Data collection comes with a host of unique challenges, and one of the most significant considerations for researchers is the topic of ethics in market research. It is essential to think about the ethical implications of your market research — are you collecting data in the right way without infringing on other people’s right to privacy, security, and the control of their data?

Before you start your data collection work, you need to ensure everyone on the team is aligned and understands their ethical responsibilities. Failing to do this could result in legal woes, a damaged company reputation, and other serious problems.

This article will show you why ethics are so important in data collection, what you need to be aware of, and how to ensure your data collection always falls on the right side of what’s considered ethical.

What are ethics in data collection?

What exactly do we mean when we talk about ethical data collection? Let’s delve into the definition to clear any misconceptions and ensure the rest of the article makes sense.

Data collection ethics is all about the right and wrong in collecting, analyzing, processing, and sharing data.

This article will focus on data collection for market research purposes. The data we’re talking about here mainly refers to the personal data of our research participants.

Ethics has been an essential consideration for as long as we’ve been collecting data. By understanding it, you can ensure that the data you collect and the research you produce is ethically sound, respects the rights of your subjects, and avoids landing you in legal trouble.

Why are ethical considerations so important for data collection?

There are several key guidelines market researchers have to follow so they can adhere to ethical norms when it comes to data collection, such as:

・If you prioritize ethics, it usually results in better research.

When you care about the truth, accuracy, and minimizing errors, your findings will be more reliable and lead to more valuable conclusions, benefiting your business.

・If you take ethics seriously, it shows that your brand is trustworthy and has integrity.

Conversely, suppose you’re violating ethical norms with your research; this will reflect very poorly on your reputation and (among other things) make it tough to find future participants for market research.

・You want to stay on the right side of the law.

Today there are more data privacy regulations than ever before, like Europe’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. Unethical data collection can lead to legal trouble and harsh financial penalties.

Guidelines: How to ensure your data collection is ethical.

Follow the guidelines detailed below to ensure your data collection is ethical.

Always obtain the proper consent.

When you collect data for market research, you’re using the personal data of your participants. When someone answers survey questions, takes part in an interview or focus group, or participates in an experiment, the data they share with you is protected by law in many jurisdictions.

From an ethical standpoint, an individual’s data is their personal property. As a result, you have to ensure you have the right to collect and use that data. Make sure to draft a consent agreement that informs your participants about your research and clearly outlines how you intend to use their data. This refers to asking for informed consent — in other words, your participants should know what they’re consenting to instead of being asked to give a blanket agreement.

In short, always get explicit consent from your research subjects before you collect or use any of their data, and always make sure they are given all the facts upfront about how you will use it. This is one area to work with an experienced legal team.

Always be clear about privacy and confidentiality.

You should be clear from the beginning about how private and confidential your participant’s data will be. For example, when publishing a market research report, will you use the names of your subjects or provide any information that could be linked back to their identity? If so, it’s essential to let them know before you collect any data.

You also need to consider technical capabilities in this area. Are your systems secure enough, or are they vulnerable to hacks and data breaches? You can still be legally punished if you lose sensitive user data due to a cyberattack in many cases.

Personally identifiable information (PII) covers many different data types, like a person’s full name, address, credit card information, or identification number.

Avoid bias.

As an experienced researcher will tell you — it’s all too easy to rig research in your favor. Wording specific questions in a certain way, focusing on some areas over others, guiding your subject in a particular direction with verbal nudges and body language — all these things can impact the result of your research.

This isn’t just unethical; it also leads to less accurate data. Pushing your research subjects towards specific answers might fulfill short-term goals, but in the long-term, it leads to a poorer understanding of your market and a shaky foundation for future research. Ensure all your moderators and researchers are aware of this and trained to avoid even subconsciously leading people in a specific direction.

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Nine ways to reduce bias in your market research

1. Minimize confirmation bias.

It’s common for teams to embark on a research project with a clear idea of what they want to discover. Maybe you want to know that all your participants love your planned products, your latest marketing campaign is destined for success, or a specific demographic is a big fan of your brand.

This can lead to confirmation bias, where researchers hone in on answers they like and gloss over ones that don’t support their favorite hypothesis, leading to skewed results that sound encouraging at first but ultimately don’t benefit the company. Be aware that your expected or desired outcome may not happen, and train your research teams to be level-headed and impartial.

2. Be aware of question order bias.

Question order bias is when the order of your questions can influence participants to give a specific answer or be more favorable to a particular idea. For example, if you ask the following questions:

  1. What do you like about the new iPhone?
  2. Can you give an example of a great tech company?

Here, the participant is already thinking about iPhones and Apple after the first question, and this could lead them to give a similar answer to question two, even if they might have said something else had the order of questions been different. Be aware of the order of your questions, and always try to word them as neutrally as possible.

3. Be transparent about your data collection methods.

When you publish your research, you should make your methodology available to anyone who wants to read it. Be clear about what data collection methods and sources you used, whom you spoke to (being careful to avoid sharing personally identifiable information), your goals, the sample size, how you selected participants, and more. This helps people check your findings’ accuracy and shows that you’re credible and professional.

If there are any limitations or anything you’re uncertain about, disclose this. Don’t state something as a clear fact when it isn’t. Certain parts of your findings might need future research to confirm them, and you should clearly state this.

4. Maintain integrity

It may seem obvious, but it’s paramount to collect data with honest intentions and hold yourself to these standards. If you collect data for reasons that might negatively impact others, this is unethical, even if your collection methods and other factors are legitimate.

Make sure the questions you ask are relevant to your research goals. Asking questions — particularly personal ones — about your subjects that don’t inform your research is unethical.

