology rapidly changes the world around us, such as the growth of artificial intelligence, there is a counterpoint to this evolution: A focus o…

Teen with hoodie, blocking the camera with his hand.
Generation Z

Connecting with Generation Z

As brands grapple with the challenges and opportunities of marketing to Generation Z, it becomes crucial to learn more about the preferences of this t…

Woman gazing at open window.
human insights

Exploring the Meaning of Human Insights

If you are looking for ways to enhance the user experience of a product or service, digital or otherwise, tapping into human insight is essential to t…

Happy family of four and dog walking on the beach by the ocean.
insights soft skills

Building Empathy to Improve Insights

While customer centricity is a key attribute in today’s insights and data-driven corporate culture, success must also be built on a concept of empathy…

A chain link with one gold link standing out on black background.
loyalty

Reconnecting With Unengaged Customers

We all know the stories of successful consumer loyalty reward programs, which benefit the customers that are most loyal with rewards, points, discount…

Reaching into a full tool kit on the ground.
DIY research

Putting Together DIY Research Solutions

It seems that whether the economy is surging or stagnant, the emphasis on do-it-yourself market research has remained a relatively strong attribute in…

Vortex-like laser images in space like setting.
market research technology

Finding the Right AI Research Opportunities

As part of the AI & Tech Summit portion of this year’s TMRE @ Home virtual gathering, David Iudica, SVP, Research and Insights: Retail and Wealth, Cit…

Colorful windows set into a colorful wall.
customer feedback

Getting Closer to Your Customers

There are a variety of options available when it comes to understanding your customers or target audience. Chief among them in the market research fie…

Baby's hand holding an adult's hand.
consumer trends

Mastering Multi-Generational Marketing

Today’s consumer audiences are diverse and span multiple generations. Each demographic group has unique preferences, concerns, and values. Ultimately,…

Happy man holding trophy and confetti raining down.
customer feedback

Using Insights to Win Customer Loyalty

Are your customers staying put, or is your company struggling with retention? Leveraging market research and gaining actionable insights could be the…

A wide range of emoji faces from happy to sad and angry.
measurement

Improving the Customer Feedback Experience

As the buyer journey becomes more complex, the customer satisfaction survey remains a foundational tool for the market researcher. With it, companies…

Darts resting on the side of a bullseye.
growth marketing

Taking a Customer-Centric Business Approach

Growth marketing continues to be an effective and nimble way to attract, engage and retain customers. Billed as an alternative to traditional marketin…

A big magnifying glass.
consumer behavior

Searching for Cultural Anthropology Insights

Consumers and brands are influenced by culture. Our values and identities, among a variety of societal and social factors, are tied to cultural contex…

A surface of cubes with a variety of rising cubes, one stands out in a different color.
artificial intelligence

Leveraging AI in B2B Respondent Insights

In the B2B marketing landscape, artificial intelligence has shown great potential. It is becoming an essential and advantageous tool, a tool which no…

boxing glove punching
artificial intelligence

Powering Subscriber Acquisition

The streaming business is a fluid, changing landscape. To gain some insights into the category, All Things Insights’ Seth Adler spoke with Beau Decker…

playing the Jenga block game
marketing mix

Building a Marketing Mix Framework

Suraj Rajdev, Head of Analytics at Google, sat down with All Things Insights’ Seth Adler to discuss his session at the Media Insights & Engagement Con…

media insights

Connecting with Generation Alpha

At the recent Media Insights & Engagement Conference, Seth Adler had a chance to chat with Alexander Cammy, Manager, Insights & Cultural Intelligence…

machine learning

Plugging into the Future With AI

TMRE@Home is going to be held virtually this year from April 30 to May 2, 2024, and it will feature several educational tracks for insights and market…

data science

Building the Analytics & Insights Ecosystem

The recent TMRE Continued virtual event hosted a session, “Blending Analytics & Insights to Drive Business Outcomes.” Moderated by All Things Insights…

consumer sentiment

New Frontiers for Capturing Consumer Sentiment

Kajoli Tankha, Senior Director, Consumer Marketing Insights, Microsoft, and David Evans, Senior Research Manager, Microsoft, held the session, “Captur…

insights and AI

Operationalizing a Hybrid Approach to AI

In “Insights + AI: Operationalizing A Hybrid Approach,” Christina Speck, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Commercial Product, Blue Cross & Blue Sh…

data science

Finding the Right Machine Learning Formula

In “Machine Learning: Optimizing Ad Campaigns,” Michael Bagalman, Vice President, Business Intelligence and Data Science, STARZ, explored machine lear…

consumer trends

Driving the Sustainability Message Home

Justin Coates, Head of Global Market Research & Consumer Insights, Eastman Chemical Company, knows a thing or two about sustainability and the role in…

media insights

Exploring User Community Perceptions of AI

Max Wartel, Director of Consumer Insights, Fandom, held an AI-related session at TMRE, which focused on the perceptions of AI in a user-generated comm…

consumer insights

Leading Insights Through Change

Elizabeth Oates, Vice President, Consumer Insights, Ulta Beauty, spoke at TMRE at two sessions: “Leading High-Performance Insights Teams Through Chang…

consumer insights

The Evolution of Building an Insights Team

Josh Goldfinch, Director Customer Insights, Verizon, participated in a panel at TMRE focused on “Building an Insights Function from the Ground Up.” Al…

