Market research news
The blog of the market research agency IntoTheminds lists opinionated articles, examples of alignment with marketing theory, highlights and bad buzz, carefully selected by Pierre-Nicolas Schwab, his team and influential experts.
Big Data can save lives
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
At the conference organized together by Microsoft Europe and Louvain University, Adeline Decuyper proposed a fresh look at Big Data. She rightly made the point that Big Data can also serve non commercial purposes and contribute to Greater Good. She…
Bpost / PostNL : the historical context behind the merger
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The Belgian post (bpost) had offered to buy the Dutch post (PostNL). Although CEO Van Gerven declared on May 30th that the negotiations would stop, one may wonder what triggered Bpost offer and what potential consequences for employees could have…
Why does Bpost want to buy Post.nl ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Bpost has announced it had made an offer to buy Post.nl This important (and clever) move by Bpost should be understood within a larger historical context. We will explain you in a another article this context but for the moment…
Big Data : what are the trends in the retail and insurance sectors ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In partnership with Microsoft Europe (Brussels), the University of Louvain (Belgium) organized a conference on 13 May where I discussed the future impact of Big Data in the retail and insurance sectors. I started by outlining the 4 sectors that…
Pros and cons of focus groups vs. interviews: an in-depth review
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
[caption id="attachment_41932" align="alignright" width="470"] Our guide to market research can be downloaded free of charge[/caption] Last update: March 2020. In an earlier article we discussed the major differences between focus groups and face-to-face interviews. Today we’d like to compare both…
The Financial Times found the most perfect KPI’s to measure success
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The success of any marketing action needs to be measured with the right KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). The Financial Times found a unique KPI that allows outstanding predictions of their churn rate. Read further to learn more. KPI’s are difficult…
Market research: all our knowledge made available in one place
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Market research is often understood as doing a survey. This is not true as many other techniques and tools need to be used to get a comprehensive picture of the market. We have very often published articles on market research…
Will Amazon revolutionize supply-chain management?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Two years ago we were analyzing on this blog the rise of a new logistics giant : Amazon. Amazon was successfully testing new delivery experiences with DHL and Audi. We also predicted Amazon was ready to compete directly with the…
How to do a desk research on a market you don’t know yet (PART 2/2)
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In the previous part of this article on desk research, we explained how to get a first glimpse into a market you don’t know. Today we continue with the two last steps: structure the information and verify it. Desk research…
How to do a desk research on a market you don’t know yet (PART 1/2)
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Market research is especially difficult when the market you have to investigate is not known to you. Desk research is usually the technique chosen to get a first idea of what a market looks like (think about checking our series…
iOT : this object offers a new music experience
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Music can be experienced in very different ways. But nowadays it’s mainly digital (despite vinyl revival). Beyond.io, an Antwerp-based iOT agency, wanted to create a new music experience. X-II was their answer. Music sharing has changed They launched the X-II…
Will banks sell your data to retailers?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Your bank knows a lot about you and, as a matter of fact, the banking sector has been investing huge amount in Big Data for years. Similarly retailers know also a lot about you through the purchases you make. Is…
Insurances : towards the end of the risk sharing principle ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
There is one very important underlying principle of any insurance : risk sharing. Good drivers cover a part of the risk of bad drivers; people in good health pay for those who fall ill. Americans call this a “socialist” way…
“What else” : do you remember where it comes from ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
“What Else” has become Nespresso’s tagline. But do you remember where it comes from ? When a friend of mine asked me this question, I couldn’t. Watch this 2006 video and you’ll remember quickly … Image : Rob d / Shutterstock.com
Hospitality : this postcard leverages customer satisfaction
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction are increasingly expressed online. Capturing this information remains instrumental for most sectors, especially for hotels and restaurants. Bad word-of-mouth can destroy reputation and cut revenues. In the hospitality sectors the norm is usually to have satisfaction…
Mobile Me : your car has no secrets for Mercedes
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Nowadays cars can be connected with your smartphone ; not only to make calls but also to control your car at distance. The Mercedes Me application enables the owner to monitor basic and more advanced functionalities of the vehicle through…
Service quality : the next retail challenge after Big Data
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Algorithms have become instrumental in retailers' strategies to increase loyalty among customers. We don't know of any major retailer not having a Big Data team working on a.o. predicting churn, couponning, increasing loyalty, new segmentation, ... Yet, what we also…
Customers are the last hurdle to remove for a smoother supply-chain
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The Nespresso Prodigio case shows that companies are trying to remove the last uncertainty factor to maximize loyalty. This factor is the customer himself. It’s not a bad idea indeed. Rather than building complex algorithms to predict customers’ behaviors, why…
Nespresso : the secret behind the new Prodigio connected machine
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Nespresso just launched a new connected machine called “Prodigio”. This machine allegedly allows you to prepare a coffee with your smartphone and make sure you never run out of Nespresso capsules. This machine will however allow much more than that…
Are smart boxes the future of car insurance?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Telematic units, also called black or smart boxes, are devices installed in a car to monitor a driver’s behavior (speed, acceleration, deceleration, …). They are increasingly used by insurance companies to develop a pay-as-you-drive pricing. Such pricing may be especially…
Design Thinking helped us imagine creative business cards
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Are business cards something of the past ? We definitely don't think so, especially if you have a creative business card that will make an impact. We used Design Thinking techniques to revisit the experience around giving and getting a business card.…
Big Data : 4 points to understand your legal responsibilities
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
I recently attended a workshop on the legal aspects of Big Data and IoT (Internet of Things) that was organized by Impulse in Brussels. The presenter, Philippe Laurent, had a very clever and clear way of presenting the problems posed…
Is Humanity lost ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In an article published two weeks ago I was explaining my pessimism with regards to the directions taken by Society. For those who know me this is not really surprising; my high optimism phases alternate with some more pessimistic ones, that…
Techstartupday 2016 : virtual reality on the rise
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
At the techstartup day 2016 that took place in Brussels last week, one of the buzzwords was virtual reality (VR). Juan Bossicard, Cluster manager at Impulse and President of the Microsoft Innovation Center, held a very interesting speech on the…