5. Don’t cause harm to your participants.

You should always identify and avoid anything in your research process that could cause harm to your subjects. This could be physical harm — for example, asking participants to sample food to which they may be allergic — or emotional trauma, like asking people to revisit uncomfortable memories or placing them in situations where they might not feel at ease.

Anything that could harm your participants in any way is unethical. Make sure they understand the process from the beginning, regularly check in on them, and be sure to disclose anything that could potentially cause problems.

6. Don’t waste people’s time.

Your participants are busy people. They don’t have vast amounts of time to dedicate to your research, and they’re helping you out by agreeing to take part. Be respectful of your participants’ time and don’t keep them waiting longer than necessary. Aim to keep your research process tightly organized and always inform people about delays and other time constraints as soon as possible.

7. Be aware of unexpected outcomes.

Even the most meticulously conducted research can sometimes have unexpected consequences. It can be deemed unlawful if individuals suffer harm due to your study.

As a result, you need to take extra care to anticipate and prevent any unexpected adverse outcomes from your research. You won’t know for sure until the study is published, but you can minimize the chances of unintended consequences by being cautious and diligent.

8. Correct errors.

It’s normal for research to contain one or two errors. In itself, that’s not unethical, nor does it necessarily mean your research isn’t valuable. However, it is imperative to correct the mistakes as quickly as possible and edit your research report to make this clear.

If you don’t correct errors when you become aware of them, this is unethical as you’re knowingly publishing misleading information.

9. Work with an experienced research team.

The best way to ensure your data collection is ethical is to work with a team of experts. Research professionals understand the ins and outs of data ethics, and they know what to do and what to avoid. They also have an in-depth and current understanding of the legal aspects of market research. At Kadence, we have years of experience helping companies worldwide conduct market research, and ethics is always a priority. Get in touch with us to find out more.

Many reputed brands have made costly and avoidable mistakes by not including diversity and inclusion in their product testing and market research. These mistakes usually lead to a backlash from customers and the media, eventually becoming a PR nightmare.

So how can companies prevent this from happening? By ensuring their products and campaigns are diverse, brands can avoid costly mistakes in the first place —and it all starts with diversity and inclusion in market research.

This is because you typically want to hear from as wide a range of people as possible. You want to cast the net wide, gathering ideas from the social, economic, ethnic, and cultural spectrum, helping you gain a rich and complete picture of your market.

However, developing a product or service used by many isn’t always easy. It begins with inclusive research and reaching out to those typically marginalized. When brands consider diversity in gender, sexual orientation, backgrounds, religions, and disabilities, they can create products that work for everyone. This allows brands to craft compelling messages that resonate with their target markets.

Many organizations find it hard to ensure their research is diverse, focusing too much on specific demographics and groups. The result is skewed research with incomplete results, leading to inaccurate conclusions and ultimately harming your growth as a company.

It is somewhat easy to conduct a quantitative research survey asking for a sample of age groups or household income. But if the data comes back skewed heavily to a particular ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender, it will not be a true reflection of society, which leads to flawed and inaccurate research.

Just how widespread is this lack of diversity? Is it limited to a handful of companies, or is it endemic in market research? In this article, we’ll look at the issue of diversity in market research and how companies can take steps to tackle it and promote more inclusive research methods.

Why is diversity important in market research?

Diversity and inclusion are essential in market research because they allow brands to factor in everyone’s voice and opinions instead of just a homogenous sample. This helps them drive growth and increase usage within their target markets. Furthermore, consumers are very savvy and expect diversity and inclusion in brands. They expect brands to show the diversity and live it through company policy and operations.

Here’s how diversity in market research helps brands create and drive successful brands:

  • It allows you to gather various opinions and perspectives, leading to more valuable insights about your market, company, and products.
  • It helps you connect and communicate with different groups more effectively, improving your marketing and expanding your reach.
  • More diverse research can lead to a broader range of new products and services ideas.
  • It signals that your brand is interested in hearing from a diverse range of people and does not lack cultural and diversity awareness.

Is there a lack of diversity in market research?

While the market research industry has come a long way in recent years when it comes to diversity, there is still clearly substantial work to be done.

While we have seen many strides in representing diversity in advertising, it is still questionable when it comes to authenticity. Market research companies need to look inward first to be fully diverse and inclusive.

3 Ways Market Research is Falling Behind with Diversity

1. Accurate identification.

A study for the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) found that Caucasians were adequately and accurately identified 68 percent of the time in large digital datasets used for target marketing. However, that figure was only 49 percent for Hispanics, for African Americans just 28 percent, and for Asian Americans, 24 percent.

This is a failure on the part of data collection. Researchers need to be more stringent about the data collection sources, their standards for data quality, and the criteria they rely on for every demographic.

2. Market research teams are often too homogenous.

Marketing as an industry is not diverse at all. Looking at the 2020 Marketing Week’s Career and Salary Survey, we can see that 88 percent of people in the marketing industry identify as ‘Caucasian/White,’ compared to just 5 percent ‘Asian,’ 4 percent as ‘Mixed Race,’ and just 2 percent as ‘Black.’

Furthermore, a lack of diversity in senior positions is stifling business and creativity in this industry. According to the same report, of all senior roles (defined as senior managers to a partner or owner), 38.3 percent of marketers are Caucasian, and 49.5 percent are male.

This lack of diversity in market research will likely increase the dangers of underrepresenting certain cultures and ethnicities. Research participants may be less likely to share certain information with someone of a different background. Moderators, for instance, may also miss specific cultural contexts, and research questions may be inadvertently designed to confuse or exclude other ethnic groups.