media insights

Betting on Sports Consumer Engagement

In assessing the rise of sports streaming and betting, opportunities have come to light that might not have been considered five years ago. Content st…

perception

Thinking Through the Perception Perspective

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler discussed a variety of subjects with author and journalist David McRaney at this year’s TMRE. McRaney gave a keynote p…

consumer behavior

Infusing the Behavioral Insights Mindset

During the “Behavioral Insights” session of the Road to TMRE Gathering, Seth Adler explored “Activating Behavioral Insights: Team & Consumer Themes” w…

insights impact

Winning the Future of Fandom

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler recently connected with Christina Speck, former VP Corp. Strategy, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, at this y…

consumer

Zeroing in on DIY Research

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler recently connected with Bill Trovinger, Consumer Insights Dir., Pharmacy & Health, Albertson’s Companies. Adler and Tr…

consumer insights

Building Insights for the Home Consumer

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler recently caught up with Daniella Tsoncheva, Director Consumer Insights, The Home Depot. The retail market over the las…

actionable insights

Reaching the Consumer

Insights are being generated but in some cases are not being used. The first assumption is that these insights aren’t actionable. Which of course migh…

ESG

Charting A Sustainable Way Forward

Call it an eco-awakening, as more global consumers gravitate to sustainable products or at least indicate their growing awareness and even desire for…

attention economy

Harnessing the Pulse of Trends

These consistently disruptive times have ensured us that it’s never been more important to stay on top of the pulse of the market. That’s true for pat…

data insights

Unifying Data Analytics and Insights

To be human or not to be human? That is a relevant question in today’s technology-driven society, and one we posed when thinking about unifying data a…

entertainment

A Changing Consumer Shapes Media Evolution

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler caught up with Edwin Wong, SVP Insights & Innovation, Vox Media, at the Media Insights & Engagement Conference earlier…

consumer focus
consumer strategies

Driving Consumer Focus

Putting the customer first is a time-honored tradition that remains current and relevant to this day. Consumer focus is a strategy that focuses on und…

consumer insights

Redefining the Home Experience

All Things Insights’ Seth Adler caught up with David Schliecker, Group VP, HGTV Insights and Strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery, at the Media Insights &…

consumer insights

Measuring OTA Programming

Television audience measurement is on the precipice of innovation due to the opportunity to leverage data from set top boxes, smart TV’s, and other so…

consumer trends

Collaboration Around The Consumer

The consumer is now in the driver’s seat, and James Petretti is no stranger to that fact. Success is not possible if the consumer is not buying into w…

social media

Fan Insights

Thanks to the advent of social media and streaming services, the world of television today looks nothing like it did a few decades ago. All industries…

sports entertainment

Live Sports Insights

Programming across the board is looking to develop content that appeals to an audience that engages increasingly with user-generated content (UGC) and…

media insights

Content Marketing Insights

In the past decade, SVOD (Subscription Video-On-Demand) companies have revolutionized how we consume our favorite shows and discover new ones. As medi…

behavioral insights

Media Behavioral Insights

Analytical minds will always benefit from more complete data from farther-reaching sources. Even more fundamentally, Pepe says the questions everyone…

consumer insights

Path To Purchase Insights

Insights leaders are responsible for connecting all of the information gleaned from a multitude of different sources, and creating usable data that wi…

media insights

Media Insights Report

The All Things Insights Media Insights community completed an extensive survey covering what folks are thinking, how they’re spending and the issues t…

consumer trends

Ripple Effects on Insights

For many of us the pandemic brought along with it a series of impactful changes that honestly, none of us could have predicted. Everything regarding w…

entertainment

Media Past Is Media Prologue

“Whatever the modern technology of the day, it was a force for disruption, it was a force for change, and it was a force for enchantment, joy, and lea…

inclusion

Representative Insights

A great story starts with a single word. From there, the story is subject to its characters, plots, and the conflict presented by the content, all of…

marketing

Super Insights

Talking with Peter Leimbach, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales Research at FOX Sports, it’s clear that pro football teams aren’t the only ones competing…

consumer trends

Gen Z Insights

“Ultimately Gen Z demands a new media plan. The previous ways of thinking in terms of length being a precursor of the efficacy of advertising content…

disruptive innovation

Insights Enablers

Over the past two and a half years, there “have been more DIY projects” thus “Insights teams are moving more to becoming consultants and enablers fro…

consumer

LGBTQ+ Insights

Reports indicate that only about 7% of the population is categorized as LGBTQ+, but reports aren’t always accurate. As Angel Bellon Senior Director of…

data science

UX Insights

Shilpi Sinha is not only speaking at TMRE but joining the pre-event Innovating Insights Workshop as a table co-host. Both the session on the agenda an…

insights talent

DEI Insights

What if a key set of insights could drive revenue, help the business run more effectively, make the business seem to be leading edge and make current…

behavioral insights

Behavioral Insights

We continue to spin forward into a next paradigm for global corporate enterprise and society in general. Within a rapidly paced evolution, certainties…

brand friction

A Better, More Difficult Experience

Through a traditional lens- ease of use, automation, amazonification- are the ends, not the means. But what if making something more difficult was act…

consumer insights

The State of the Consumer (2022)

eBook by Remesh | 21 Apr 2022 About This Report 2021 has been a transformative year for every industry and organization in the world; from more perman…