2020IISS

Dirk Huisman | Chairman SKIM

2020 INSTANT INSIGHTS

SOLID SOLUTIONS

The reality for customer insights professionals in the year 2020: People ask for insights and expect them

immediately, without detracting from solidity of the solutions. Fascinating to see that this is possible and realistic...

11%

Percentage of customer based decisions by marketers based on data

Instead of basing decisions on data, marketers rely on previous experiences, intuition, one-off customer

interactions, and conversations with managers and colleagues. Why? They struggle with statistics, are distracted

with data, or data-based insights are not available when needed and market research is not in time.

11%

Percentage of customer based decisions by marketers based on data

provide immediate insights

and direct answers

Declining share in growing market

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

traditional CI providers other providers

Customer Insights Industry

Turnover Billion $$

2014 2010

Answers on

higher order

goals

New kids, new

solutions, new

standards

must Embracing change is a

2020

?

Converging trends shaping customer insights 2020:

New 5x5 reality

Bridging rational

and emotional

drivers

Customer insights

specialist as ‘active

beacon’ Need for speed

Intertwined

streams of

information

2020

?

Need for Speed

Brand communication has evolved from broadcasting to interacting. To really interact with customers, the brand

team has to react directly to what customers say. Consequently, to interact and optimize the reaction the brand

team needs answers and customer insights instantly. The changing interaction between the brand and the

customer is a typical driver behind the need for speed. That said, it is not only in communication; we see it also in

product development and in portfolio management and pricing. Product teams and brand teams need answers

almost immediately.

Instant

gratification

Just look at yourself. When you are looking for information or an answer to your question. In most cases, an

answer is max. three mouse clicks away. The internet and search machines provide you instantly with answers; it

is instant gratification. So, why wait weeks or months for answers from market research? Because we are

addicted to instant gratification, our expectations change. The need for speed is partly based on the obvious

benefits of getting insights directly, but it is also based on changing attitudes and expectations.

Message testing: from 6 days to 6 weeks

REPEAT

REPEAT

Eat, sleep, work, repeat. That is not sustainable. That said, it triggered the team to streamline and reengineer

their processes. How do you reduce the turn around time from 6 weeks to 6 days? There are 3 main drivers.

Trust

Optimization

Collaboration

Customer

#1

Be in sync Speed can only be delivered when you are in sync with your client: both sides need to speed up.

2020

?

Reality and Virtual Reality

are Intertwined

Insights are shaped and reshaped based on various streams of information, in both reality and virtual reality.

These streams of information are intertwined and the insight does not reflect a single source. On top of that, over

time insights evolve because the streams of information keep on flowing. We see that experiments, at least in

other industries, are conducted during real transactions and interactions. These tests are conducted in real life; for

instance, when someone is shopping online, she is rerouted to a test site which is an adapted version of the real

site. The difference between reality and virtual reality is fading and the insight generation process is positioned

close to the primary business process.

2020

?

The 5 x 5 reality

The time a consumer is willing to interact spontaneously will not be longer than 5 minutes and we will interact via a

5 inch screen. The perk is that when interacting you get real time and location/context specific information. In

2020, marketing models will be filled with a string of rich information snippets requiring advanced methodologies.

Traditional long interviews will have to be cut in pieces and will be spread in time. It will still be one assignment,

but executed in different steps, building upon what we learn.

2020

?

Bridging the rational

and emotional truth

Decisions and choices are a consequence of rational and non-rational drivers of behavior. ‘Non rational’ is a mix of

emotional, contextual and undefined drivers and triggers which often do not yet fit our rational models. New

observation techniques enable us to bridge the rational, emotional and contextual drivers of behavior, allowing us

to better understand decisions and choices people make.

Active beacon

At the client side, already the insights specialist is being repositioned and is becoming part of the brand team. She

will be a networker, operating from within the brand team or product team. To succeed in the new role, activities

related to the traditional insight generation processes will be deprioritized and will be outsourced to the insight

providers. To be at par with the new type of client, the client solution managers at the provider’s side and the

services provided need to be adapted as well to meet the expectations.

2020 SOLID

SOLUTIONS

- Shorter; faster; in context; on demand;

emotional truth

- Truly understand the need and the dynamics in

the brand / product team, reengineer process

- A changing role requires a broader skill set

INSTANT

INSIGHTS

2020 INSTANT INSIGHTS

SOLID SOLUTIONS

Get the ball rolling by contacting us today:

Dirk Huisman | Chairman SKIM

d.huisman@skimgroup.com | +31 10 282 3561