Hiring more diverse teams and promoting market research as a potential career for people of all backgrounds can help companies conduct more accurate, valuable, and inclusive research that yields better insights.

3. People worry about inaccurate representation.

A U.S. 2019 report by Adobe found that 66 percent of African Americans and 53 percent of Latino and Hispanic Americans felt they were stereotyped in advertisements. In the same report, 61 percent of people said that diversity in advertising was necessary, and 38 percent said they were more likely to trust brands that do an excellent job of showing diversity in their ads.

Some companies fail to give customers what they want —in this case, accurate, authentic representation in advertising, which is ultimately a failure of market research. Companies need to spend more time researching the different demographics that make up their audience to create advertising that talks to everyone and addresses everyone’s problems, not just a select few groups.

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5 Ways Companies can Help Promote Diversity in Market Research:

While there is still more work to be done to promote diversity in market research, the good news is that companies can improve things.

1. Prioritize diversity.

A commitment to diversity and inclusivity should be a central goal for your research team. Make it clear to team members that this is something to focus on, and help people understand how to achieve more diversity and the mistakes they should be avoiding. Educate and hold regular training to cover all the critical information.

2. Work with more diverse teams.

When researching a diverse market, try to use moderators who belong to the same demographics as your participants. This can help avoid cultural misunderstandings, promote better communication, interpret responses more successfully, and make research subjects feel comfortable.

3. Leave assumptions at the door.

Do everything you can to avoid assumptions, biases, and stereotypes creeping into your research. Have multiple people from different groups look over survey questions to ensure they aren’t explicitly targeted at specific demographics or exclude others.

4. Be aware of cultural differences.

Before you begin your research, take some time to educate yourself on the different demographics you’ll have in your study. This way, you’ll be able to conduct more inclusive, helpful research that yields genuinely useful responses from a wide range of groups.

5. Make things accessible.

Work hard to ensure your locations, materials, and schedules are accessible to many people. Be aware that not everyone has a similar schedule or situation. For example, if your research takes place in an area not accessible by public transport, you’re limiting your responses to people who can afford a car and potentially excluding entire socioeconomic groups.

Read this article to dive into how companies can be more inclusive in their market research.

We have to represent the world we live in, and an increasing number of brands are getting it. 34 percent of U.K marketers say they’ve used racially diverse models. (Shutterstock)
Market research is becoming much more diverse, inclusive, and cognizant of different demographics. However, brands can always do more, and those who prioritize diversity will gain a more comprehensive understanding of their market, access more useful data insights, and connect effectively with more customers.

Working with a professional research agency is a great way to ensure your market research is as inclusive, effective, and complete as possible. At Kadence, we work with companies worldwide, helping them get the most out of their study. Contact us to learn more.

Your business likely serves customers across various demographics, income levels, and ethnic groups, and therefore, your research should reflect that. So, how do you ensure your market research is diverse and inclusive enough? 

Many companies fail to achieve diversity in market research. They rely on an overly homogenous group of research participants, drawn from the same places, with roughly similar life experiences, preferences, and biases. The result is preliminary research, with relevant conclusions for only one part of your market. It fails to represent everyone as a whole. 

When companies successfully bring in a diverse range of research subjects, they often fail to make the most of it. They inadvertently create a research environment that benefits particular groups over others, leading to skewed results and frustrated participants.

Therefore, brands should do everything they can to avoid these costly mistakes. They need to ensure their market research targets a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and is modeled in a way that caters to everyone, not just a select few. This article will look closely at diversity and inclusion in market research, why it’s essential, and how to promote more of it in your organization.

What is the difference between diversity and inclusion in market research?

Diversity focuses on demographics like age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation, to name a few, while inclusion allows diversity to thrive. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, organizations need to understand the difference. 

As diversity and inclusion expert Verna Myers puts it, “Diversity is being invited to a party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Diversity brings people from diverse backgrounds and abilities together, and inclusion ensures you value and include everyone’s contributions in your market research. 

Why is it important to have diversity and inclusion in market research?

Brands conduct market research to determine the viability of their products and services, discover their target audience, and uncover what their customers want so they can make better decisions. When you have diversity and inclusion in your market research, everyone’s voice is heard. It allows brands to effectively communicate with their target audience —no matter who they are and where they live. 

It is essential to have diversity and inclusion in your market research efforts more than ever before. Consumers expect to see diversity and inclusion from brands in an authentic way. This is even more true of younger consumers. According to a Deloitte survey of 11,500 global consumers, “the youngest respondents (from 18 to 25 years old) took greater notice of inclusive advertising when making purchase decisions.”

As our world becomes flatter and more diverse, brands must reflect the diversity authentically in their messaging if they expect to connect with a broader audience.  

1. The best research brings diverse perspectives together.

Diversity allows you to notice things, glean insights you might have missed with a less inclusive approach, and access richer and more valuable data. It gives you a complete and accurate understanding of your target market, helping you see the whole picture instead of a narrow and restricted view. A more comprehensive range of diverse perspectives also leads to improved research outcomes.

2. Most research is too narrow.

Around the world, 80 percent of research participants fall into the same rough category. We can define this with the acronym ‘WEIRD’ — white, educated people from industrialized, affluent, democratic societies. You can probably predict the issue with this — despite making up four-fifths of all research subjects, these people are a minority in the world — less than 15 percent.

Focusing on expanding your research to include a broader range of people will improve your results while giving you an edge over competitors who focus primarily on the same groups.

3. Diversity makes your research more credible.

People can see the methodology you used during your research, and they’re likely to question the reliability of a study that focuses too heavily on certain groups. On the other hand, if you can show that your research included a diverse range of people, your conclusions will be more accurate and trustworthy.

