Market research has always been about understanding consumers. But in 2025, the stakes are higher than ever. With business leaders recognizing that they need to understand their customers, the appetite for consumer insights is growing. But today’s consumers are distracted, overloaded with content, and deeply skeptical of brands. Getting authentic insights fast is becoming harder.
The result of all of this? Lower participation, weaker insights, and lost opportunities to build the trust that’s now essential for brand growth.
In her recent Customer Think article, What Consumers Expect From Market Research in 2025 (And Why It’s Time to Rethink Your Approach), Paula Catoira, CMO at Rival Group, outlines seven consumer expectations that are reshaping how brands must approach research.
In her article, she outlines what the most innovative insight leaders are doing to keep up with these wants.
1. Make it feel as easy as TikTok
Nobody wants to fill out a 25-minute survey on a desktop anymore. Consumers are used to digital experiences that are fast, mobile, and intuitive—think swiping through stories, watching a quick video, or sending a voice note. If research doesn’t feel like that—if it’s clunky, impersonal, or outdated—people will check out before you even start collecting data.
Paula explains that consumer-grade experiences are now the baseline. That means surveys and research tools need to be mobile-first, conversational in tone, and visually rich. When research feels like part of someone’s everyday digital behavior rather than a chore, engagement rates rise—and so does the quality of the insights you collect.
As our recent research-on-research shows, this conversational approach is worth it: it increases depth up to 8x while delivering an experience that's more engaging, enjoyable and easy. ✅ ✅ ✅
2. Catch people in the moment
Paula emphasizes: “The faster you capture feedback, the more honest and useful it is.”
Timing is everything. People want to share their thoughts while the experience is still fresh in their minds—at checkout, after watching an ad, or in the middle of trying a new product. If you wait too long, you lose the emotion and context that make the feedback truly valuable.
This shift means researchers need to think about tools and methods that integrate seamlessly into daily life. QR codes, mobile prompts, or quick video diaries allow consumers to give their input in real time. In-the-moment research not only captures richer details but also reflect the world as consumers are actually experiencing it.
3. Stop interrogating, start co-creating
Younger generations, in particular, don’t want to feel like they’re being interrogated. A static list of questions doesn’t inspire much engagement. Instead, people want to feel like partners—shaping ideas, giving feedback that matters, and being part of something bigger.
As Paula puts it: “Research shouldn’t feel like an interrogation, it should feel like a conversation.”
This is why community-led approaches are on the rise. They turn research into an ongoing dialogue rather than a one-time transaction. Companies like OURA, Time Out and Warner Bros. Discovery prove it: when consumers feel like collaborators, the insights are richer and the relationship with the brand grows stronger.
4. Trust is everything
Consumers today are paying closer attention to how their data is collected and used. They expect transparency, and they want to know their voices are making a difference.
“Transparency isn’t just a nice-to-have," Paula explains. "It’s essential to creating honest, lasting relationships.”
This means your research programs need to do more than just ask questions—they need to show participants that their input matters. Clear opt-ins, control over personal data, and proof that feedback is leading to real change are now non-negotiable. Without trust, participation drops, and the insights you do gather risk being incomplete or unreliable. This is particularly true with younger folks, so keep this in mind if you're doing Gen Z research!
5. Short and sweet is the way to go
Attention is scarce. Everyone is juggling multiple demands, and if your survey looks long or complicated, people won’t bother. Paula stresses that research has to be designed for today’s distracted consumer: short, modular, and even a little delightful.
That doesn’t mean cutting corners on depth—it means breaking research into smaller, easier-to-complete experiences. Clarity matters too. When people know what’s being asked of them and feel like their time is respected, they’re much more likely to participate and give thoughtful responses.
6. Insights need to move fast
Business doesn’t wait, and research can’t either.
"Research should be a growth engine, not a bottleneck," Paula explains.
Waiting weeks for a lengthy report means the moment to act has already passed. Decision-makers need insights at the speed of business.
This is where agile research approaches shine. Instead of focusing on producing long decks, researchers need to prioritize speed, clarity, and actionability. Summaries that surface the key points quickly, trend-spotting that happens in real time, and tools that help teams act fast are what make insights truly valuable in 2025.
Pro tip: The right AI research tools can help with this!
7. Think ongoing, not one-off
One-off surveys may still have their place, but the real power comes from ongoing conversations. Paula highlights the example of Time Out, which built a global insight community across 12 cities. That always-on approach allows them to track how preferences, needs, and behaviors evolve over time—something a single survey could never capture.
Ongoing engagement helps brands build relationships and uncover deeper insights. When consumers feel like they’re part of a continuing dialogue, the feedback they give is more authentic. And for brands, it means having a continuous pulse on shifting attitudes, rather than chasing insights after the fact.
Consumers are changing... Is your research?
Ultimately, Paula's article is a reminder that for insights to remain relevant, it has to truly reflect how people live and communicate today.
"As marketers, we talk a lot about putting the customer first, but too often our research methods haven’t caught up," Paula writes. "If we want better insights, we need to design better experiences: faster, simpler, and more aligned with how people live and communicate today."
The insight teams that embrace the 7 shifts we discussed here —meeting consumers on their terms, building trust, and keeping the dialogue ongoing—will be the ones making smarter, faster decisions tomorrow.
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