Join the fight against Zombie Tools in Market Research.

Dead and mindless approaches to data and insights are lurking in the shadows of market research. There is no better time to wipe out these zombies than now, as static ways of analyzing and visualizing data have no place in an increasingly digitalized environment. Smart researchers will use all the weapons at their disposal to escape and fight this plague.

One example is the persistent reliance on tables and static slide decks. These tools couldn’t pass the muster, even before the pandemic’s onset with its accelerated demands for fast insights. Data needs to be instantly and easily accessible for answering critical questions more quickly. Without the right tools, by the time insights are delivered to the stakeholders who need them, they are already dead. 

Fighting the undead with the right weapons

There is a better way. Innovative solutions that drive true value for insights professionals are poised and ready to be the vigilantes in this fight against methods that should be dead and buried. Interactive, live, online, digital deliverables with user-friendly interfaces that encourage beautiful visualization and sharing exist. Our Harmoni platform was purpose-built with a deep understanding of where the market research industry has been, where it is going, and precisely what’s needed now to deliver success.

• Keep those insights battle-ready. Business questions will wait for no one. Sifting through slides with data that is weeks or months old - or worse, sending questions back to data analysts to cut the original data differently - to answer a specific business problem can take days or weeks. Researchers need to be able to look up answers on the fly, quickly launching investigations with solutions, such as online portals, that retain the integrity of the original data. They also need to make sure all new data is integrated to have the most up-to-date answers available.   
• Create an army of zombie fighters. In a culture and business environment that is speed racing toward do-it-yourself solutions, no one on the team wants to rely on others for the insights they need. Empowering stakeholders with access to data has become vital, as individuals are more accustomed to having control. Technology opens opportunities for democratizing data, allowing more people to explore and utilize actionable insights to drive everything from sales and profit to strengthening a company’s culture. 
• Bring the insights into the light of day. Pages and pages of charts and tables aren't very appealing and don’t fare well when a light is shined on them. The right solution can bring all the insights together to tell a clear story and actively advise how to answer pressing business questions with the most recent data. For example, Harmoni allows the creation of dynamic pages that give a full picture of the insights that have been uncovered. These can be shared with others directly online and instantly updated as new data comes in. There’s nothing zombie-like about that! 

Tomorrow, even today’s most innovative solutions will again be seen as the walking dead. Perhaps everyone will be using wearables or implanted devices to see data displayed in a virtual reality-type setting. Will we still be using PowerPoint and Excel for market research data in 10 years? At the rate the industry is moving, perhaps, but hopefully not. Those who don’t let outdated methods rest in peace will be left behind in a world that demands living, breathing, dynamic delivery of insights.