4. Diverse research improves communication and avoids blind spots.

Inclusive research listens to everyone and allows you to tailor your products, marketing, and business strategies to improve things for everyone, not just a select few. If you fail to take all voices into account in your research, you risk creating friction and being perceived as ignoring specific segments of your market.

5. Your customers want to see more diversity.

If your research is inclusive, this will reflect positively on your brand — everything from your marketing messaging to the products you sell. In a UK survey, 51 percent of BAME people said brands do not represent their cultures well in their marketing, and 64 percent said they would feel more favorably about a brand that makes an effort to include ethnic cultures.

In other words, taking steps to include a diversity of demographics in your research will pave the way to building a brand that makes more diverse people feel included.

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How to be inclusive and promote diversity in your market research

Inclusion requires the organization to understand, appreciate, and embrace diversity fully. It is not just about adopting diversity but also committing to it wholeheartedly and without bias. We live in a hyper-connected world with savvy consumers who will quickly call out a brand if its business values go against its brand messaging or promise. Therefore, when conducting market research, brands need to be mindful of how they will approach the issue of diversity and inclusion at every step of the process. 

Here are nine best practices to promote diversity and inclusion in your market search:

1. Build a diverse outreach network.

How do you currently get in touch with potential research participants? Many companies fall short because they rely on the same methods — the same social media pages, established networks of people, local universities, and other such channels.

The result is often a somewhat restrictive pool of people from relatively similar backgrounds and demographics. It would help if you had a more diverse strategy for finding participants for more diverse research.

It would be best to expand your network by recruiting participants from different neighborhoods, schools, and online spaces. 

2. Make sure your pool of participants reflects your audience.

Even when businesses serve a diverse pool of individuals and are aware of this, they often still erroneously focus their research on just one or two groups. Brands need to know their audience and who is in it — and based on this information, build several buyer personas to cover all the demographics in their market.

When you have a good idea of whom you’re targeting, you’ll be able to construct a much more inclusive research strategy tailored to multiple groups and gather a much richer range of information and insights.

3. Make things as easy as possible for everyone.

It’s easy to inadvertently design a research process that prioritizes certain groups over others. Maybe your focus groups take place in an area only reachable by car. Perhaps you conduct questionnaires over Zoom, excluding people with poor internet access. Or perhaps you host interviews in the evening, making it impossible for people who work late shifts.

All these things can hinder the effectiveness of your research by cutting out certain groups and leading to skewed demographics that don’t accurately represent your market. Here’s what you should do instead:

  • Take steps to accommodate different schedules by conducting research activities at different times and in other areas.
  • Help your research participants attend activities. Offer to provide transport, access to any necessary technology, and anything else (within reason) that can make things easier for them.
  • Ensure your research facilities are accessible for disabled people.
  • Compensate your participants. For some people, traveling to a research event can be expensive, and they may have competing obligations. Offer to compensate them for their time, and they will be much more likely to show up.

4. Establish trust when working with vulnerable populations.

Depending on the type of research you’re carrying out, you may need to spend time working with people from vulnerable groups. This could include those with severe mental health issues, victims of serious crimes or abuse, prisoners, or older people.

Getting feedback from these groups can be extremely valuable and provide insights into how the people within them view your brand. It can allow you to develop new products and services that cater to vulnerable groups and create a more accessible and more enjoyable experience for them.

However, this kind of research can present challenges for researchers. For example, people from vulnerable groups may not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings in a research setting — especially when the questions touch on sensitive topics. Extra care should be taken to ensure your research methods do not cause any distress or discomfort to your participants. Here are some things to consider:

  • Ensure they give consent and be very clear about how you intend to use their data. Aim to obtain explicit, active permission, and give your participants as long as they need to understand this. Don’t rush your participants, and don’t proceed until you’re not sure they know.
  • Establish what to avoid ahead of time and create an environment that will be comfortable, safe, and welcoming for your participants.
  • Be careful not to steer your participants in one direction or another — try to make sure their responses are their own opinions.
  • Make an effort to predict and avoid any potential negative consequences of the research for your participants.

5. Make things as understandable as possible.

Your surveys, interviews, introductions, guidance, and any other communication should be easy to understand for people from every background. The most obvious example here is differences in language. If a large part of your market speaks a language other than English, you’ll need translators to ensure they (and you) understand everything. Here are some examples:

  • If you are interviewing people who speak English as a second language, make sure your materials are simple and easy to understand to minimize confusion and frustration for your subjects.
  • Make sure any examples and cultural references are relevant to the people you’re studying. Even when you share a common language with your participants, misunderstandings can still happen. For example, if your screener uses references specific to a certain demographic, people outside that group may struggle to relate and understand.
  • Make sure any visual materials are easy to see and understand for people who may be visually impaired. The same applies to audio materials.

6. Be aware of how cultural differences impact research.

Different cultural groups respond differently to research. For example, in Japan, focus group participants are typically less willing to go against the group’s consensus, making this research method tricky when weighing individual opinions.

Cultural differences can impact almost every element of your research process. For instance, a time one culture might consider ideal to attend a research event could be highly inconvenient for another.

Take some time to make yourself aware of these cultural differences and how they relate to your research. That way, you can design research methods that are more appealing and welcoming to different cultures, which yields more accurate and valuable results.

7. Work with a diverse range of moderators.

People from minority groups will often feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions with someone from similar backgrounds. On top of this, moderators from a diverse range of backgrounds may find it easier to connect with these participants and get more helpful responses.

