Survey-based data doesn’t paint the full picture: How Qloo goes beyond traditional market research

Surveying methods and market research are among the most commonly used research methods for understanding consumer preferences, with industry leaders like MRI-Simmons, Resonate, and YouGov using sophisticated probabilistic sampling to enhance the accuracy of their insights. But while surveys can be accessible, flexible, and cost-effective, even the most advanced survey methods have serious inherent limitations. Fortunately, Qloo’s Taste AI perfectly complements these solutions, addressing their shortcomings and providing a more accurate, comprehensive, and detailed view of consumer interests to empower organizations to develop the personalized experiences today’s customers expect.

Data sources and quality

Market research companies use probabilistic sampling techniques to create representative samples of the population, often relying on census data to ensure diversity. This helps reduce sampling biases, where certain demographic or psychographic segments might be overrepresented or underrepresented. However, the actual data collected from these representative samples is self-reported and can suffer from serious inaccuracies caused by unavoidable cognitive biases. People make mistakes, even when they feel confident that they’re responding truthfully—and as a result, participants may inaccurately recall their past behaviors or preferences, might adjust their responses to be more socially acceptable rather than genuine, and sometimes provide rushed or less thoughtful responses during lengthy or tedious surveys.

While useful insights can still be gleaned from these methods, Qloo’s Taste AI overcomes these potential biases by leveraging actual behavior data across various touchpoints such as online activity, purchases, and social media engagements. Using a behavioral approach, our technology formulates insights based on how consumers actually interact with their environment, removing the possibility of the common biases associated with self-reported data. By analyzing authentic behavior and sentiment, Qloo provides a more reliable and authentic picture of consumer preferences—all while strictly adhering to privacy regulations.

Time sensitivity

Because of the logistical constraints that accompany survey data collection, many companies that use surveys for market research rely on periodic data collection for their insights and research. But consumer trends can change within the blink of an eye. While survey-based information remains valuable, it represents only a snapshot in time and may fail to accurately reflect the latest opinions. This can lead to delayed responses to critical market shifts, causing your business to miss out on relevant opportunities.

One of Qloo’s significant advantages is our ability to provide continuously updated insights. Qloo’s machine learning algorithms process and incorporate new data as soon as it is collected and has passed our quality checks, ensuring your business can always access the latest emerging trends and shifts in consumer behavior. With Taste AI, you can feel confident that your insights are always current and actionable, setting you up for success as you develop cutting-edge customer experiences and on-trend growth strategies.

Depth of insights

Survey data can illuminate helpful trends and general psychographics, providing insight into high-level interests and hobbies. While this information can be useful, your business ultimately requires more depth and specificity to truly unlock the needs and preferences of your consumers.

Qloo goes beyond basic demographic and psychographic profiling by incorporating deep, specialized insights and analysis, revealing what your audience likes with precision and granularity. With Qloo’s Taste AI, you can input any entity, attribute, demographic, audience, or location, and receive entities, tags, demographics, audiences, and locations in return. Qloo’s more than half a billion detailed and specific lifestyle entities offer insights into various aspects of consumers’ lives, allowing for more precise targeting and personalized experiences. This approach also enables a deeper understanding of the motivations behind consumer choices—capturing nuances that traditional survey methods often miss.

Traditional market research also requires asking the right questions to yield relevant insights—what if you don’t yet know the right questions to ask? The flexibility of Taste AI enables you to experiment with different questions, testing and refining strategies to find the best solutions to your unique business needs. With Qloo, you can adapt quickly, ensuring that your insights remain relevant and responsive to changing consumer preferences.

Unlocking true consumer understanding

While market research can offer valuable insights through its probabilistic survey methods, these traditional approaches have inherent limitations. Qloo’s Taste AI can help your organization overcome these challenges by leveraging real-time behavioral data, providing dynamic, accurate, and nuanced consumer insights. By complementing existing survey methods, Qloo offers a more comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to understand and engage with their consumers effectively.