Recently I was privileged to present at the MRSI Annual Market Research Seminar in Mumbai on ‘Keeping Up With Today’s Connected Consumers’. More specifically, we took this opportunity to explore how research can leverage today’s connected consumer to better understand audiences during a time of technological evolution.

As technology advances at a rapid rate, we are seeing it have an impact on consumer behaviour, including how they interact with brands and purchase and consume products digitally. With this advance, challenger brands (or disruptors) entering the market are maximising on opportunities presented by the always-on consumer.

This always-on consumer offers a huge opportunity to online research as well. If consumers are online they are leaving a digital footprint, if they are on social media they are offering opinion or showing preferences and most importantly, if they are online we have multiple ways to collect data from them.

The evolving consumer landscape is complex to navigate, so understanding our audiences has never been more important. By doing so, brands can better speak to changing needs and desires and make stronger, more meaningful connections that drive brand equity and sales.

To better understand consumers, we’ve explored various behaviors and opinions, including:

• Consumer dynamics when switching brands and the implications it has for brands across the Asia-Pacific region

• Mobile Service App usage across the South East Asian market, including what is being used where and why

• Social issues Asian consumers care about and why these matter to brands

• A broad overview of who, what, when and why of online consumers and how understanding them can open up new ways to approach research 

The nature of device-driven consumers provides online researchers the opportunity to keep abreast of changes in consumer opinion and behaviour more so than ever before. Having an understanding of the modern consumer means we can ask better, more thoughtful questions and connect data sources for a more holistic view of target audiences.