Working with a more diverse team of researchers helps you draw on different experiences to build a more inclusive research process. When groups are too homogenous, it’s easy to fall into assumptions and miss out on certain blind spots, which results in a process that can exclude specific demographics and lead to incomplete results.

8. Don’t make assumptions.

It’s common for researchers to make unconscious assumptions when asking questions and creating hypothetical scenarios in research. For example, a survey question might assume that the participant is from a typical nuclear family, alienating people who don’t fall into that lifestyle category. Take some time to consider if your questions are relatable to a wide range of people and not just your location’s dominant culture or lifestyle.

9. Work with an experienced market research agency.

The best way to ensure diverse, inclusive research and avoid any mistakes is to work with a team of experts who have done it all before. An experienced research agency can help you take all the necessary steps to avoid excluding certain groups, ensure your research process is as diverse as possible, and help you notice any areas you may have overlooked.

At Kadence, we help companies worldwide carry out effective research that connects with a diverse range of participants. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you do the same.

You probably won’t read this article word for word—and you’re not alone. Humans typically respond to visual stimuli by paying attention to some things more than others. They skim over some words, re-read others, and skip entire sections.

How a person’s eye moves around a page, design, or space reveals a lot about what does—and doesn’t—capture their attention. That’s why cutting-edge eye tracking technology is growing in demand among market research professionals.

Eye tracking is a powerful tool for gathering, analyzing, and utilizing data about what goes on in consumers’ minds. Those insights can be used to optimize brand performance and improve marketing ROI.

Read on to learn more about the fundamentals of eye tracking technology and its uses in market research.

What is eye tracking?

Eye tracking is a research methodology for measuring where a person looks, providing insight into their thinking.

Using machine learning and advanced image processing, it’s possible to record almost everything about how the eye interacts with something in front of it.

This real-time data can be helpful in market research. It allows for a deeper understanding of consumer reactions to almost any visual stimulus, from a website or technology platform to product packaging or an in-store display.

Eye tracking unlocks the unconscious decision-making process. It gives marketers quantifiable data about user intention, where their interest lies, what they overlook, and how they respond to different stimuli.

This data humanizes technology, creating intuitive solutions that meet consumers’ actual needs and desires.

How does eye tracking work?

Eye tracking technology uses near-infrared light and high-resolution cameras to track how the eye moves in response to stimuli.

  1. Light is directed toward the center of the eye to create reflections in the pupil and cornea. Infrared light is invisible; it doesn’t distract or harm the eyes.
  2. A camera records the reflections (called pupil center corneal reflection or PCCR), tracking the person’s exact point of focus.
  3. Advanced mathematical algorithms calculate various data points, such as eye position, gaze or focus point, duration of attention, eye openness, blink rate, and changes in pupil diameter.
  4. The data processed by eye tracking software helps researchers understand where, when, and what people viewed.

The exact data a researcher collects depends on the hardware and software they select from the many companies that offer the technology. 

Some tools also integrate biometric data, like heart rate and galvanic skin response, to add depth to findings. Also, a similar head tracking technology monitors the position and movements of the head. It can be combined with eye tracking to uncover more meaningful data.

There are two main types of eye tracking technology: 

Screen-based devices

● Participants sit in front of and interact with a computer screen that has a stationary unit mounted below or nearby. Movement is limited within the static area.

● Recommended for controlled environments. Webcam options can be used in a participants’ home, but proper calibration isn’t guaranteed and can negatively affect results.

● Ideal for screen-based materials (pictures, videos, and websites) or static offline stimuli (packaging, magazines, books).

Head-mounted devices

● Wearable devices are integrated into eyeglass frames or inside a virtual reality headset, allowing users to move freely around a space.

● A large amount of movement, as with sports, could cause glasses to shift during recording and negatively affect results.

● Ideal for performing tasks in a real-life or virtual environment (shopping, usability studies, product testing).

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What does eye tracking measure?

This advanced technology can measure almost anything about the eye, but what does the information tell us?

Gaze Point

Discover where a user’s eyes look at a rate of up to 60 points per second. This tells you exactly how long the eye fixates on an object or area or what actually generates visual attention.

Scan Patterns

Plotting out where the eye fixates in chronological order creates a visual path that reveals how consumers tend to scan something. This can help determine whether the information is logically and efficiently organized.

Heat Map

Aggregate data showing the distribution of users’ focus points to understand what consumers are most and least likely to notice. The larger your sample pool, the more you can determine differences in how various populations view the same object or space.

Areas of Interest (AOI)

Measure specific areas of a video, website, package, or display to determine how long it takes a user to notice something, how many people notice an AOI, how long they view the area, and how often they return to an AOI. You can also compare the performance of separate areas.

Using eye tracking in market research

The eye tracking market is exploding, expected to reach nearly $1.1 billion by 2025, up from $368 million in 2020. Clearly, the data this technology generates is valuable.

Let’s explore exactly how to use this information in marketing research.

●     In-Store: Head-mounted eye tracking is highly effective for evaluating store navigation, signage, and product displays. Rather than using unreliable recall methods, customers walk around a store (or a VR simulation). At the same time, the technology captures the path they take, what draws their attention, and what they ignore.

●     Packaging design: Before releasing a product, eye tracking can test how well users respond to the various elements. This type of testing is particularly well-suited to A/B testing that compares two or several options to see which generates the most fixations on key AOIs. 

●     Website: To deliver the best user experience on a website, it helps get inside the consumer’s mind. Eye tracking is the most effective way to test what elements of a site capture attention (or cause someone to click away), and what influences desired actions. Initial and follow-up retesting can determine what messages, fonts, colors, and placements best attract and retain leads, dramatically increasing marketing ROI.

