GLOBAL NEWS

As climate change starts impacting countries and microplastics and other pollutants impact people, the ESOMAR community tries to play its part in making the planet a better place by inviting all companies in the community to come together. The first move is to kick off the Climate Pledge, where CEO would be signing up to limit their companies impact on the planet. This pledge includes some specific actions and practical advice that companies can take. The pledge consists of three parts:

1. 10 reduction actions to reach the carbon-neutral target by 2030.
2. Sustainability library representing the consumer and their beliefs about sustainability to governments, NGOs, and businesses.
3. Building a movement to create initiatives around climate trends by working to understand and change views and create actions through initiatives, events, research and collaboration.

The aim of ESOMAR climate pledge is to create a positive global climate movement within the market research and insights industry by encouraging companies worldwide to sign the pledge, commit to reducing their emissions and provide transparency in their efforts and results.

Click here to access the pledge: ESOMAR Climate Pledge

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Market Research Society (MRS) has launched the Research Heroes Programme to celebrate the sector’s unsung heroes. Anika Gangwal was nominated this year because of her passion in actively mentoring young researchers, instilling in them the importance of meticulous detail and the power of technology in the research process. Anika’s dedication to research excellence and her commitment to fostering the next generation of researchers make her a true ‘unsung hero’ deserving of recognition.

With a background spanning Entropik and Kantar, Anika is passionate about integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance user experiences. Her work helps clients across industries to make strategic decisions that drive success, ensuring unparalleled consumer satisfaction and optimised experiences. She feels the next significant trend in the research industry is the integration of textual, visual and audio inputs for a comprehensive understanding of consumer experience. Additionally augmented and virtual reality technologies would enhance research in the future.

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In a recent interview with Research Live, Kyle Ferguson, CEO of Forsta, discussed the role of synthetic data and AI in research, emphasizing it as a complement, not a replacement, for traditional methods. He highlighted the industry's goal to provide insights more efficiently and sees synthetic data as easing the research process. Ferguson stressed the importance of security and compliance in adopting new technologies, aiming to leverage AI, while ensuring safety and quality.

Forsta is investing in generative AI and data quality, recently launching a server-to-server connection to enhance data quality and prevent fraud. The company also introduced Retail HX, a tool for integrating customer and employee data, addressing the need for centralized data in retail to remain competitive. Ferguson predicted continued growth in online retail and emphasized the importance of employee engagement in a hybrid work environment.