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.
High on frustration, low on satisfaction : call centers’ phone menus
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In the word of service there’s one thing that really drives me crazy : call centers’ phone menus. You know the feeling. You’ve got an issue and have to dial a national number to get assistance. “Press 1 for English,…
Unethical behavior : making money around terrorist attacks
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
At the time of the terrorist attacks in Paris in January 2015 (Charlie Hebdo) I was asked in a radio interview to analyze the merchandising phenomenon that was witnessed. All kinds of objects with the “#JeSuisCharlie” logo suddenly appeared on marketplaces…
Big Data becomes Art at MoMa
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Visualizing and making sense of big data is in itself a difficult exercise. Successful attempts have been reported on this blog. Visualization can sometimes be so stunning that it can become a piece of Art. Columbia researchers Laura Kurgan, Eric…
Can we measure satisfaction in our bodies ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
I’ve been studying customer satisfaction, dissatisfaction, loyalty for more than a decade. Both my academic and business experiences have taught me one thing : there’s no one-size-fits-all magical recipe to satisfy people. There are almost as many ways to satisfy…
Complaint handling in numbers : are customers really satisfied ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Over the years I’ve collected a series of statistics about complaint handling. I call them “the metrics of dissatisfaction”. These figures reveal that despite 30 years of research in the field, hundreds of papers and books published and tons of recommendations,…
Market research : being customer centric is key
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
One key problem of market research today is that is very much driven by quantitative assessments and KPI’s. Yet, as a market researcher or a business analysts, you should never forget that figures and indicators are not necessarily reflections of…
Big Data: why couldn’t you sell your data?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
This may seem like a silly idea but here it is. Wouldn’t it be better to pay users for their data rather than stealing it from them and discussing issues of data quality afterwards? (see our other articles on Big…
Wrong consumer behavior driven by bad design
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
I’ve completed a Design Thinking bootcamp in Amsterdam where participants were challenged by the City of Amsterdam to find solutions around a series of waste-related issues (follow this link to learn more about Design Thinking). On this occasion I had…
What is the future of radio?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The hope we were having a few years ago that younger listeners on the internet would move back to so-called linear consumption, is gone (see our latest article on radio consumption habits). We are currently in a period of transition,…
How radio consumption is changing among younger generations
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
I recently gave a speech on Big Data and Data Mining at the Radio Days of the EBU in Riga (Latvia) and met other fellow marketers and head of European broadcasters from all over Europe. There are two big lessons…
Volkswagen scandal : will customers really care?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In the Volkswagen cheating scandal, every single day seems to bring new information. From ca. 500k vehicles in the US, figures climbed to more than 1m potentially affected vehicles in Europe. As of today Seat vehicles are also under scrutiny and it…
How to ruin customer satisfaction in one sentence
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Sometimes, satisfying and keeping your customers can depend on very little details. Here's a personal story of a recent interaction with Coolblue, an e-tailer whose excellent customer satisfaction practices have been discussed several times here. What this story will tell…
Customer experience : wine estate “La Grange des Pères” uses sensory marketing
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
How to create bonds with your customers, how to increase their loyalty ? Those questions are essential for firms. Independent winemakers need to have loyal customers to survive. Here’s what one of them did to foster customer satisfaction and loyalty.…
Focus group vs. interview : what is best for your market research ?
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
[caption id="attachment_41932" align="alignright" width="470"] Our guide to market research can be downloaded free of charge[/caption] How should you conduct your market research ? A Focus group? Interviews? Which method should you go for ? We often get that question from…
A new way to finance the growth of startups : bonds ! (Part 2)
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
In part 1, Jean Carvajal explained the various types of crowdfunding available to companies seeking financing, including issuing stocks, bonds and taking out conventional loans. In his opinion, bond financing is a great method as it provides funding flexibility and…
A new way to finance the growth of startups : bonds ! (Part 1)
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The topic of financing startups' growth is a recurrent one on this blog; simply because it's a problem that many entrepreneurs are faced with and that they don't always solve. Today we're interviewing Jean Carvajal, President and Creator of Investbook.…
Facebook new patent for credit rating through social networks
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Have you heard about Facebook’s new patent to evaluate your credit rating based on your social network ? Everyone refers to it but despite all my efforts I’ve been unable to find a new such patent application filled in by Facebook…
Probably the best business card ever created
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Have you ever realized that business cards are too seldom used to leave an impression on your prospects ? I just found out what is probably the most amazing business card ever conceived. Read further if you want to know…
Not sure SnapChat will become a profitable business
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
71% of snapchat users are under 25. In a world where businesses try to attract and touch youngsters, this is a very unique selling proposition. Despite a market capitalization of 16 to 19b$ doubts still exist about the business model…
How to drive Generations Y and Z back to traditional media
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Traditional medias have a huge problem to get in touch with the Y and Z generations, which both have their own media consumption habits. A recent initiative launched by Egmont, a UK-based press house focusing on children, brings a possible…
Shared Economy: the three radical changes of the last 30 years
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The Shared Economy is one hot topic that all medias are covering massively those days. I recently got interviewed by a Belgian magazine for a special issue on the subject. On that occasion I gave them with my view on…
Ryanair: the best complaint letter ever sent + tips to get compensated
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
Complaints are important for companies aiming at improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Yet, most companies don’t answer complaints (50-60% according to the interview of Prof. Davidow you can listen below), which is a very frustrating experience for complainants. This is…
Market research talent wanted : join our team !
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
IntoTheMinds is a market research company based in Brussels. We conduct market research in various industries and countries. We also perform profitability analysis that we combine with our marketing skills to make clear strategic recommendations. Most of our customers are…
Big Data : Belgian website Realo displays social profile of neighborhood
By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab •
The news made a big buzz on 17 June in Belgium. Big Data based website Realo.com unleashed sudden polemic after months of existence (see for instance this article in French). Their mapping of real estate properties displayed not only properties…