●     Advertising: Eye tracking can help assess the success of print or digital advertising communication—what does and does not draw attention. It’s also an effective tool for testing changes to see what improves results.

Regardless of the visual stimulus tested, eye tracking can help determine which elements attract immediate attention or above-average attention and in which order they’re viewed, as well as what is ignored or, perhaps, misunderstood.

Market researchers can propose changes that improve usability, effectiveness, and overall customer experience with this data. Best of all, the technology can be used to retest new iterations to determine how successful they are at improving desired results.

It’s important to note that eye tracking falls short in determining the psychology behind a user’s actions. It can provide accurate data about what, where, and for how long a person looks, but understanding motivation requires other market research methodologies, such as surveys and interviews.

What industries can use eye tracking?

As eye tracking technology continues to become more affordable and more widely understood, it’s not surprising it’s attracting more users.

While applicable to many industries, the technology is commonly used for market research on various commercial sectors. Bank branches, car dealerships, groceries, malls, and other retail environments frequently employ the technology to better understand and improve the customer experience.

Eye tracking is also vital in technology, becoming a more frequent interface method for computers, phones, video games, and televisions.

Finally, the methodology contributes to advancements in automotive safety, workplace safety, medical diagnoses, and accessibility for people with disabilities.

What are the pros and cons of eye tracking for market research?

Modern eye tracking technology has been used for market research since the 1980s. It endures because it of three key benefits:

●     Unique: Eye tracking reveals what other data collection methods cannot. It shows what a user actually looks at and ignores and how they scan an object or a space.

●     Reliable: Very little market research is 100% accurate, but eye tracking precisely captures eye movements down to milliseconds. It provides an accurate history of the what, where, and how of viewing patterns (interpretation of the why is a different story).

●     Easy Testing: You can immediately test a hypothesis about what might improve the visual performance of a website, package, or display. Make the change, then see if it had the expected effect on the user’s view.

Despite the many benefits, there remain a few challenges with using eye tracking technology in marketing research.

●     Cost: Eye tracking studies require money, time, and labor. The equipment and training can be pricey. Plus, each device can record only one person at a time, so it takes a great deal of time to get a meaningful sample size.

(For researchers with budget constraints, tools like Hotjar’s Heatmaps and Mouseflow may be an affordable alternative. They show where a mouse hovers. While not perfect, there’s some correlation between where a person points the mouse and where their eyes move.)

●     Limitations: Eye tracking technology can be less effective for participants who wear contacts or glasses or squint. Also, incorrectly calibrated trackers or head-mounted devices that shift can invalidate results.

●     Bias: The Hawthorne Effect, or a person changing their behavior when they know they’re being observed, may create some degree of error with results. Likewise, there is always some bias in data interpretation or deciding the “why” behind the eye movements.

Best practices for eye tracking in market research

Eye tracking technology is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s also not the best and only option for market research.

In truth, eye tracking is best combined with other research methodologies, such as interviews and surveys. Using eye tracking in conjunction with other tools is the best way to ensure more accurate results.

Many researchers prefer to use eye tracking in the latter stages of market research as a diagnostic tool. It can be used to test a few solutions to perceived problems. For example, if people aren’t clicking through a website as desired, eye tracking can be used to test whether a button in a different color or location improves results.

Summary

According to research from Harvard Business School, 95 percent of purchase decision-making occurs in the subconscious mind. That’s why many market researchers rely on eye tracking. It’s a powerful tool for understanding what goes on in consumers’ minds. 

While not failproof, eye tracking provides reliable data about how a person views the world in front of them. Those insights can be valuable in optimizing websites, product packaging, store displays, and most importantly, improving marketing ROI.

Market research would be a lot easier to pull off if we all lived in a homogenous society. Things would be simpler if we were all hailed from the same background, with the same cultural, ethnic, religious, and social touchstones.

Of course, that’s not the case in most parts of the world.

Attempting a “one-size-fits-all” approach to market research means the effort is likely doomed from the start. As demographics continue to change around the world, researchers must better grasp the diverse needs and circumstances of their target audiences. If your research project lacks diversity, it will fall short of being comprehensive and inclusive.

To demonstrate the importance of diversity in market research, consider these statistics compiled by Nexus A.I.:

  • Almost 60% of consumers have stopped supporting a brand because of a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in ads.
  • More than 40% of Americans would like to see more racial diversity in advertising.
  • Almost 40% of consumers say they are more inclined to trust brands that display diversity in their advertising efforts. 
  • More than 80% of consumers state that visible LGBTQ+ representation is proof a business seeks to offer products and services for all types of consumers. 

These statistics demonstrate that it’s ineffective to look at all consumers in the same light. Brands committed to diversity in marketing are likely to see a more significant ROI for their efforts than competitors who aren’t engaged in inclusive research.

Problems Arising from a Lack of Diversity in Research

If the projected cost and use of resources lead some businesses to avoid diversity research altogether, inevitable consequences may follow. 

For one thing, there’s no benefit in becoming known as a brand that doesn’t value diversity. Market research that doesn’t tap into diverse perspectives means a brand can easily stumble with broad-based marketing campaigns that inadvertently offend a particular group of people. 

And what about unforeseen situations where a crisis brings media attention to the brand, exposing a widespread lack of diverse perspectives within the organization? The public relations fallout in such cases can be devastating.

As we have noted before, “Only by rooting out the nuances of different geographical areas, cultures, and consumers can you get an accurate picture of what people value and whether your products and services might succeed.”

“Diversity marketing is accepting the reality that consumer bases are no longer as homogenous as they once seemed,” notes Business.com. When consumers seek out brands that resonate with them, “brands that are slow to adapt their marketing to this reality can seem out of touch and dated.”

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What “Diversity” Means

What exactly is meant by “diversity”? Generally speaking, this involves assessing factors such as age, ethnicity, gender preferences, disabilities, and religious affiliation. 

Diversity in marketing and research “doesn’t necessarily mean trying to cater to every single possible demographic,” notes Stackla, a visual content engine. Instead, it means “knowing who is drawn to your brand and making sure those groups are represented” in marketing and market research efforts.

It’s also worth looking at the term “culture” in this context. Psychologists define culture as referring to “a set of ideas and beliefs which give people a sense of shared history,” says Psychologist World. Culture is found “in our language, art, daily routines, religion and sense of morality … and is passed down from generation to generation.”

There are many tangible benefits resulting from market research that emphasizes diversity. These include:

  • Making sure a brand identifies all possible demographics, ranging from age and gender to cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  • Enabling brands to align diversity-based marketing efforts and a brand’s broader strategy.
  • Boosting awareness among diverse communities of a brand’s commitment to reaching out. 
  • Reducing the likelihood of bad will and bad press around a lack of understanding of the needs of varied target audiences.

When armed with the correct data, marketing and research teams can unveil new marketing campaigns or product launches with confidence, knowing the right message is delivered appropriately to a broad range of consumers.  

Perhaps just as importantly, diversity in market research ensures different voices are represented and heard, and differing perspectives are respected. This can make all the difference between brands poised to grow (based on what they have learned about diverse sets of consumers) and brands that eschew this approach. 

Diversity in Research Methodologies

Situations may vary, but in general, research methodologies translate into special consideration given to how to assemble a focus group that represents a truly diverse audience. Methods can also involve selecting a focus group moderator from a similar background to participants to help participants in the focus group feel comfortable about expressing their opinions.

It’s also customary to undertake diverse market research early, well ahead of unveiling a new campaign or product launch. Data gained through these efforts bring a higher degree of credibility to any sales or marketing campaigns that follow.

The same “diversity requirements” apply to others participating in market research. Look at the individuals who screen potential focus group participants. Do they represent a broad range of people with different backgrounds? It’s also a good idea to review the wording of the proposed survey to make sure no offensive cultural elements are featured.

Other market research factors to keep in mind:

  • Be realistic about the challenges involved. It’s impractical—and generally far too expensive—to move forward without applying any limits to the scope of the research. While it’s vital to understand which markets to investigate, a sharper focus on diversity can help estimate potential costs and the availability of funds and resources. 
  • Look at previous research activities undertaken by the organization. Do these documented efforts reflect a diverse range of opinions, or are certain cultural “blind spots” obvious? 
  • Throw out cultural, racial, religious, and gender biases. Assuming that researchers know what’s best for communities other than their own is probably the biggest mistake a brand can make.
  • Language plays a key role. Whether the activity is moderating a focus group or drawing up a survey for participants, language must be considered. Tip: Relying on machine translation services like Google Translate is not the most effective approach. As we have noted before, “Machine translation is slowly improving in quality, but it lacks subtlety, it struggles with idioms, and it misses the emotional salience that’s important to be qualitative and even quantitative research.” 

By incorporating these and similar methodologies, brands gain insights into customer behaviors that help them design the most effective marketing strategies and campaigns.

Enlist the Skills and Knowledge of a Research Partner

By now, it’s clear that market research must operate on the principle that every customer group is different. A skilled market research firm can assist brands by developing a tailored approach that works for the right target audience. 

Drawing upon a toolkit of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, professional market researchers can: 

  • Help identify the right research objectives for a brand, whether those entail understanding how a product is used in the home via an online community or exploring how consumers perceive a brand through telephone depth interviews.
  • Embed a rich understanding of diverse communities across the organization, facilitating quicker and more customer-centric decision-making.
  • Enable brands to avoid mistakes arising from a lack of understanding about diversity in research. 

Market research agencies also explore the broader market dynamics, identifying trends and anticipating a target audience’s changing needs. This strategy often leads to a competitive advantage through more informed customer knowledge and exciting new marketing messages.

Insights gained through diversity in research can result in fresh ways of thinking about a product or service—how they are used and valued by different communities. The broader a business’s understanding of those differences, the better equipped it is to develop fresh ways of thinking about potential new markets. The result? A win-win for everyone involved.

Back in the day, market research consisted mainly of tapping into as big a consumer pool as possible, with little thought given to culturally diverse demographics. In the past few years, as the struggle to achieve social justice and equality has gained prominence, market research experts have begun changing research methodology to more accurately reflect the vast array of consumers, some of who may have been excluded in the past.

This strategy is crucial for companies seeking to expand into international markets. As we have noted before, brands sometimes “fail to appreciate the diversity within a region or indeed a country.” Only by determining the nuances of different geographical areas, cultures, and consumers “can you get an accurate picture of what people value and whether your products and services might succeed.” 

The goal of this form of research is to achieve genuinely inclusive results. It involves reaching out to typically underrepresented minorities, irrespective of gender, age, race, sexual preference, religion, or disability status. 

By casting an increasingly wide net, market research methods can potentially lead to new demand for products or services and the opportunity to break into new markets. At the very least, the process can result in a deeper understanding of customers’ diverse perspectives and needs, which most experts deem crucial for business growth.

What happens if a brand chooses not to adopt an inclusive approach to surveying customers? This will: 

  • Engender resentment among potential survey participants who don’t see their interests represented in the questions.
  • Result in desired participants choosing to opt-out of the survey.
  • Engender a negative association with the brand sponsoring the survey

There is a huge untapped market for a brand’s products and services among under-served communities. It’s up to businesses to shift their focus and take a more inclusive approach to market research.

Engaging with Underrepresented Audiences

Is there any significant difference between “diversity” and “inclusivity” concepts? 

Yes, says Forbes, noting that diversity reflects “a variety of perspectives or customers.” At the same time, an inclusive focus “goes one step further, engaging those perspectives to improve product satisfaction and use, workplace culture and productivity, new product launches and marketing campaigns.”

To benefit from inclusive market research, brands must first acknowledge that all consumers do not view and use their products in the same fashion. It’s a big first step since marketing strategies often focus on tapping into as large a target audience as possible rather than complicate the process by focusing on one or another historically excluded population.

Inclusive research and design “invite more perspectives and uncovers previously unseen consequences of exclusion,” notes Medium. This approach “provides the opportunity to equalize, protect, uplift, connect, foster equity, promote truth, mitigate bias, instill dignity, empower and democratize.”

That may seem like a tall order, but inclusive research with people outside the mainstream can open the floodgates to new growth opportunities—a strategy no brand can afford to ignore.

Benefits of an Inclusive Approach

The more an organization learns about various target audiences, the more it can tailor its products or services to meet those differing needs. Benefits of inclusive research include:

  • Boosting profits. As Medium notes, “Inclusive product development will help to build products that more people can use,” which paves the way towards new sales and revenue.
  • Avoiding legal entanglements. In our litigious era, it’s not unusual for under-represented communities to seek legal redress when they feel their needs are not considered or met. Also, a brand that neglects specific built-in components of inclusive research (such as providing accessibility for disabled customers) runs the risk of being drawn into legal battles that are both costly and time-consuming.
  • Matching a brand’s mission with its actions. Most international brands hold themselves to high standards for “walking the walk” of their mission and value statements. Committing to an inclusive approach to marketing and design can help support those values by broadening the scope and impact of serving previously under-served communities.

Adopting an inclusive approach to market research will likely mean higher costs and use of resources, at least initially. But the potential for breaking into new markets (and reaping the financial rewards of that break-through) is more than justifying the expenses involved.

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Guiding the Way to Genuine Inclusivity

Adopting certain fundamental principles can help make inclusive market research efforts more informative and successful. Here are guides to foster research with a more significant pay-off:

  • Make a personal commitment to inclusivity. Business leaders who publicly advocate an inclusive approach to market research should make sure they reflect that commitment on a personal level. Educating yourself about the benefits of inclusive marketing research makes it easier to understand what these differing demographics hold essential. 
  • Watch your language. When was the last time you and your team looked hard at your marketing materials to determine if non-offensive language is employed? One option: Assign an internal “inclusivity czar” (with at least some rudimentary knowledge of under-represented communities) to closely review all the content on your website and in your marketing materials. If language exists that some communities find offensive or demeaning, chances are they will go elsewhere for their business needs.
  • Be on the lookout for “survey bias.” Be scrupulous in making sure that those individuals charged with creating a market research survey are as “bias-free” as humanly possible. A diverse team of researchers is probably the best way to avoid unintentional biases.
  • Get expert guidance. While there may be a handful of executives who “get” inclusivity right away, it’s likely true that the majority have a lot to learn on the subject. At the outset of an inclusive market research project, consider enlisting the services of experts in the field. This includes experts with knowledge of specific underrepresented communities, experts on the language and terminology popular within those communities, and others who are prominent within these groups of potential consumers who can speak with authority on their needs and challenges. 

RSA recommends that brands “include a diverse perspective at all stages of the research process and product/software/talent life cycle evaluation by incorporating inclusive testing parameters to ensure results are reflective of all users.”

Getting things right at the outset can help when it comes to reaping the rewards of comprehensive, inclusive market research. 

Build a More Inclusive Team

It stands to reason that if a brand seeks to broaden its appeal through inclusive market research, at least some of the people involved represent a diverse range of perspectives. This principle further justifies efforts to take a more inclusive approach to recruiting for the organization. 

As Inc. notes, “If representation only matters in your marketing, and not in your team building, then consumers get the signal that diversity, inclusion, and belonging aren’t as important to you as you would have them believe.” People can sense that brands “are only being representative in their marketing just to get diverse and niche consumers to spend money with them.”

A diverse team is more likely to understand differences in demographics and approach research with respect and sensitivity the process requires.

What Customers Want

Within the past few years, diverse communities have seen themselves reflected in brand marketing strategies. Their response to this change has been overwhelmingly positive, yet another compelling reason to commit time and resources to inclusive market research. 

According to Savy, a digital marketing agency, “a recent study conducted by Accenture found that 42% of ethnically diverse shoppers are more likely to switch to a brand committed to inclusion and diversity.” What’s more, “41% of LGBTQ shoppers would switch to a business dedicated to inclusivity and diversity.”

In other words, committing to inclusive market research paves the way to identifying—and then reaching out to—communities that have waited for generations to see themselves reflected in advertising and marketing. The likelihood of those communities flocking to a brand that emphasizes inclusive marketing is strong and can foster accelerated growth as a result. 

Every customer group is different. In many cases, a third-party research firm can partner with a brand to develop the best approach to inclusive marketing research. At Kadence, we draw upon our extensive toolkit of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to understand the needs of these under-served communities. The result is:

  • More productive research
  • Valuable insights into different demographics
  • Gaining a step on the competition 

By bringing companies closer to their customers, a third-party research firm can embed rich understanding across your organization and promote more effective, customer-centric decision-making.